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152-505: Sir Robin of Locksley (alias Robin Hood after outlawed), is the titular main protagonist of the 2006 TV series . He is portrayed by Jonas Armstrong , who is much younger than many of the previous actors to have played the character. Armstrong described his portrayal of Robin Hood as "A believable superhero... Like all leaders, he's an egoist and he's often quite arrogant. He's not an out-and-out hero...He has an undercurrent of darkness." At

304-653: A cliff. He is rescued by Brother Tuck, but a tired and broken Robin refuses his help, claiming that he has nothing more to give and that he has lost all faith in himself. However, when Robin learns that the gang are to be executed, he and Tuck set out to rescue them. During the rescue, Robin manages to pin Gisborne to a wall. Initially intending to murder Gisborne, Robin relents when Guy actually begs for death, contenting himself with merely slashing Gisborne's cheek. He buries Marian's wedding ring shortly afterwards and expresses aloud that he will never stop loving her. In episode 4,

456-619: A compulsive liar and thief, is hanged by the Sheriff in Brothers in Arms . Allan uses a sword in most fights in the first two series, but takes to fighting with two in the third. In the second series, Allan becomes a reluctant informer for Guy of Gisborne , agreeing to spy on Robin for money and release from Nottingham's dungeon. After his betrayal is unmasked by Robin, he enters Gisborne's service. He provides Gisborne with vital information about

608-410: A fight breaks out with Tuck, John, and the men from Locksley taking on the guards. They are successful and seize the castle for King Richard. While the gang celebrate capturing Isabella and the castle, Much finds a body and the gang discover it to be that of Allan A Dale, who the gang accused of being a traitor after Isabella pardoned him for helping her earlier in the episode. John, along with the rest of

760-404: A fist. The Sheriff returns in the series 3 finale: after killing Allan A Dale to prevent him warning the outlaws of his return, he arrives at Nottingham with a vast army in tow, just as Isabella has been ousted by the outlaws. It is assumed that Vaisey has been planning this for some time, as he has his second-in-command, a former minion of Isabella's called Blamire, weaken the city defences and pave

912-584: A gode felawe. And in its final lines the Gest sums up: he was a good outlawe, And dyde pore men moch god. Within Robin Hood's band, medieval forms of courtesy rather than modern ideals of equality are generally in evidence. In the early ballad, Robin's men usually kneel before him in strict obedience: in A Gest of Robyn Hode the king even observes that " His men are more at his byddynge/Then my men be at myn. " Their social status, as yeomen,

1064-534: A legal argument to break her engagement and arrives to marry Guy. Robin is heart-broken and decides to leave Nottingham. The wedding is interrupted by a frantic Much, who informs her that the King is an impostor, and that it is a ruse to weed out the Sheriff's enemies. In the hope of forgiveness, Guy admits that he knew of the plan, but Marian punches him and flees the wedding. Robin rides up on horseback to greet her and Much, and Marian rides off with him. When they arrive at

1216-485: A liking to him. Guy also appears to show some of the decency he once showed Marian. After being released by Isabella, Meg feeds Guy before attempting to set him free by stealing the dungeon keys. However, Isabella catches Meg trying to free Gisborne, sentencing both to execution. The two then escape thanks to Robin, who agrees that Meg does not deserve death. However, Meg is stabbed during the escape. Guy flees with her, and after finding somewhere solitary he lays her down and

1368-486: A lost Robin Hood play for Henry VIII's court, and that this play may have been one of Munday's sources. Henry VIII himself with eleven of his nobles had impersonated "Robyn Hodes men" as part of his "Maying" in 1510. Robin Hood is known to have appeared in a number of other lost and extant Elizabethan plays . In 1599, the play George a Green, the Pinner of Wakefield places Robin Hood in the reign of Edward IV . Edward I ,

1520-517: A minstrel, Allan (played by Joe Armstrong ) is an opportunist and pathological liar . In the first series' premiere , he is rescued by Robin after being caught poaching. He attempts to escape punishment by claiming he is a resident of Locksley to gain Robin's pardon, but only succeeds in joining the fate of hanging. He joins Robin as an outlaw after being saved from the noose. He claims to have come from Rochdale, hence his surname. His brother Tom, also

1672-487: A number of unreliable sources, such as the Robin Hood plays of Anthony Munday and the Sloane Manuscript. Nevertheless, Dobson and Taylor credit Ritson with having 'an incalculable effect in promoting the still continuing quest for the man behind the myth', and note that his work remains an 'indispensable handbook to the outlaw legend even now'. Ritson's friend Walter Scott used Ritson's anthology collection as

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1824-546: A pit, after telling Guy that his days as a free man are over. Isabella captures Guy in The King is Dead, Long Live the King... by poisoning his wound, throws him in the dungeons and sentences him to death. Squire Thornton, Isabella's estranged husband who briefly takes power as Sheriff, throws Isabella's feisty new companion, Meg, in a cell next to Guy's. At first Meg clearly states that she despises Guy, but after he helps her to quench her thirst and gives her some food she takes

1976-464: A play by George Peele first performed in 1590–91, incorporates a Robin Hood game played by the characters. Llywelyn the Great , the last independent Prince of Wales , is presented playing Robin Hood. Fixing the Robin Hood story to the 1190s had been first proposed by John Major in his Historia Majoris Britanniæ (1521), (and he also may have been influenced in so doing by the story of Warin); this

2128-592: A poisoned blade, though he survives long enough to kill her and the Sheriff and destroy his army. At the end of the episode, the dying Robin bids his gang a final farewell, speaking to each of them in turn, then staggers off to a glade in Sherwood Forest to die peacefully. As he lies dying, a vision of Marian appears before him and the two embrace and enter Heaven . The gang retrieve Robin's corpse for burial, and vow to continue fighting injustice in his name. Sir Guy of Gisborne , played by Richard Armitage ,

2280-471: A sense of pride in himself, having lived a life of shame. His final words, "I am free" , likely mean that, in death, he finally escaped the living hell his life had become. The Sheriff of Nottingham is the main antagonist of the show. Keith Allen 's portrayal was described by The Hollywood Reporter as "very camp in the Alan Rickman tradition of sardonic villains," referring to Rickman's role as

2432-611: A source for his picture of Robin Hood in Ivanhoe , written in 1818, which did much to shape the modern legend . In the decades following the publication of Ritson's book, other ballad collections would occasionally publish stray Robin Hood ballads Ritson had missed. In 1806, Robert Jamieson published the earliest known Robin Hood ballad, Robin Hood and the Monk in Volume II of his Popular Ballads and Songs From Tradition . In 1846,

2584-526: A variety of sources, including apparently "A Gest of Robin Hood", and were influential in fixing the story of Robin Hood to the period of Richard I . Stephen Thomas Knight has suggested that Munday drew heavily on Fulk Fitz Warin , a historical 12th century outlawed nobleman and enemy of King John , in creating his Robin Hood. The play identifies Robin Hood as Robert, Earl of Huntingdon , following in Richard Grafton's association of Robin Hood with

2736-550: Is Robin Hood and Little John telling the famous story of the quarter-staff fight between the two outlaws. Dobson and Taylor wrote, 'More generally the Robin of the broadsides is a much less tragic, less heroic and in the last resort less mature figure than his medieval predecessor'. In most of the broadside ballads Robin Hood remains a plebeian figure, a notable exception being Martin Parker 's attempt at an overall life of Robin Hood, A True Tale of Robin Hood , which also emphasises

