Ballads of Robin Hood: Robin Hood's Death
I was super intrigued by this reading in Part B because this is a part of Robin Hood's story that I was almost completely unaware of. After reading Part A, I assumed his death would be due in part to a mischievous act or hair-brained scheme carried out by the bold Robin Hood. Upon reading, I discovered that this was not quite the case. Robin Hood expresses his desire to die when he is traveling with Little John and says
"We have shot for many a pound.
‘But I am not able to shoot one shot more,
My broad arrows will not flee;
But I have a cousin lives down below,
Please God, she will bleed me."
I am assuming that he wanted to die because he had become weak and he could no longer should his arrows, a feat that had come to define who he was in his community. For me, this was very telling of his character. Throughout all of the stories in this collection, he is referred to as Robin Hood the bold or the brave, so I can imagine that he would not want to endure a physical state in which he could no longer do what allowed him to be known in this way. This story also showed me the determination that Robin Hood has, even in death. He went to his cousin knowing what he was going to do and he did not stop until it was accomplished. This story also shows the reader how willing Little John was to help Robin Hood in all of his endeavors.
Just like in Part A, the format of this story resembles a song and is presented solely in lyrics. This format made this read all the more interesting and fun to follow. If I were to retell this story, I might tell it in a different format and tell it from a different point of view. I think it would be very interesting to hear this story from the perspective of Little John or the cousin that Robin Hood came to visit.
Bibliography: The English and Scottish Popular Ballads by Francis James Child (1882-1898). Robin Hood's Death
I was super intrigued by this reading in Part B because this is a part of Robin Hood's story that I was almost completely unaware of. After reading Part A, I assumed his death would be due in part to a mischievous act or hair-brained scheme carried out by the bold Robin Hood. Upon reading, I discovered that this was not quite the case. Robin Hood expresses his desire to die when he is traveling with Little John and says
"We have shot for many a pound.
‘But I am not able to shoot one shot more,
My broad arrows will not flee;
But I have a cousin lives down below,
Please God, she will bleed me."
I am assuming that he wanted to die because he had become weak and he could no longer should his arrows, a feat that had come to define who he was in his community. For me, this was very telling of his character. Throughout all of the stories in this collection, he is referred to as Robin Hood the bold or the brave, so I can imagine that he would not want to endure a physical state in which he could no longer do what allowed him to be known in this way. This story also showed me the determination that Robin Hood has, even in death. He went to his cousin knowing what he was going to do and he did not stop until it was accomplished. This story also shows the reader how willing Little John was to help Robin Hood in all of his endeavors.
Just like in Part A, the format of this story resembles a song and is presented solely in lyrics. This format made this read all the more interesting and fun to follow. If I were to retell this story, I might tell it in a different format and tell it from a different point of view. I think it would be very interesting to hear this story from the perspective of Little John or the cousin that Robin Hood came to visit.
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| Passing of Robin Hood, Wikimedia |
Bibliography: The English and Scottish Popular Ballads by Francis James Child (1882-1898). Robin Hood's Death
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