The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood

Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 1883

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Summary

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Preface-Prologue

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

Part 6

Part 7

Part 8

Epilogue

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

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Discussion Questions

Part 8Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Part 8, Chapter 1 Summary: “Robin Hood and Guy of Gisbourne”

“Great changes” take place in England with the death of King Henry and the accession of King Richard the Lionhearted. Meanwhile, life goes on as usual for Robin Hood and the Merry Men—although Robin is now “less bold in his comings and goings” (283).

One day, Robin and Little John go out separately in search of adventure. Robin comes across Guy of Gisbourne, a fierce and widely hated outlaw, dressed in animal hides and heavily armed. He explains that the Bishop of Herefordshire and the Sheriff of Nottingham have sent him to capture Robin Hood in exchange for a pardon. The two engage in an archery match, after which Robin reveals his identity. They now have a fierce swordfight, and Robin kills Guy. Robin dons Guy’s clothes and sets out to pay a surprise visit to the Sheriff.

Meanwhile, Little John helps a poor old woman whose sons are to be hanged for hunting and killing deer on the king’s property. Donning a disguise as “Gilles Hobble,” he unties the sons as the Sheriff of Nottingham is about to hang them. As he attempts to escape, Little John’s bow and arrow fail him, and the Sheriff’s men capture him and prepare to hang him.

Robin Hood, disguised as Guy of Gisbourne, now appears. After announcing that he will execute Little John on behalf of the Sheriff, he instead frees him and turns his bow against the Sheriff and his men. As Robin Hood blows his bugle and the Merry Men arrive, the Sheriff and his men flee. The widow’s three sons join the Merry Men.

Part 8, Chapter 2 Summary: “King Richard Cometh to Sherwood Forest”

The beloved King Richard the Lionhearted is traveling through various towns in England, and Nottingham is in a bustle preparing for the visit. Robin Hood and the Merry Men are there amidst the crowd awaiting the royal procession. This embarrasses the Sheriff of Nottingham, who is seated next to the king in the parade.

At the king’s banquet that evening, the king asks about Robin and the Merry Men, and several of those present tell stories of their exploits. The king vows that he shall “clear the forest of him and his band” (304). He and six of his lords decide to disguise themselves as friars and go to Sherwood Forest the next day to meet the outlaws.

Riding into Sherwood Forest the next day, the king’s party feels thirsty. Immediately, Robin Hood jumps out of the brush and offers them a feast. In the glade, they have an archery match; Robin uncharacteristically misses and therefore must suffer a “buffet” from the king himself.

Sir Richard of the Lea arrives suddenly and tells of a rumor that the king is going to Sherwood Forest to capture Robin Hood. Looking into the face of the chief “friar,” Sir Richard recognizes him as the king and bows to him. The king throws back his cowl and reveals his identity to all. Sir Richard and his son, Sir Henry (who is one of the “friars” traveling with the king) respectfully declare to the king that they owe their lives to Robin Hood and will therefore defend and shelter him.

Robin tells the king that the buffet he gave him was fair punishment for his sins. The king offers him and his men pardon but explains that they can no longer roam freely. Instead, he offers to take Robin and his three closest friends back to London as royal servants and enroll the rest of the Merry Men as royal rangers in Sherwood Forest. A “grand feast” is prepared, and Allan a Dale sings a song. The king and his men sleep in the forest along with Robin Hood and his men, and the next morning, they depart for Nottingham.

Part 8 Analysis

In the concluding chapter of The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood, Robin evades one last attempt on his life, saves Little John from death, and is finally “redeemed” from his outlaw’s life. In Chapter 1, two stories come together. First Robin meets, defeats, and kills the vicious hit man Guy of Gisbourne. Then, donning Guy’s costume, he saves Little John, who has meanwhile fallen into trouble rescuing a poor widow’s sons from execution. The interdependence of these two stories shows the way the good characters in the book help each other.

Pyle describes Robin’s encounter with Guy of Gisbourne as “the sharpest adventure that ever befell Robin Hood” (284). It is a match between two outlaws, but with a sharp contrast between their characters. The murderous Guy mocks Robin as an outlaw because he never sheds blood (287); from our perspective, this to Robin’s credit and points to his essential goodness. After killing Guy, Robin is glad to have killed this one other man in his life (289); as readers, we are sure Robin’s action qualifies as self-defense.

The book comes to a glorious climax with the visit of King Richard the Lionhearted to Sherwood Forest. Richard is a fun-loving monarch who contrasts with the touchy and vindictive previous king, Henry. With this second royal encounter—this time in Robin’s home turf of Sherwood Forest—we sense that the law has finally caught up with Robin and his men. Instead of punishment, King Richard confers a royal honor: He makes them right with the law and thus gives them a sort of redemption for their misdeeds. As with Queen Eleanor, Robin’s attitude toward King Richard, once he discovers his true identity, is one of pure reverence: “Mine ears would be deafened in death ere they would cease to hear your majesty’s voice” (313).

As the king visits Sherwood Forest—in disguise and with merry good humor, like the Merry Men themselves—we sense that two worlds have finally come together. The concluding mood of the book is one of joy and reconciliation.