2888-474: Is Robin's right-hand man and best friend. He was Robin's manservant before and during their service in the King's guard in the Holy Land. Much is known to be rather daft, forever hungry, and committed to both Robin and his cause. Much yearns for the quiet life: the warmth of the home fire and a little well-earned luxury. He often gets into scrapes (particularly in series 1), from which Robin has to rescue him. He

3040-457: Is a dark, brooding man always clad in black leather. He is the third main character in the first two series after Robin and Marian, and the second main character in the third series after Robin only. Guy is the Sheriff's second-in-command and manages the Locksley estate in Robin's absence. He is reluctant to relinquish control and takes a dark satisfaction in being named permanent lord after Robin

3192-576: Is a legendary heroic outlaw originally depicted in English folklore and subsequently featured in literature, theatre, and cinema. He stole from the rich and gave to the poor . According to legend, he was a highly skilled archer and swordsman . In some versions of the legend, he is depicted as being of noble birth, and in modern retellings he is sometimes depicted as having fought in the Crusades before returning to England to find his lands taken by

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3344-678: Is a literary version) and presided over the French May festivities; "This Robin and Marion tended to preside, in the intervals of the attempted seduction of the latter by a series of knights, over a variety of rustic pastimes." In the Jeu de Robin and Marion , Robin and his companions have to rescue Marion from the clutches of a "lustful knight". This play is distinct from the English legends, although Dobson and Taylor regard it as 'highly probable' that this French Robin's name and functions travelled to

3496-424: Is a secret entrance to Nottingham Castle constructed by the previous Sheriff, and that they can use it to seize the castle for a returning King Richard. He, Robin, and Much enter, but are submerged in limestone and left for dead. Archer then switches sides (after seeing Kate, Tuck, John, and several men from Lockley risk their lives for their freedom) and he and Kate free the trio to seize the castle. The gang then find

3648-403: Is also mentioned in a famous Lollard tract dated to the first half of the fifteenth century (thus also possibly predating his other earliest historical mentions) alongside several other folk heroes such as Guy of Warwick , Bevis of Hampton , and Sir Lybeaus . However, the earliest surviving copies of the narrative ballads that tell his story date to the second half of the 15th century, or

3800-424: Is fated to join the outlaws to die in the desert. Having escaped this, Marian shields King Richard as Guy advances on the injured King. She admits her relationship with Robin and expresses that she would rather die than be with Guy, to which he responds by stabbing her with his sword. Only after this does Robin arrive, and Guy retreats with the Sheriff. Marian marries Robin while she lies mortally wounded. Pulling out

3952-512: Is from the alliterative poem Piers Plowman , thought to have been composed in the 1370s, followed shortly afterwards by a quotation of a later common proverb, "many men speak of Robin Hood and never shot his bow", in Friar Daw's Reply ( c. 1402) and a complaint in Dives and Pauper (1405–1410) that people would rather listen to "tales and songs of Robin Hood" than attend Mass. Robin Hood

4104-594: Is generally regarded as in substance a genuine late medieval ballad. In 1795, Joseph Ritson published an enormously influential edition of the Robin Hood ballads Robin Hood: A collection of all the Ancient Poems Songs and Ballads now extant, relative to that celebrated Outlaw . 'By providing English poets and novelists with a convenient source book, Ritson gave them the opportunity to recreate Robin Hood in their own imagination,' Ritson's collection included

4256-442: Is head-strong and no-nonsense, if often derisive of Robin's arrogance and cocky attitude towards her. But despite this, her ongoing love for him is evident as the series progresses, and they share many tender moments in secret. When King Richard appears to return to England (he is, in fact, an impostor), Marian must fulfill her promise, and Guy immediately prepares their wedding. In one final act of defiance against him, she dresses as

4408-507: Is his fiancée, Guy stabs her in the stomach. After being cared for by Robin and Djaq, she recovers for the wedding, but decides not to marry Guy at the last minute; she punches him and runs from the altar. Gisborne is evidently not completely evil, as he lacks the Sheriff's sadistic glee and even seems at times to disapprove. When three young boys witness an incriminating event in Childhood , Gisborne attempts to spare their lives even though

4560-498: Is immediately strained when an argument over their parents inevitably turns into a fight regarding Marian. Robin relents after Gisborne remarks he will never beg forgiveness as he cannot forgive himself. Robin spares Gisborne from the gang's wrath and together they head to York, where they are successful in escaping with Archer, but he is unwilling to form an alliance and decides to join up with his half-sister to get some money. In Something Worth Fighting For , Guy informs Robin that there

4712-452: Is more than a mere simpleton: on the contrary, he often acts with great shrewdness. The tinker, setting out to capture Robin, only manages to fight with him after he has been cheated out of his money and the arrest warrant he is carrying. In Robin Hood's Golden Prize , Robin disguises himself as a friar and cheats two priests out of their cash. Even when Robin is defeated, he usually tricks his foe into letting him sound his horn, summoning

List of Robin Hood (2006 TV series) characters - Misplaced Pages Continue

4864-477: Is more than willing to demonstrate his loyalty by killing the Sheriff in Do You Love Me? . When installed as Sheriff, Guy learns that Isabella is league with the outlaws, and arranges an elaborate trap to kill her and Robin. When they survive, Prince John threatens to dismiss Guy, and he angrily tells him that he considers him "a fraud, a fake and "a pretender". The prince-regent attacks Guy only to fall into

5016-460: Is no broadside version of Robin Hood and Guy of Gisborne or of Robin Hood and the Monk , which did not appear in print until the 18th and 19th centuries respectively. However, the Gest was reprinted from time to time throughout the 16th and 17th centuries. No surviving broadside ballad can be dated with certainty before the 17th century, but during that century, the commercial broadside ballad became

5168-686: Is not poor, but it seems in context that Robin Hood is stating a general policy. The first explicit statement to the effect that Robin Hood habitually robbed from the rich to give the poor can be found in John Stow 's Annales of England (1592), about a century after the publication of the Gest. But from the beginning Robin Hood is on the side of the poor; the Gest quotes Robin Hood as instructing his men that when they rob: loke ye do no husbonde harme That tilleth with his ploughe. No more ye shall no gode yeman That walketh by gren-wode shawe; Ne no knyght ne no squyer That wol be

5320-623: Is not that children did not read Robin Hood stories before, but this is the first appearance of a Robin Hood literature specifically aimed at them. A very influential example of these children's novels was Pierce Egan the Younger 's Robin Hood and Little John (1840). This was adapted into French by Alexandre Dumas in Le Prince des Voleurs (1872) and Robin Hood Le Proscrit (1873). Egan made Robin Hood of noble birth but raised by

5472-590: Is often depicted as assisting Prince John in usurping the rightful but absent King Richard , to whom Robin Hood remains loyal. He became a popular folk figure in the Late Middle Ages , and his partisanship of the common people and opposition to the Sheriff are some of the earliest-recorded features of the legend, whereas his political interests and setting during the Angevin era developed in later centuries. The earliest known ballads featuring him are from

5624-424: Is outlawed. His eagerness for land of his own comes from bitterness over having no actual Gisborne estate, and he contemplates renaming Locksley to Gisborne. It is revealed that Gisborne's mother was French, and that after his family lost their land they moved to France. Guy fathers a child, Seth, with a servant girl, Annie, and later abandons him in the forest, only for the baby to be rescued by Robin and his men. In

