The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood Part Fifth Summary & Analysis

Summary

One day Robin Hood and Little John go separate ways to find a guest to join them for dinner. Robin meets a knight who claims he is too sorrowful to be a pleasant guest, but Robin insists the knight walk with him. The knight, Sir Richard of Lea, tells Robin he is impoverished because he had to pawn his lands to the Priory of Emmet to save his son from prison after the son killed a well-respected knight in a joust. All of Sir Richard’s friends have abandoned him in his time of need, but Robin tells him he is no longer without friends.

Meanwhile, Little John has brought the Bishop of Hereford and three friars to dine. The bishop tries to flee when he sees Robin Hood approaching but is stopped by a guard. He tells of how Little John forced him to come to Sherwood Forest. Robin laughs at Little John’s antics and insists he would never harm the bishop. After they eat, Robin Hood tells Sir Richard’s story and asks the bishop, who is the richest in England, to help the knight. When the bishop does not answer, Robin tells his men to divide up the bishop’s money and distribute it among themselves and Sir Richard. Robin allows the bishop to keep one-third of his wealth but makes him stay in the woods for three days to allow Sir Richard time to pay off his debts.

Along with Little John and some of the other men, Sir Richard goes to the Priory of Emmet. The Prior is eating dinner and discussing with the Sheriff how he will gain ownership of Sir Richard’s lands. Entering the hall, Sir Richard tells the Prior he has no money and begs for mercy. The Prior, believing Sir Richard cannot pay, demands three hundred pounds. Sir Richard surprises him by taking a leather bag from Little John and paying the three hundred pounds. As they leave, the Sheriff recognizes Little John as his previous right-hand man. Little John says he will tell Robin Hood of the Sheriff’s behavior.

One year later, Sir Richard has refurbished his home and lands. On his way to Sherwood, he stops at a fair in Denby. There, he saves the life of a man who has angered a crowd by beating the local favorite in a wrestling match. Sir Richard continues on to Sherwood Forest, where he pays Robin Hood more than four times what Robin stole for him, as well as expensive bows and arrows. The men are extremely grateful and pledge their loyalty to Sir Richard.

Analysis

The question of legality versus morality rises again as Robin Hood and his men help Sir Richard of Lea. Sir Richard was once a respected knight, but he has been brought down by what Robin considers to be an unfair and immoral system, in which the rich take advantage of others. Robin sees the Bishop of Hereford and the Prior of Emmet as both having far more wealth than they are entitled to. He rights this wrong by stealing from the bishop, though notably, he does leave him with some money. Robin’s moral code does not dictate impoverishing others to enrich himself and his friends, unlike both the Bishop and the Prior. Rather, Robin tries to ensure that everyone has enough to live on. He believes that any excess wealth should be redistributed to those who need it. Robin seems to feel no compunction about stealing because he does not believe the bishop or the prior came about their wealth honestly. He also does not believe in hurting others for the sake of it. Robin promises not to hurt the bishop, who has done nothing to deserve punishment. Robin sees himself as an agent for balancing an unfair system in which what is legal is often at odds with what is right.

Sir Richard’s repayment to Robin Hood and their pledge of loyalty to each other show how kindness begets kindness. On the flip side, others are punished for their greedy and deceitful ways. The Prior of Emmet knows he has taken advantage of Sir Richard of Lea, and he tries to do so even further when Sir Richard arrives in his hall. The prior is penalized for his corrupt behavior, losing Sir Richard’s lands, and looking like a fool in front of the Sheriff. Meanwhile, Little John points out that the Sheriff’s involvement in the prior’s actions will not go without retribution from Robin Hood. In Robin’s system of justice, people are rewarded for their good deeds and punished for their bad ones. While any system of justice is supposed to work this way in theory, the system in the medieval England of Robin Hood fails to do so in practice. That is why Robin Hood enacts his own justice system.

In this part of the novel, the kindness of Robin Hood and his men has a ripple effect, influencing others to do good as well. Sir Richard of Lea felt pessimistic about the world when he first met Robin, believing he had no friends and no chance of getting his land back. However, after experiencing Robin’s generosity, Sir Richard sees the importance of helping others. He goes on to save the life of a man who was hated for much the same reason Sir Richard’s son was. Sir Richard’s actions show how loyalty and brotherhood can extend far beyond a single person’s actions.

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