The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood Part Fourth Summary & Analysis

Summary

Will Stutely gathers a group of men to search for someone who can join them for a feast. While searching, they come across a man playing the harp and bring him back to Sherwood Forest. The man, who introduces himself as Allan a Dale, recognizes Robin Hood. Allan tells the men of his recent sorrow: he fell in love with a woman named Ellen o’ the Dale. However, they were discovered by Ellen’s father, who is now forcing her to marry an old man, Sir Stephen of Trent. The men are outraged, but Robin Hood comes up with a plan for Allan to marry Ellen. Will Scarlet suggests they get the Curtal Friar of Fountain Abbey to marry the couple because he is willing to break rules.

Robin Hood sets out to find the friar the next day with a group of his men. While walking ahead on his own, Robin sees a friar sitting by the side of a river, talking to himself. Robin tells the man he is looking for the Curtal Friar, and the friar offers to carry Robin across the river. However, Robin falls into the water, and the two men begin fighting. The friar whistles for dogs to attack Robin as Robin blows his horn for his men to come. When they arrive, Will Scarlet recognizes the friar, whom he addresses as Tuck, and he introduces Robin Hood. Will points out that Friar Tuck is the Curtal Friar, and Robin invites him back to Sherwood.

Robin Hood, along with his men and Friar Tuck, heads to the church where Ellen is to marry Sir Stephen. Dressed as a harp player, Robin approaches the bishop and says his music will make the bride fall in love with her groom, but he refuses to play until the bride and groom arrive. The bishop agrees to this because the groom is his cousin and is in love with Ellen. When Ellen and Sir Stephen are at the altar, Robin steps between them and says the bride is not in love with the groom. Robin then blasts his horn, and his men enter the church. Ellen’s father blames Allan a Dale for the intrusion. Sir Stephen admits that he did not know Ellen was in love with another man and leaves. Robin then offers to pay for Ellen’s dowry to marry Allan. Her father reluctantly agrees but says he will have nothing to do with Ellen from now on. Friar Tuck then marries the couple and joins Robin’s band of men.

Analysis

As Robin Hood and his men help Allan a Dale marry his true love, they are once more blurring the distinction between doing what’s legal and doing what’s right. In this era in England, Ellen is the property of her father. According to the law, Ellen’s father has the final say in who his daughter marries. However, once again, Robin Hood and his men disregard the law, believing that something as important as marriage should be based on love instead of social standing. As usual, Robin relies on deceit to pull off his scheme, ingratiating himself with the bishop by pretending to be a harpist with the ability to change a person’s feelings with his music. Though the way Robin goes about achieving his goals is underhanded, in the end, he has brought happiness to Allan, Ellen, and Sir Stephen, who had no desire to marry a woman who did not love him. Again, Robin Hood shows how the ultimately virtuous ends may justify the morally ambiguous means.

The introduction of Friar Tuck in this part contrasts true piousness and kindness with feigned devoutness. Unlike the previous members of the clergy that Robin Hood has come across, such as the Prior of Emmet and the Bishop of Hereford, Friar Tuck is known for his willingness to break the rules, making him an ideal addition to Robin’s band of men. Friar Tuck is also not materialistic and pompous, as the other men of religion are. Rather than presiding over a stately home, he talks to himself by the side of the river and offers to carry Robin. The fact that Friar Tuck is not concerned with material goods shows that he embodies the teachings of his religion more than those who are technically his senior in the clergy. In this way, the character of Friar Tuck personifies the difference between legality and morality. While he may not follow the rules as other friars do, he is the only one willing to marry a couple in love, showing he will do what is right rather than what is expected of him for the sake of propriety.

The importance of friendship is also emphasized in this part with the introduction of both Friar Tuck and Allan a Dale. Just like several men before him, Friar Tuck begins fighting with Robin Hood when the two first meet. However, he still agrees to help Robin and eventually joins his band. In addition, after knowing Allan a Dale for only a short time, Robin and his men are committed to ensuring that he can marry his true love, thus showing true friendship.

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