The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood Literary Elements

Historical Fiction

Mediaval England, largely in Sherwood Forest and Nottingham

Third-Person Omniscient

Lighthearted, idealistic, romantic

Robin Hood is the protagonist and the Sheriff is the antagonist.

The Sheriff of Nottingham declares that Robin Hood is an outlaw and Robin retreats to Sherwood Forest where he rallies a group of "merry men" as his companions. The Sheriff spends endless time and energy trying to capture Robin Hood and his men but Robin always seems to be one step ahead of him.

A disguised Robin Hood encounters treacherous Guy of Gisbourne and challenges him to an archery competition. When Robin wins, he reveals his true identity. The two begin "fiercest fight that ever Sherwood saw." After a long duel, Robin Hood successfully wins the fight and kills Guy of Gisbourne.

When Robin Hood meets Guy of Gisbourne while disguised as friar the two begin discussing what would happen when Guy of Gisbourne finally catches up to Robin Hood. Guy of Gisbourne tells the friar "it is a merry thing to think of one stout outlaw like Robin Hood meeting another stout outlaw like Guy of Gisbourne. Only in this case it will be an ill happening for Robin Hood, for the day he meets Guy of Gisbourne he shall die." This foreshadows the dramatic duel to the death that is about to take place.

Understatement is often used alongside disguise in The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood. While disguised, Robin and his men tend to talk about themselves as if they were strangers or acquaintances, this often leads the men to down play or understate their skills or knowledge as part of the ruse.

The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood, while only loosely considered Historic Fiction, often alludes to the political and religious issues of 13th Century England. The stories often touch upon the class struggle between Normans and Saxons and even more pointedly alludes to the corruption of the Church.

Pyle often uses intense imagery to paint a luscious picture of Sherwood Forest. His long, detailed descriptions like, "it was at the dawn of day in the merry Maytime, when hedgerows are green and flowers bedeck the meadows; daisies pied and yellow cuckoo buds and fair primroses all along the briery hedges; when apple buds blossom and sweet birds sing, the lark at dawn of day, the throstle cock and cuckoo" serve to paint a visual and auditory picture of the setting.

Robin and his men are very thoughtful in their words and often speak to strangers or to the Sheriff in riddles and paradox. This serves to allow Robin and his men to communicate with others without giving away their true intentions.

Pyle often uses song lyrics within The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood. These lyrics and songs tend to relate to the plot of the stories while referencing the ballads that were prominent story telling tools of 13th Century England. These pleasing lyrics often rely on parallelism to appeal to the reader and often rely a proverb.

Pyle employs metonymy by using the phrase "the law" in place of the justice system, including the Sheriff of Nottingham. Robin is often described as running from "the law" which is representative of his cat and mouse game with the Sheriff and his men. Pyle also uses synecdoche when talking about the men of Sherwood. He uses phrases like "never showed their faces" to describe how Robin and his men were in hiding. While faces are only a small part of a person, he uses it to represent the men as a whole.

Personification is often used to describe the idyllic, almost Eden-like setting of Sherwood Forrest. Sherwood is often described as "the merry greenwood." While a forest itself cannot be merry, it conveys the tone and lifestyle the forest brings to Robin and his men.