5776-411: Is physically the strongest of the outlaws and generally fights with a quarterstaff. In the series three finale, Robin comes up with a plan to seize the castle for King Richards' return and he, Much, and Gisborne decide to enter the castle via a secret tunnel dug by the previous Sheriff. While the trio go down the tunnel, Tuck and John are tasked by Robin with entering the main gates of the castle, killing

5928-406: Is questioned by the rest of the gang. In episode 7, he and Isabella become closer still after Gisborne finds out about their relationship. However, when Robin goes to Kate's aid at the castle, he tells Isabella he can never give up his life as an outlaw. Angry and hurt, Isabella betrays Robin in favour of allying with Prince John. When she becomes Sheriff, Robin continues to hope for an alliance, but

6080-418: Is shown by their weapons: they use swords rather than quarterstaffs . The only character to use a quarterstaff in the early ballads is the potter, and Robin Hood does not take to a staff until the 17th-century Robin Hood and Little John . The political and social assumptions underlying the early Robin Hood ballads have long been controversial. J. C. Holt influentially argued that the Robin Hood legend

6232-424: Is shown of Robin's memories of their life as he carries Marian to her grave. Series 3 takes place months after Marian's death, as Robin and the remaining outlaws return to England. Robin, now bent on avenging his wife's murder, sends away his friends out of anger (and a personal desire to ensure they don't meet the same fate) and heads to Locksley to kill Gisborne. Their vicious fight ends with Robin being thrown over

List of Robin Hood (2006 TV series) characters - Misplaced Pages Continue

6384-472: Is still commonly presented in modern times. As well as ballads, the legend was also transmitted by 'Robin Hood games' or plays that were an important part of the late medieval and early modern May Day festivities. The first record of a Robin Hood game was in 1426 in Exeter , but the reference does not indicate how old or widespread this custom was at the time. The Robin Hood games are known to have flourished in

6536-637: Is still under the watchful eye of Guy, who is ignorant of her being the Night Watchman and Robin's informer. His feelings for her become deeper. However, she still remains faithful to Robin. She keeps a friendly relationship with Guy, which enables her to give information to Robin. When Allan A Dale is exposed as a traitor and becomes employed by Gisbourne openly, she threatens with death to persuade not to turn her over. When her father dies, she agrees to join Robin in Sherwood Forest. However, this

6688-420: Is strained and she is untrusting of him. Marian initially shuns Robin and rejects his attempts to charm her. They become closer over the course of the first series, Robin frequently visiting her home under cover of darkness, though their meetings usually are concerned with Robin's war against the Sheriff. He is devastated when she becomes engaged to Guy of Gisborne in order to protect herself and her father. Robin

6840-447: Is strenuous on their relationship. They reconcile and are able to acknowledge their mission is the foremost concern. In Lardner's Ring , episode 9, Robin proposes to Marian. She accepts. However, in order to preserve her alliance with Robin, Marian with a reluctant Robin's help, pretends she was captured by him. Guy believes the lie and she returns to the castle. Marian hides the ring from Gisbourne, wearing it only in private. Towards

6992-458: Is the twenty-one year old daughter of the former Sheriff of Nottingham. She is engaged to Robin as a teenager before he goes to fight in the crusades. She is visibly cold and aloof toward him on his return. Marian is initially disapproving of Robin's outlaw status because she believes that the best way to fight injustice is to work inside the system. However, she aids him in his fight against the Sheriff by frequently giving him inside information about

7144-427: Is the voice of reason fear, undercutting Robin's idealism. Much likes orderly living in the outlaws' camp and is usually the chef, complaining that he has to catch and cook the food. Much makes it obvious that he does not want be in the forest, but if he weren't at his best friend's side, he would wither and die. He often complains that Robin continues to treat him like a servant and doesn't listen to his opinion, although

7296-502: Is to ensure Robin's death and personally kill Gisborne, whose betrayal cuts him deeply. Though Vaisey succeeds in causing the deaths of Gisborne and Robin, Robin shoots a flaming arrow into Nottingham Castle, igniting the stored barrels of Byzantine fire inside. The Sheriff has just enough time to realise what is in the barrels before they explode, obliterating the castle, and killing him, Isabella, and his entire army. Lady Marian of Knighton , (known as Marian) portrayed by Lucy Griffiths ,

7448-430: Is unclear how much of the medieval legend has survived, and what has survived may not be typical of the medieval legend. It has been argued that the fact that the surviving ballads were preserved in written form in itself makes it unlikely they were typical; in particular, stories with an interest for the gentry were by this view more likely to be preserved. The story of Robin's aid to the 'poor knight' that takes up much of

7600-505: Is witness to this and is visibly upset. He endeavours to find a way for Marian break her engagement to Guy, by proving he is a traitor to the King. A darker side of Robin's character is revealed in episode 8 of series 1. when he realises that it was a masked Gisborne he prevented from killing King Richard in the Holy Land. This sends Robin into a rage and he attempts to kill Gisborne, compromising his own teachings and beliefs. Though prevented from doing so, Robin strives to prove his guilt for

7752-513: The Gest may be an example. The character of Robin in these first texts is rougher edged than in his later incarnations. In "Robin Hood and the Monk", for example, he is shown as quick tempered and violent, assaulting Little John for defeating him in an archery contest; in the same ballad, Much the Miller's Son casually kills a "little page " in the course of rescuing Robin Hood from prison. No extant early ballad actually shows Robin Hood "giving to

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7904-644: The Percy Society included The Bold Pedlar and Robin Hood in its collection, Ancient Poems, Ballads, and Songs of the Peasantry of England . In 1850, John Mathew Gutch published his own collection of Robin Hood ballads, Robin Hood Garlands and Ballads, with the tale of the lytell Geste , that in addition to all of Ritson's collection, also included Robin Hood and the Pedlars and Robin Hood and

8056-578: The Sheriff . In the oldest known versions, he is instead a member of the yeoman class. He is traditionally depicted dressed in Lincoln green . Through retellings, additions, and variations, a body of familiar characters associated with Robin Hood has been created. These include his lover, Maid Marian ; his band of outlaws, the Merry Men ; and his chief opponent, the Sheriff of Nottingham . The Sheriff

8208-412: The 15th century. There have been numerous variations and adaptations of the story over the subsequent years, and the story continues to be widely represented in literature, film, and television media today. Robin Hood is considered one of the best-known tales of English folklore . In popular culture, the term "Robin Hood" is often used to describe a heroic outlaw or rebel against tyranny. The origins of

8360-416: The 16th century. It is not supported by the earliest ballads. The early compilation, A Gest of Robyn Hode , names the king as 'Edward'; and while it does show Robin Hood accepting the King's pardon, he later repudiates it and returns to the greenwood. The oldest surviving ballad, Robin Hood and the Monk , gives even less support to the picture of Robin Hood as a partisan of the true king. The setting of

8512-403: The 305 ballads in his collection as Child Ballads Nos 117–154, which is how they're often referenced in scholarly works. In the 19th century, the Robin Hood legend was first specifically adapted for children. Children's editions of the garlands were produced and in 1820, a children's edition of Ritson's Robin Hood collection was published. Children's novels began to appear shortly thereafter. It

