The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood: Full Book Analysis

The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood recounts episodic tales of the infamous outlaw Robin Hood and his band of men, who take the justice system into their own hands by helping the needy and punishing those they believe to be corrupt. Though Robin Hood considers himself to be a moral figure, his hypocrisy and enigmatic moral code make him and his men complex and ambiguous. Though the reasoning behind their actions is sometimes questionable, they always attempt to do what they believe is right, and they put loyalty to one another above all else. While Robin and his men have built a community without laws deep within Sherwood Forest, they all live happily and harmoniously. Their conflict is with the rich and corrupt. Robin and his band take far more pleasure in their simple lives in the forest than do any of the powerful

The inciting incident that sets off the action of the narrative occurs when Robin Hood, eighteen years old and on his way to an archery competition, accidentally kills a forester with his bow and arrow because of his wounded pride. Though Robin feels immense guilt for taking another man’s life, he evades the law and decides that he will contribute to society rather than be imprisoned or hanged for his crime. As Robin builds his band of outlaws in the forest, they all vow to help the needy by taking from those they believe are corrupt.

As outlaws, Robin and his men come into conflict with the legal and religious systems that run society, believing the men in positions of power are greedy and have come by their wealth in underhanded ways. They use this reasoning to defend stealing from these men on different occasions, including the Sheriff of Nottingham, the Bishop of Hereford, and the Prior of Emmet. With the money taken from these men, Robin and his band help those who have been taken advantage of by people in power, such as Sir Richard of Lea, who was forced to pawn his lands to keep his son from jail. Because Robin and his men believe the legal system to be corrupt, they see themselves as balancing the scale of justice by taking it into their own hands.

While Robin Hood’s moral code remains vague and often questionable throughout his adventures, he does draw a hard line by refusing to take from those who have not done any harm to him. For example, even though the Sheriff is Robin’s chief nemesis, in one incident Robin chastises Little John for stealing silverware from the Sheriff because, on that occasion, the Sheriff did not do anything morally wrong. Robin even makes Little John return the stolen silverware. Still, Robin sometimes hypocritically disregards his own rule, such as the incident in which he steals from beggars who have been deceitful about their ailments, even though Robin often engages in deception for his own amusement.

In addition to helping others when they can, Robin Hood and his men focus on enjoying the life they have in Sherwood Forest and enjoying each other’s friendship. As the episodes and adventures unfold, both Robin Hood and some of his men narrowly escape arrest and even hanging. Whenever Robin is in danger or needs help, he knows he can blow his horn and his men will come running. For this reason, none of the men is ever successfully captured by the Sheriff of Nottingham. Both the horn and Sherwood Forest represent the loyalty the men feel toward one another. The horn shows that they are all willing to risk their safety to save each other, while the forest represents the protective bubble their friendship has formed. Even when the Sheriff himself goes to Robin Hood’s encampment, he knows he cannot exert his power over Robin Hood within Sherwood Forest, showing how both nature and the band’s strong friendship will protect him from any danger.

The climax of the novel—the moment of most tension—occurs when Robin Hood comes closest to being captured and possibly losing his life. By this point in the novel, Robin has gained so much fame and respect throughout England that he does not fear being arrested when he is invited to participate in an archery competition by Queen Eleanor. However, the king is furious at the repeated failure of those in positions of authority to catch Robin Hood, and he sends guards after him. Robin reaches a point of seeing no escape—almost. He is rescued by taking the advice of Sir Richard of Lea, who tells Robin to return to London and beg for mercy from Queen Eleanor.

The falling action occurs when Robin Hood returns to Sherwood Forest and begins to lead a more subdued life. Yet even here, toward the end of the novel, another episode of conflict happens. Robin comes across an armed outlaw named Guy of Gisbourne, who has been sent by the Sheriff of Nottingham to catch him. Robin kills Guy, the second man he kills in his life. When Robin leaves Sherwood Forest to accept a position in the service of the new king, Richard, and become an earl, his conflict with authority might seem to be over. However, in the Epilogue, he returns to Sherwood after many years and is pursued by the Sheriff of Nottingham one last time. The long conflict between the two ends, and the story’s resolution occurs, when Robin kills the Sheriff, forever eliminating the threat that has followed him for so long. However, Robin then succumbs to an illness, possibly because of the regret he feels for killing another, even though his victim was his mortal enemy. Robin Hood dies in the arms of Little John while looking out on Sherwood Forest, proving that the most important things in his life have been his friends and the home he made in the woods.

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