Comparison between the ballads of Charlotte Dymond andThe Highwayman

University Degree Linguistics, Classics and related subjects

Comparison between the ballads of Charlotte Dymond and

The Highwayman

There are many similarities between the ballad of Charlotte Dymond by Charles Causley and Alfred Noyes The Highwayman. Although there are many differences between the two poems, a close analysis shows that both poems are concerned with exploring the negative effects of unrequited love. A particularly strong similarity between the two poems is seen in the thematic development of jealousy and death, resulting from unrequited love. This essay will be concerned with comparing the ways the poets explore these themes.

The themes love, jealousy and death in Charlotte Dymond could be seen as rather dominant. The evidence of this is given by Matthew when he confesses he has killed Charlotte and he cries “she is as pure…the only sin upon her skin is that she loved another”. Matthew evidently regrets killing Charlotte, as he realises he has killed her for something that is not her fault. Her death resulted purely from his jealousy as he decided to see her loving someone else as a ‘sin’. The readers themselves know that Charlotte has committed no sin, for it is not a crime to love someone. Causley ultimately seems to be implying that jealousy that becomes an extreme, leads to tragic consequences. This is also the case in The Highwayman this is shown when the lovers meet but are seen by a man called Tim who also loves Bess: “Tim the ostler listened…but he loved the landlord’s daughter”. This reveals to us the love between the couple and Tim’s jealousy. The readers are shown that Tim can’t have Bess’s love and is driven by unreturned love to get rid of the Highwayman and this leads to the couple’s deaths.

Imagery also plays a key part in both poems to bring out the negative aspects of jealousy. In “Charlotte Dymond” there are many metaphors for example: “face the colour of clay” which describes Matthew after he kills Charlotte. This is also reflected in The Highwayman where there are also metaphors used: “his face grew grey” this describes the highwayman when he hears his love Bess dies to save him. Both metaphors show the facial expressions of the men in the ballads. They imply jealousy and its deed brings about physical signs of strong passion. ...

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The main characters (the lovers) in Causley’s ballad are described quite simply. This is seen from the fact that Causley says “Charlotte she was gentle”, she is also described: “as pure as is the early dew” this shows Matthew’s description of her. Matthew her lover is described as “her crippled lover limping at her hand”. On the other hand in The Highwayman Bess is seen as quite beautiful. The evidence for this is “The landlords black-eyed daughter, red-lipped daughter…her long black hair” this shows what her lover and Tim think of Bess with her pretty features this also shows how Noyes’ described Bess. The Highwayman is shown as brave: “I’ll come to thee-though hell should bar the way”, this implies that he would come to Bess; no matter what comes in his way also it shows the strong bond and love between the lovers.

The way Causley writes his ballad is very similar to the way Alfred Noyes has written his; both combine straight forward narrative and spoken dialogue. In Charlotte Dymond the poem starts of in a narrative form: “It was a…” then later in the poem dialogue is used: “I’ve come to take you Matthew” when the constable speaks. This is the same in The Highwayman: “The wind was...” shows the beginning of the poem. Dialogue is shown: “One kiss my bonny sweetheart” when the Highwayman is talking to Bess. The use of this form of writing shows how the poets try to make their poems effective.

The atmosphere in Charlotte Dymond seems touching yet depressing. We know this because the evidence for this is that Charlotte cries “Take me home… I lie here in a pit”. This shows a distressing image with Charlotte lying dead in a pit described as crying out to go home similarly in The Highwayman the atmosphere seems the same. The evidence for this is when Bess is trying to escape “she stood up to attention the barrel beneath her breast-her finger moved…and warned him with her death. This shows a heartbreaking image of Bess sacrificing her self for her love.

By Nisha Rahman