Alfred Noyes does a excellent job of effectively creating vivid characters and settings through his dynamic choice of word play. For instance, in part one stanza four , Noyes introduces “Tim the ostler” the the reader by stating, “His eyes were hollows of madness, his hair like moldy hay,” and “Dumb as a dog he listened” to the robber’s and Bess’s conversation. Using such descriptive adjectives the reader can gather that Tim is a creepy stalker, who is jealous of the highwayman and in love with Bess. The reader is enabled to portray a vivid image of Tim watching Bess and the Highwayman in their mind. Noyes also chooses to begin the poem by helping the reader imagine the setting. “The wind was a torrent of darkness among the gusty trees,”