8664-721: The Crusades is mentioned in passing, Robin takes no stand against Prince John, and plays no part in raising the ransom to free Richard. These developments are part of the 20th-century Robin Hood myth. Pyle's Robin Hood is a yeoman and not an aristocrat. The idea of Robin Hood as a high-minded Saxon fighting Norman lords also originates in the 19th century. The most notable contributions to this idea of Robin are Jacques Nicolas Augustin Thierry 's Histoire de la Conquête de l'Angleterre par les Normands (1825) and Sir Walter Scott 's Ivanhoe (1819). In this last work in particular,

8816-586: The English May Games, where they fused with the Robin Hood legend. Both Robin and Marian were certainly associated with May Day festivities in England (as was Friar Tuck ), but these may have been originally two distinct types of performance. Alexander Barclay in his Ship of Fools , writing in c. 1500, refers to ' some merry fytte of Maid Marian or else of Robin Hood ' – but the characters were brought together. Marian did not immediately gain

8968-717: The Forresters, it was published in 1998 as Robin Hood: The Forresters Manuscript . It appears to have been written in the 1670s. While all the ballads in the Manuscript had already been known and published during the 17th and 18th centuries (although most of the ballads in the Manuscript have different titles then ones they have listed under the Child Ballads), 13 of the ballads in Forresters are noticeably different from how they appeared in

9120-644: The Gest and put the Robin Hood and the Potter ballad in print for the first time. The only significant omission was Robin Hood and the Monk which would eventually be printed in 1806. In all, Ritson printed 33 Robin Hood ballads (and a 34th, now commonly known as Robin Hood and the Prince of Aragon that he included as the second part of Robin Hood Newly Revived which he had retitled "Robin Hood and

9272-498: The Holy Land when he tried to prevent him from killing King Richard . Robin slashes his tattoo during the fray, and Robin realises that it was Guy when he sees his tattoo with an identical scar through it. Robin kidnaps and tortures Guy after he finds out, and attempts to reveal Guy's treachery to the public, but the Sheriff foils hopes of incrimination by burning the tattoo from Gisborne's skin with acid. Robin later locates Gisborne's physician, who under duress reveals that, when Gisborne

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9424-457: The Holy Land, Prince John plays the Sheriff off against Gisborne until Do You Love Me? . Gisborne and the Sheriff fight to the death in a brutal confrontation, both goaded on by Prince John and their own motivations (Gisborne blaming Vaisey for Marian's death and Vaisey believing Gisborne to have failed him). Vaisey is quite surprised by their newfound mutual hatred, commenting that they once loved each other almost like father and son, implying there

9576-471: The Merry Men to his aid. When his enemies do not fall for this ruse, he persuades them to drink with him instead (see Robin Hood's Delight ). In the 18th and 19th centuries, the Robin Hood ballads were mostly sold in "Garlands" of 16 to 24 Robin Hood ballads; these were crudely printed chap books aimed at the poor. The garlands added nothing to the substance of the legend but ensured that it continued after

9728-436: The Night Watchman and attempts to steal from him, but he stabs her as she makes her escape, unaware that she is Marian. Djaq cares for her and manages to revive her. Robin and Marian express regret over the ending of their past involvement. Robin exclaiming that he should not have gone to war and left her. Before they can admit their love, they are interrupted by Djaq returning with medicine. Marian rests with Robin beside her. In

9880-602: The Robin Hood ballads, published in 1888, Child removed the ballads from his earlier work that weren't traditional Robin Hood stories, gave the ballad Ritson titled Robin Hood and the Stranger back its original published title Robin Hood Newly Revived , and separated what Ritson had printed as the second part of Robin Hood and the Stranger as its own separate ballad, Robin Hood and the Prince of Aragon . He also included alternate versions of ballads that had distinct, alternate versions. He numbered these 38 Robin Hood ballads among

10032-568: The Scotchman . In 1858, Francis James Child published his English and Scottish Ballads which included a volume grouping all the Robin Hood ballads in one volume, including all the ballads published by Ritson, the four stray ballads published since then, as well as some ballads that either mentioned Robin Hood by name or featured characters named Robin Hood but weren't traditional Robin Hood stories. For his more scholarly work, The English and Scottish Popular Ballads , in his volume dedicated to

10184-467: The Sheriff and Gisborne decide to surprise and kill the King in the Holy Land, taking the captive Marian with them. Although the Sheriff sends mercenaries to kill Robin before leaving, the outlaws escape and pursue the Sheriff and Gisborne to the Holy Land, prompting them to send an agent to turn Richard against Robin, and then abandon Marian in the desert with him. The outlaws are freed by the King's personal bodyguard Carter, and save Richard from walking into

10336-416: The Sheriff and his sister, who both run him through without mercy. As he lies dying, Gisborne apologises to Robin for everything he has done to the outlaws, and the two old enemies make their peace with each other. In his final moments, Gisborne expresses regret that unlike Robin, he doesn't have someone waiting for him, musing on his unrequited love for Marian, and thanks Robin for allowing Gisborne to die with

10488-590: The Sheriff has the Black Knights sign the Great Pact of Nottingham, a document swearing the loyalty of the lords involved in the conspiracy to kill the King. Robin and the outlaws steal this document, and much of the second series sees the Sheriff foiled in his preparations to kill the King and retrieve the Pact, while Robin successfully sends word to the King regarding the Sheriff's plans. In the final episodes,

10640-506: The Sheriff in the 1991 film Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves . Cynical, sarcastic and with a dark sense of humour, he has many catch phrases, including "La di da di da!" and "A clue: no." He also has an explosive temper, usually triggered by Robin's interference or the repeated failures of Gisborne and other minions. Vaisey becomes the Sheriff a few years before Robin's return to England, taking over from Marian's father Edward. He uses

10792-522: The Sheriff wants them dead. He risks his own life to help Marian when the Earl of Winchester demands her as part of a deal in For England! . He does show remorse for his villainous ways in the final episode of the first series and lets Marian leave after she goes to warn Robin of the Sheriff's plan. However, this rejection weighs heavily on him at the start of the second series, and he chooses to burn down

10944-581: The Sheriff's assassins, King Richard is wounded and put at the mercy of an advancing Gisborne. Realising that Guy is consumed with power and greed, Marian stands between Guy and the King, informing him that she loves only Robin. An enraged Gisborne finally snaps and runs Marian through with a sword; shocked and horrified by his own actions, he flees the fort with the Sheriff on horseback. Marian dies in Robin's arms, after they exchange vows and love for one another. In series 3 he continues to attempt to kill Robin, while being tormented by guilt for killing Marian (in

11096-518: The Sheriff's plots and deceives Gisbourne to do so. Marian also fights the Sheriff in her own right, disguising herself as the Night Watchman, giving the poor food and supplies. Marian is beautiful and carries some status with her, as the daughter of Edward, the old Sheriff. For those reasons, Guy of Gisbourne , a dispossessed lord and Vaisey's right-hand man, wants her as his wife. He is obsessive. She rebuffs his attentions, unable to look past his cruelty, but as time goes on, her status and beauty are not

11248-419: The Sheriff's trap. The battle between the two sides enters a deserted village, where Vaisey shoots the King in the back and kills Carter. Although Gisborne kills Marian in cold blood, the arrival of the outlaws leaves the Sheriff badly outnumbered, and he is forced to retreat, with the attempt on King Richard's life a failure. In the third series, with the Black Knights having collapsed following their failure in

