The Iconic Tale of the Man who Stole from the Rich and Gave to the Poor 

Alan Tine O’ Harrow is clearly a Robin Hood- like character for multiple reasons. The tale begins with him fleeing from Scotland to England, just as Robin Hood himself does, then outlines various scenarios in which he steals from noblemen and gives to those who have very little. There is no one specific literary text that enshrines the “real” Robin Hood. The character of the man who "stole from the rich and gave to the poor" has been around since before the 14^th century, and has remained to this day a universally recognized figure. One of the first known references to the title came around circa 1377 in Langland’s “Piers Plowman” and indicates that “Rymes of Robyn Hood” were already commonplace. These early accounts took the form of mainly court records, proverbs, ballads and chronicle entries; they were essentially already ingrained into society. 

One interesting facet in the evolution of the Robin Hood story is that this character evolved along with the social conditions of each respective time period. This is shown in the way that the Robin Hood narratives were not only extremely popular but also succeeded in transcending boundaries of both class and race. The poorest of the poor and the richest of the rich listened to and exchanged various versions of the tale. For example late medieval piety shines through in these narratives due to the fact that they were not used as religious propaganda or education; but that they spanned cultural diffusions and lacked direct intent. Meaning that due to the ubiquity of the story, there is room to sift through and pick out distinct religious beliefs encompassed collectively by all levels of English and Scottish societies.

There was a distinct shift in the actual depiction of the character of Robin Hood according to time period. Medieval ballads from the 16^th century portrayed him as an outlaw trickster whose group of allies embodied a rebellious attitude toward hierarchical authority. The Medieval era was rough, and there was much corruption and turmoil afloat, relating directly to the representation of Robin Hood’s character. Over the next couple of hundred years however things began to evolve and change. The 19^th century bore the Romantic period, which gave way to an artistic, literary and intellectual movement. Robin became increasingly submissive to authority and was widely represented as a gentleman in fancy dress. He became much more conservative and patriotic. John Keats (a famous Romantic writer) wrote a poem in 1820 entitled, “Robin Hood: To a Friend.” In this poem the outlaw’s story is depicted as a fun loving and amusing tale, even the structure of the poem is light and quick (refer to the PDF below for comparison purposes). 

The core themes within the Robin Hood story have stayed true. The notion of a man who "steals from the rich and gives to the poor" by means of deception and trickery is a constant one. What has changed over time is the way in which the character has been represented. One of the most contemporary adaptations of the Tale of Robin Hood would be Walt Disney’s 1973 animated film version (refer to the YouTube Clip below for comparison purposes), in which the characters sing, dance and perform light-hearted acts of trickery. This story has truly survived all measures of both time and space! 

References

Aykroyd, Lucas Mikael Darche. “Deception and Impersonation in the Robin Hood Tradition: Comparison of Medieval and 19^th century Approaches.” MA Thesis, University of Victoria (1997).

Sean, Field. “Devotion, Discontent and Henrician Reformation: Evidence of the Robin Hood Stories.” Journal of British Studies 41, 1 (2002).

Taylor, John. “Representations of The Robin Hood Legend.” Historian 41, 1 (1984): 6-22.

*we claim no rights to this YouTube clip and recognize that it is the property of Walt Disney, we will take down said clip upon request if necessary.