The Highwayman Themes
Love
It would be hard to find a more important theme in "The Highwayman" than love. The love that Bess and the Highwayman share drives all the action, and, without it, there really wouldn't be a plot. E...
Violence
There's kind of a lot of gore in "The Highwayman." If it were a movie, we'd probably be creeping into R-rated territory. Both of the main characters die in a pool of their own blood, and the threat...
Man and the Natural World
From the number of times the speaker mentions moonlight (nineteen!) it starts to look like an obsession. He's always zooming out, reminding us of the natural world that is framing this human drama....
Courage
This might not be the first theme that jumps out at you, but it's definitely a major thread running through "The Highwayman." First there's the courage of the highwayman, who has to be brave to do...
Appearances
The speaker of "The Highwayman" spends a lot of time talking about the way the main characters look. We get tons of detail about the highwayman's snappy dressing, and the speaker clearly wants us t... It would be hard to find a more important theme in "The Highwayman" than love. The love that Bess and the Highwayman share drives all the action, and, without it, there really wouldn't be a plot. Even if their love ends up killing them, it's clearly supposed to be a beautiful thing. Then there's Tim the ostler. He's in love too, but his love is much weirder and darker, a big contrast with the exciting passion of Bess and the highwayman.