11400-509: The Shryff off Notyngham , among other points of interest, contains the earliest reference to Friar Tuck. The plots of neither "the Monk" nor "the Potter" are included in the Gest ; and neither is the plot of " Robin Hood and Guy of Gisborne ", which is probably at least as old as those two ballads although preserved in a more recent copy. Each of these three ballads survived in a single copy, so it

11552-473: The Stranger"). Ritson's interpretation of Robin Hood was also influential, having influenced the modern concept of stealing from the rich and giving to the poor as it exists today. Himself a supporter of the principles of the French Revolution and admirer of Thomas Paine , Ritson held that Robin Hood was a genuinely historical, and genuinely heroic, character who had stood up against tyranny in

11704-472: The accused defended themselves on the grounds that the practice was a long-standing custom to raise money for churches, and they had not acted riotously but peaceably. It is from the association with the May Games that Robin's romantic attachment to Maid Marian (or Marion) apparently stems. A "Robin and Marion" figured in 13th-century French ' pastourelles ' (of which Jeu de Robin et Marion c. 1280

11856-438: The arrival of her husband Thornton ends any hopes of redemption, and after his murder, she reavows to kill Robin Hood. In episode 10, Bad Blood , Robin is captured along with Guy by a mysterious hooded character. The man reveals that Robin's father and Guy's mother had an illegitimate child whilst Guy's father Sir Roger was fighting in the Holy Land, but had to conceal it when he returned secretly carrying leprosy. After Sir Roger

12008-470: The bare scalp of Robin Hood's fat friar, This fellow were a king for our wild faction!" Robin Hood is also mentioned in As You Like It . When asked about the exiled Duke Senior, the character of Charles says that he is "already in the forest of Arden, and a many merry men with him; and there they live like the old Robin Hood of England". Justice Silence sings a line from an unnamed Robin Hood ballad,

12160-606: The bawdy Maid Marian of the May Games. She does not appear in extant versions of the ballad. James VI of Scotland was entertained by a Robin Hood play at Dirleton Castle produced by his favourite the Earl of Arran in May 1585, while there was plague in Edinburgh. In 1598, Anthony Munday wrote a pair of plays on the Robin Hood legend, The Downfall and The Death of Robert Earl of Huntington (published 1601). These plays drew on

12312-473: The beginning of series one, Robin has just returned to England after five years fighting in the Third Crusade as part of the King's Guard, during which he was honoured by King Richard and almost mortally wounded. He was still the Earl of Huntingdon, and Lord of Locksley Manor and its estate. He becomes an outlaw after refusing to preside over the execution of Will Scarlett, his brother and Allan A Dale. In

12464-529: The broadsides and garlands. 9 of these ballads are significantly longer and more elaborate than the versions of the same ballads found in the broadsides and garlands. For four of these ballads, the Forresters Manuscript versions are the earliest known versions. The 20th century grafted still further details on to the original legends. The 1938 film The Adventures of Robin Hood , starring Errol Flynn and Olivia de Havilland , portrayed Robin as

12616-533: The castle to expose the Sheriff's plot, she and Robin share a kiss. In the second series, Marian and her father are under house arrest in Nottingham Castle. Marian cannot travel out of the castle without an armed guard, although she manages to on several occasions. Often avoiding an armed chaperon, Marian manages to successfully deliver information to Robin. In series 2, it is evident that Robin and Marian's relationship has grown stronger; however, Marian

12768-578: The castle with Guy. Marian chooses this as the only option to keep her alliance with Robin from Guy. In the final episode of series 2, Marian is caught in an attempt to assassinate the Sheriff. She is captured and taken to the Holy Land, where Robin and the gang are also. Sir Guy of Gisborne stabs Marian, mortally wounding her, in a rage caused by her admitting she is in love and engagement to Robin Hood. Robin and Marian are married as she lays dying. Robin assures Marian that he will keep fighting, although he expresses that he cannot without her. A montage sequence

12920-474: The cause of his half-brothers, and they succeed in taking over Nottingham Castle. Much then informs Robin that something has been left at the castle entrance: the dead body of Allan, slain by Vaisey. The gang's mourning for Allan is cut short, by the return of Sheriff Vaisey who has brought a large army. Robin and the gang then retreat into the castle and await Vaisey's inevitable attack. In the 2009 series finale, Isabella, while fighting Robin, slices his neck with

13072-524: The ceremony in time to see Marian leave Guy at the altar. He gives her a ride to the castle after Gisborne reveals his true colours. They share their first kiss outside the castle gates, establishing their romantic relationship. Robin gets his fighting spirit back, saving Marian's father Edward from being killed by the Sheriff and redeeming himself to Much by preventing the Sheriff from slitting his throat. In series 2, Robin and Marian's relationship has developed, and after Marian's father dies, she joins Robin in

13224-463: The day of the coronation of Charles II in 1661. This short play adapts the story of the king's pardon of Robin Hood to refer to the Restoration. However, Robin Hood appeared on the 18th-century stage in various farces and comic operas. Alfred, Lord Tennyson would write a four-act Robin Hood play at the end of the 19th century, "The Forrestors". It is fundamentally based on the Gest but follows

13376-515: The dead body of Allan at the castle gates. Their mourning is short-lived when Sheriff Vaisey returns to take back Nottingham. The gang, including Guy and Isabella, retreat into the castle. In the end, Gisborne refuses to abandon the outlaws and aids them in their final battle. Gisborne meets his end when the Sheriff and Isabella mortally wound him in a sword fight in a secret tunnel under Nottingham Castle. Gisborne tries to push Robin away from Isabella's blade, but only ends up placing himself in reach of

13528-417: The decline of the single broadside ballad. In the 18th century also, Robin Hood frequently appeared in criminal biographies and histories of highwaymen compendia. In 1765, Thomas Percy (bishop of Dromore) published Reliques of Ancient English Poetry , including ballads from the 17th-century Percy Folio manuscript which had not previously been printed, most notably Robin Hood and Guy of Gisborne which

13680-428: The dungeons. Robin, uses a disguise to convince the Sheriff of York to release Gisborne. However, as a guard takes Robin down to the dungeons, a messenger from Isabella informs York that the pair are murderous criminals. Robin and Gisborne find their brother Archer, who has been having an affair with York's wife and is a supposed master of alchemy, and make their escape with the other prisoners. The trio then get brought to

13832-433: The earlier episodes, it becomes clear that his memories of the Crusades have affected him strongly, making him unwilling to kill, this being why he does not kill the Sheriff or Gisborne early on. Robin had previously been betrothed to Marian when they were teenagers, but this was undone by his departure. He still has strong feelings for her when he returns and is pleased that she is still unmarried. However, their relationship

13984-468: The earlier tale is "a thriller" the latter is more comic, its plot involving trickery and cunning rather than straightforward force. Other early texts are dramatic pieces, the earliest being the fragmentary Robyn Hod and the Shryff off Notyngham ( c. 1475). These are particularly noteworthy as they show Robin's integration into May Day rituals towards the end of the Middle Ages; Robyn Hod and

14136-435: The early ballads is usually attributed by scholars to either the 13th century or the 14th, although it is recognised they are not necessarily historically consistent. The early ballads are also quite clear on Robin Hood's social status: he is a yeoman . While the precise meaning of this term changed over time, including free retainers of an aristocrat and small landholders, it always referred to commoners. The essence of it in

