The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood Part Sixth Summary & Analysis

Summary

One day Robin Hood suggests that he and Little John go in search of adventure. Little John will disguise himself as a friar, and Robin will trade clothes with the first beggar he comes across. Little John eventually comes upon three young women on their way to sell eggs at a market. He flirts with the women before heading on his way. Thirsty, he decides to stop at an inn for a drink. Outside the inn, Little John learns that two friars are inside. He sings a profane song, and the friars come out and scold him. Little John suggests he travel with the friars, but they refuse him or at least try to. As the friars head off on their horses, Little John runs between them, embarrassing them as they pass various people. He then asks them for money to buy some bread. The friars claim they have no money, and Little John prays to Saint Dunstan to send them each ten shillings. He then looks in their pouches and finds ten shillings in each of them. Little John takes nine shillings from each, saying it was his prayer that brought then the money in the first place, before leaving.

Meanwhile, Robin meets a beggar and asks to trade clothes, but the beggar refuses. They fight, and when Robin wins, the beggar says Robin may have his clothes but admits he was trying to protect the money he had hidden in the lining of his coat. They trade clothes, and the beggar is happy to have new clothes and to keep his money. Robin continues on and comes across four beggars who claim to be blind, deaf, dumb, and lame. The men begin speaking in the jargon of beggars, which Robin does not understand. The beggars suspect Robin is a spy and begin attacking him. As two of the beggars run away, Robin knocks the other two out and steals from one a pouch filled with money.

Heading back to Sherwood, Robin Hood comes across a corn dealer who is known for taking advantage of poor people. He asks the corn dealer for money. The corn dealer refuses, saying he would not carry money with Robin Hood in the forest. Robin says he is not really a beggar but rather has disguised his privilege to protect himself from Robin Hood. He then offers to jog alongside the corn dealer so they can fight off Robin Hood together. As they near Sherwood, the corn dealer reveals that he has hidden money in his shoes. Robin orders the corn dealer to give him the shoes, revealing his true identity. The corn dealer takes off his shoes and leaves.

Analysis

The antagonism that Robin Hood and his men feel toward members of the clergy, except for Friar Tuck, has been evident for most of their escapades, and it is plain in Little John’s treatment of the friars he comes across at the inn in this part of the novel. Without knowing anything about the friars, Little John tries to annoy and humiliate them and, eventually, steals from them. As most of the friars that Robin’s men have met are greedy and corrupt, Little John assumes that these men are as well, so he feels no guilt in taking almost all their money. Similarly, Robin Hood steals from the corn dealer, a man he knows to be dishonest, especially with those less fortunate. For this reason, Robin feels no misgivings about taking the corn dealer’s money after gaining his trust. However, Robin also takes money from beggars, but only because they have lied about their various ailments. Even though the beggars may have been greatly in need of the money, Robin feels they do not deserve it because of their deception. He feels he is justified in taking it. In contrast, Robin allows the first beggar he meets to keep the money he has hidden because Robin generally does not want to steal from those who are needy or from those who are honest.

The adventures that Robin Hood and Little John embark on in this part show the dangers of making assumptions about others. While Robin and his men tend to assume that the wealthy are the only ones capable of greed, in this part, Robin discovers that the poor can be avaricious as well. Robin steals far more money from the four beggars than Little John does from the two friars, who may have genuinely needed the money in their travels. Although Robin Hood and his men attempt to exact justice, making assumptions and painting entire groups of people with a broad brush may sometimes prevent them from actually creating the system of fairness they desire.

This part of the novel also reveals the hypocrisy present in many of Robin Hood’s escapades. Robin and Little John disguise themselves just to have adventures to tell their friends about. Robin directly lies about his identity to the corn dealer. However, he is angry when he realizes that the four beggars have deceived him, even though he fully intended to deceive them. Robin even uses their deception as justification for taking their money, showing that he views his own trickery as acceptable. Though Robin Hood sees himself as a hero and avenger of the poor, these exploits prove he is not always without fault.