14288-468: The end of the 16th century. Near the end of the 16th century an unpublished prose life of Robin Hood was written, and included in the Sloane Manuscript . Largely a paraphrase of the Gest, it also contains material revealing that the author was familiar with early versions of a number of the Robin Hood broadside ballads. Not all of the medieval legend was preserved in the broadside ballads, there

14440-534: The end of the first episode, departing from the traditional meeting of John and Robin where they battle with quarterstaffs over who can cross a river first. "We had a different version for their meeting and we had something so horrible going on in the episode that a jolly fight was entirely inappropriate," the programme's showrunner Dominic Minghella told the Radio Times . John dislikes Robin initially, but agrees to follow him when he realises that Robin can help

14592-491: The end of the series, Marian is exposed as the Nightwatchman, and prepared for execution. However, Guy decides to spare her if she agrees to never become the Night Watchman again. When she learns of the Sheriff's plan to kill King Richard in the Holy Land, she unsuccessfully tries to kill him, and is taken as a prisoner with Vaisey's party. In ( We Are Robin Hood! ), she tries to assassinate the Sheriff one last time, and

14744-399: The episode Total Eclipse he pleads with Robin to kill him and end his hell, though Robin coldly refuses). His hatred for Robin seems to grow once he learns of Robin and Marian's marriage. He also grows increasingly antagonistic with the Sheriff, until a deal involving slaves to raise taxes for Prince John is foiled. The Sheriff sends Gisborne to be punished by Prince John. However, his time in

14896-547: The fire, and he asks Guy and Robin to forgive each other in order to find Archer, who is now in York jail awaiting execution. In episode 11, The Enemy of my Enemy , Robin takes Gisborne to the camp, but not before having a fight about their parents and Marian. The gang intervene but are shocked when Robin prevents them from slaying him, and tells them that Gisborne is one of them. Robin and Gisborne then travel to York, where Gisborne gets himself arrested so that he can locate Archer in

15048-577: The first decade of the 16th century. In these early accounts, Robin Hood's partisanship of the lower classes, his devotion to the Virgin Mary and associated special regard for women, his outstanding skill as an archer , his anti-clericalism , and his particular animosity towards the Sheriff of Nottingham are already clear. Little John , Much the Miller's Son , and Will Scarlet (as Will "Scarlok" or "Scathelocke") all appear, although not yet Maid Marian or Friar Tuck . The friar has been part of

15200-417: The first series, he is rewarded the estate of Bonchurch for his heroism in the Holy Land, and briefly takes up his role as lord of the manor there. He falls in love with his servant Eve, who is a spy for the Sheriff. After choosing to return to the outlaws, Much promises that he will find Eve once peace and justice are brought to England. In the third series he develops secret feelings for Kate, who does not feel

15352-433: The forest. In the series two finale, A Good Day to Die , a panicked Marian offers Guy her hand if he assassinates the Sheriff before he can oversee the murder of King Richard (though she does think that Robin Hood is already dead by this time). Guy instead alerts the Sheriff of Marian's offer and decides to wed her regardless of her approval. During the final battle within an abandoned Saracen town between Robin's men and

15504-555: The forest. The transition is not easy and takes a toll on Marians independence. They share a common goal of saving England from the clutches of Prince John , however their strategies differ. She is more logical, whilst Robin is prone to acting rashly, especially when overcome with emotion. They share many tender moments in the forest despite this. Robin remains somewhat jealous of her relationship with Guy, but she remains faithful. In episode 9, Lardner's Ring , Robin proposes to Marian again, which she accepts, but soon finds herself back in

15656-423: The forestor Gilbert Hood. Another very popular version for children was Howard Pyle 's The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood , which influenced accounts of Robin Hood through the 20th century. Pyle's version firmly stamp Robin as a staunch philanthropist, a man who takes from the rich to give to the poor. Nevertheless, the adventures are still more local than national in scope: while King Richard's participation in

15808-437: The gang is joined by a girl from Locksley called Kate, who is forced to join Robin's gang when he rescues her from the Sheriff's new tax collector, Rufus. In episode 5 he meets the mysterious Isabella and seems attracted to her, but later learns that she is Gisborne's younger sister. He becomes closer to Isabella in episode 6, sharing a passionate kiss. He convinces her to help him steal Prince John's money, but her loyalty to Robin

15960-413: The gang, is then angry at himself for not believing Allan's claims of innocence, and he carries Allan's body into the castle as the gang retreat inside after Gisborne spots an army approaching on the horizon. At the end of the 2009 finale, Little John, along with the remaining outlaws, promises to continue fighting injustice in Robin Hood's name after Robin's death. Much , portrayed by Sam Troughton ,

16112-449: The gentry, and identifies Maid Marian with "one of the semi-mythical Matildas persecuted by King John ". The plays are complex in plot and form, the story of Robin Hood appearing as a play-within-a-play presented at the court of Henry VIII and written by the poet, priest and courtier John Skelton . Skelton himself is presented in the play as acting the part of Friar Tuck. Some scholars have conjectured that Skelton may have indeed written

16264-474: The greatest adventure is yet to come". They embrace and vanish to the afterlife. Little John , played by Gordon Kennedy , is a former resident of Locksley. John is outlawed many years before the show; his wife Alice and his son Little Little John believe that he is dead until Dead Man Walking . Prior to meeting Robin, John is the leader of an outlaw band in the forest consisting of Roysten White, Forrest, and Hanton. The band captures Robin, Much, and Allan at

16416-456: The guards, and seizing a goods train with the livestock and possessions of the Locksley villagers on board. Knowing that it may be some time before he and the gang can do another food drop, Robin tells John that the Lockley villagers must get their possessions back. However, realising that they are unwilling to fight to get them back, Tuck tells John that when the gates are opened they will sit in

16568-464: The home of Marian's father when the Sheriff decides to place the family under watch in the castle. In Get Carter , Guy breaks down and confesses to Marian his desire for a home and her love. She resists him at first, saying that she needs time to grieve her father's recent death. But when Guy is turning to leave, she kisses him but only in order to protect a fleeing Robin from Guy's view. Marian leaves despite his pleas for her to stay and she returns to

16720-477: The household of Sir John Paston . This fragment appears to tell the story of Robin Hood and Guy of Gisborne . There is also an early playtext appended to a 1560 printed edition of the Gest. This includes a dramatic version of the story of Robin Hood and the Curtal Friar and a version of the first part of the story of Robin Hood and the Potter . (Neither of these ballads is known to have existed in print at

16872-429: The interests of the common people. J. C. Holt has been quick to point out, however, that Ritson "began as a Jacobite and ended as a Jacobin," and "certainly reconstructed him [Robin] in the image of a radical." In his preface to the collection, Ritson assembled an account of Robin Hood's life from the various sources available to him, and concluded that Robin Hood was born in around 1160, and thus had been active in

17024-504: The later 15th and 16th centuries. It is commonly stated as fact that Maid Marian and a jolly friar (at least partly identifiable with Friar Tuck) entered the legend through the May Games. The earliest surviving text of a Robin Hood ballad is the 15th-century " Robin Hood and the Monk ". This is preserved in Cambridge University manuscript Ff.5.48. Written after 1450, it contains many of the elements still associated with

17176-496: The legend as well as the historical context have been debated for centuries. There are numerous references to historical figures with similar names that have been proposed as possible evidence of his existence, some dating back to the late 13th century. At least eight plausible origins to the story have been mooted by historians and folklorists, including suggestions that "Robin Hood" was a stock alias used by or in reference to bandits. The first clear reference to "rhymes of Robin Hood"

17328-524: The legend since at least the later 15th century, when he is mentioned in a Robin Hood play script. In modern popular culture, Robin Hood is typically seen as a contemporary and supporter of the late-12th-century king Richard the Lionheart , Robin being driven to outlawry during the misrule of Richard's brother John while Richard was away at the Third Crusade . This view first gained currency in

17480-492: The legend, from the Nottingham setting to the bitter enmity between Robin and the local sheriff. The first printed version is A Gest of Robyn Hode ( c. 1500), a collection of separate stories that attempts to unite the episodes into a single continuous narrative. After this comes " Robin Hood and the Potter ", contained in a manuscript of c. 1503. "The Potter" is markedly different in tone from "The Monk": whereas

17632-506: The line is "Robin Hood, Scarlet, and John" in Act 5 scene 3 of Henry IV, part 2 . In Henry IV part 1 Act 3 scene 3, Falstaff refers to Maid Marian , implying she is a by-word for unwomanly or unchaste behaviour. Ben Jonson produced the incomplete masque The Sad Shepherd, or a Tale of Robin Hood in part as a satire on Puritanism . It is about half finished and his death in 1637 may have interrupted writing. Jonson's only pastoral drama, it

17784-430: The main hall where Archer betrays them, only to be caught again and put on execution. Before Gisborne is hanged, there is an explosion and Robin and Archer save Gisborne. In Something Worth Fighting For , Robin and the gang save several men of Locksley from being taken by Sheriff Isabella to help Prince John construct an army against the King. Knowing they are out of time, Robin decides to seize Nottingham Castle and await

17936-453: The main vehicle for the popular Robin Hood legend. These broadside ballads were in some cases newly fabricated but were mostly adaptations of the older verse narratives. The broadside ballads were fitted to a small repertoire of pre-existing tunes resulting in an increase of "stock formulaic phrases" making them "repetitive and verbose", they commonly feature Robin Hood's contests with artisans: tinkers, tanners, and butchers. Among these ballads

18088-552: The modern Robin Hood—'King of Outlaws and prince of good fellows!' as Richard the Lionheart calls him—makes his debut. In 1993, a previously unknown manuscript of 21 Robin Hood ballads (including two versions of " The Jolly Pinder of Wakefield ") turned up in an auction house and eventually wound up in the British Library . Called The Forresters Manuscript , after the first and last ballads, which are both titled Robin Hood and

18240-414: The morning, Marian appears to have died, and the penultimate episode ends with Robin mourning over her body, repeating his love for her. It is revealed in the next episode that her body only briefly shut down as a result of a concoction that she had been given by the physician Pitts. Regaining her health shortly afterward, Marian questions Guy about his role in the Holy Land. His denial leaves Marian without

18392-438: The only reasons why Guy wants her - he finds himself wondering if her pure heart and empathy could end his compulsive evil and bring about his redemption upon marriage. In the first series, she is coerced by Guy into agreeing to marry him when he suspects her of helping Robin. It is agreed the wedding will happen when King Richard returns to England. Though she does so to protect both herself and her father from his wrath. Marian

18544-468: The outlaws, but protects some secrets such as Marian's identity as the Night Watchman and the location of the camp (partly out of a guilty conscience, but also due to Marian's threats to kill him if he reveals this information). In A Good Day to Die , he leaves Gisborne to rescue Robin and the others, rejoining them in time for their voyage to the Holy Land. Robin Hood Robin Hood

18696-466: The people of Locksley. He is unaware that Alice is still living in Locksley, or that she has had his son until Will Scarlett tells him. He is a bit cantankerous and bad-tempered, but loyal to the group, and reacts the most violently when he discovers the treachery of Roy and Allan A Dale. He also acts quite fatherly to some younger members, such as Will and Marian (both of whom lose their fathers in series 2), and Kate when she leaves her family in series 3. He

18848-401: The poor", although in "A Gest of Robyn Hode" Robin does make a large loan to an unfortunate knight , which he does not in the end require to be repaid; and later in the same ballad Robin Hood states his intention of giving money to the next traveller to come down the road if he happens to be poor. Of my good he shall haue some, Yf he be a por man. As it happens the next traveller

19000-418: The position to become the leading figure in the Black Knights, a group conspiring to overthrow King Richard in favour of Prince John, and begins plotting the King's death in the second series. As a plot device to explain why Robin does not kill the Sheriff, John insures the latter's life by promising to destroy Nottingham should he be killed. Keith Allen lost one of his teeth while filming a fight sequence for

19152-455: The present context was "neither a knight nor a peasant or 'husbonde' but something in between". Artisans (such as millers) were among those regarded as 'yeomen' in the 14th century. From the 16th century on, there were attempts to elevate Robin Hood to the nobility, such as in Richard Grafton's Chronicle at Large ; Anthony Munday presented him at the very end of the century as the Earl of Huntingdon in two extremely influential plays, as he

19304-442: The prince-regent's court proves fruitful, and he returns with members of the Prince's guard to kill Robin without interference. However, his younger sister Isabella arrives on the scene, and Gisborne is defeated again. It is revealed that Guy sold his sister into marriage at the age of 13 to finance his own career. Guy is shown initially to have a close relationship with Prince John, who seems to hold him in high esteem. He, therefore,

19456-486: The reign of Henry VIII , was briefly popular at court . Robin was often allocated the role of a May King , presiding over games and processions, but plays were also performed with the characters in the roles, sometimes performed at church ales , a means by which churches raised funds. A complaint of 1492, brought to the Star Chamber , accuses men of acting riotously by coming to a fair as Robin Hood and his men;

19608-530: The reign of Richard I. He thought that Robin was of aristocratic extraction, with at least 'some pretension' to the title of Earl of Huntingdon, that he was born in an unlocated Nottinghamshire village of Locksley and that his original name was Robert Fitzooth . Ritson gave the date of Robin Hood's death as 18 November 1247, when he would have been around 87 years old. In copious and informative notes Ritson defends every point of his version of Robin Hood's life. In reaching his conclusion Ritson relied or gave weight to

19760-472: The rest of the series. When Guy stabs Marian, unaware that it is her disguised as the Night Watchman, she appears to die. Robin and Marian begin to express their regret over their parting many years ago. Robin admitting that he believes they should be together and that he should not have gone to war, leaving her. To a supposedly dead Marian, Robin now utterly distraught, breaks down over her body and admits that he loves her. She survives; her "death" attributed to

19912-410: The return of King Richard from the Holy Land. Isabella attempts to sow discontent among the outlaws by pardoning Allan A Dale of his crimes; this causes him to leave, disgusted that they still have such little faith in him. Although Archer, who has allied with Isabella for easy money, springs an elaborate trap on the outlaws as they try to infiltrate the castle, he eventually betrays his employer and joins

20064-452: The road and block the way, forming a non-violent protest. John is shocked by Tuck's decision but reluctantly agrees. When Tuck is shot with an arrow by Isabella, John is ready to defend his friend, but Tuck stops John from attacking the guards. Kate then joins them and tells the guards that if they want to kill John, Tuck, and the men from Locksley then Isabella will have to kill her first. As the guards prepare to kill them, Archer saves them and

20216-405: The root of these complaints is that Robin refuses to discuss the horrors the pair witnessed in the Holy Land. Both characters experience PTSD . Over the three series, Much matures somewhat during his life as an outlaw, due to the horrible situations that he witnesses. He is still best friends with Robin, and Much proves that he will always support his leader, no matter how unsavoury the mission. In

20368-404: The same way and only considers him to be a friend. In the 2009 series finale, Much is shown wanting revenge against the Sheriff of Nottingham for Allan's murder. He is shocked when he finds out that Robin has been poisoned and distraught when he makes his final goodbyes. He and everyone else in the gang vow to keep fighting in his name. In contrast to the traditional depiction of Alan-a-Dale as

20520-428: The show. This was written into the script, with the Sheriff losing a tooth in the last episode of series 1. He takes teeth from skulls and places them in the gap as a recurring gag in the second series. In Sisterhood , the Sheriff's sister Davina is introduced, with whom he displays previously unseen affection. Davina dies in his arms after an altercation with Robin, for which the Sheriff vows revenge. Some time later,

20672-435: The shutting down of her body following the stab wound, and hemlock, applied by the treacherous physician Pitts. Despite her love for Robin, she decides to go ahead with the wedding to Guy, in order to protect her Father. A heart-broken Robin abandons his men. Robin viciously rebuffs Much's attempts to comfort him and prepares to leave Nottingham. He stops in his tracks when he hears Much interrupting Marian's wedding and reaches

20824-401: The story about Will Scarlet . In the 18th century, the stories began to develop a slightly more farcical vein. From this period there are a number of ballads in which Robin is severely 'drubbed' by a succession of tradesmen including a tanner , a tinker , and a ranger . In fact, the only character who does not get the better of Hood is the luckless Sheriff. Yet even in these ballads Robin

20976-433: The subversive aspects of the legend, and see in the medieval Robin Hood ballads a plebeian literature hostile to the feudal order. By the early 15th century at the latest, Robin Hood had become associated with May Day celebrations, with revellers dressing as Robin or as members of his band for the festivities. This was not common throughout England, but in some regions the custom lasted until Elizabethan times, and during

21128-468: The sword, knowing her fate. She dies in Robin's arms and is carried to her grave. They bury her alongside Carter (who also dies in the episode) in the Holy Land, beside an oasis and a palm tree. Robin sets out to avenge her death by killing Sir Guy. He is not successful but returns to lead his gang. In the series three finale, a poisoned Robin is visited by Marian as a vision. Robin expresses "I knew I would find you again" to which Marian replies "it's time -

21280-466: The theme of Robin Hood's generosity to the poor more than the broadsheet ballads do in general. The 17th century introduced the minstrel Alan-a-Dale . He first appeared in a 17th-century broadside ballad , and unlike many of the characters thus associated, managed to adhere to the legend. The prose life of Robin Hood in Sloane Manuscript contains the substance of the Alan-a-Dale ballad but tells

21432-455: The time, and there is no earlier record known of the "Curtal Friar" story.) The publisher describes the text as a ' playe of Robyn Hood, verye proper to be played in Maye games ', but does not seem to be aware that the text actually contains two separate plays. An especial point of interest in the "Friar" play is the appearance of a ribald woman who is unnamed but apparently to be identified with

21584-439: The traditions of placing Robin Hood as the Earl of Huntingdon in the time of Richard I and making the Sheriff of Nottingham and Prince John rivals with Robin Hood for Maid Marian's hand. The return of King Richard brings a happy ending. With the advent of printing came the Robin Hood broadside ballads . Exactly when they displaced the oral tradition of Robin Hood ballads is unknown but the process seems to have been completed by

21736-527: The two kiss briefly. Meg then dies in Guy's arms. Some days later, Guy encounters Robin in Sherwood Forest and a fight nearly ensues, but he and Robin are rendered unconscious by two darts. When he awakes, a hooded figure speaks of he and Robin having a half-brother, Archer, who faces execution. They are spurred on to rescue him when the stranger reveals himself to be Robin's father. In the immediate aftermath, Guy and Robin agree to work together, but their relationship

21888-595: The unquestioned role; in Robin Hood's Birth, Breeding, Valor, and Marriage , his sweetheart is "Clorinda the Queen of the Shepherdesses". Clorinda survives in some later stories as an alias of Marian. The earliest preserved script of a Robin Hood play is the fragmentary Robyn Hod and the Shryff off Notyngham This apparently dates to the 1470s and circumstantial evidence suggests it was probably performed at

22040-501: The way for his return. Blamire flees the city before Isabella's downfall and informs his master that "the plan is in place". Satisfied, the Sheriff orders his army onto the attack. In the last episode of series 3, the Sheriff easily smashes aside Nottingham's defences and storms the city, and orders the entire population to be slaughtered. It is unknown whether this attack is being done on Prince John's orders, or for Vaisey's personal vengeance. His main goal, other than Nottingham's capture,

22192-469: The words of the Radio Times , Gisborne is "the chief dispenser of the Sheriff's rough justice... seen killing a man in front of his own son." As in other tales of the Hood legends, he is a suitor of Marian, but she does not return his affections. In episode seven of series one, he practically forces her into an engagement with him. Robin later discovers that Guy is the masked assassin who wounded him in

22344-462: Was cultivated in the households of the gentry, and that it would be mistaken to see in him a figure of peasant revolt. He is not a peasant but a yeoman, and his tales make no mention of the complaints of the peasants, such as oppressive taxes. He appears not so much as a revolt against societal standards as an embodiment of them, being generous, pious, and courteous, opposed to stingy, worldly, and churlish foes. Other scholars have by contrast stressed

22496-399: Was exposed and cast out, Ghislaine gave birth to a boy named Archer. Guy also discovers that he did not kill his parents by starting a fire as he had previously believed, but his mother had been killed accidentally in a fight between Robin's father and Guy's father, and Sir Roger had stayed with her whilst she died. The stranger is then revealed to be Robin's father, whose face was disfigured in

22648-432: Was more to them than two greedy and ambitious men out for power. The fight ends on the battlements where, as the Sheriff prepares to throw Gisborne to his death, Gisborne stabs him in the chest. The Sheriff seemingly dies, warning Gisborne not to trust Prince John. His death is blamed on Robin, but it is shown at the end of the episode that the Sheriff survived; as his apparently dead body is carted away, his hand clenches into

22800-427: Was supposedly ill in Locksley, he had in fact left for the Holy Land. However, the physician is killed shortly afterwards, ending any chance of proving Gisborne's guilt. Just before their wedding is due to go ahead, Marian disguises herself as the Night Watchman and attempts to steal a chest of money from Guy, which she describes to her father as "a final fling to make me more comfortable in my marriage". Unaware that it

22952-411: Was the period in which King Richard was absent from the country, fighting in the Third Crusade . William Shakespeare makes reference to Robin Hood in his late-16th-century play The Two Gentlemen of Verona . In it, the character Valentine is banished from Milan and driven out through the forest where he is approached by outlaws who, upon meeting him, desire him as their leader. They comment, "By

23104-593: Was written in sophisticated verse and included supernatural action and characters. It has had little impact on the Robin Hood tradition but earns mention as the work of a major dramatist. The 1642 London theatre closure by the Puritans interrupted the portrayal of Robin Hood on the stage. The theatres would reopen with the Restoration in 1660. Robin Hood did not appear on the Restoration stage, except for "Robin Hood and his Crew of Souldiers" acted in Nottingham on

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