One of the many written accounts of the adventures of Robin Hood and his Merry men is J. Walker McFadden’s 1904 version Robin Hood and his Merry Outlaws. This book, filled with adventure, sword play, humour, and heroism, tells the tale of how ordinary Rob of Locksley became the legend known as Robin Hood. Banished as an outlaw from the town of Locksley for avenging the death of his father, Rob of Locksley seeks solace and refuge in the woods. It is within these woods that Robin Hood encounters and befriends each of the men soon to be known as the Merry Outlaws of Sherwood Forest. Through their clever array of masterful disguises and trusty bow and arrows, Robin and his faithful followers band together to relieve the rich of their heavy purses and foil the Sheriff of Nottingham and Prince John’s plans of capture time after time.
Written from a narrator’s perspective, J. Walker McFadden leads the reader through the lives, loves, sorrows, and triumphs of our hero and his loyal subjects. Through this style of writing, McFadden accomplishes two goals. His colourful description of each character’s thoughts, feelings, and actions makes the reader a part of the story, if only for a moment. Then, just when the reader becomes immersed in the story, McFadden leads his audience to take a step back by speaking directly to the reader. An example of this is the scene in which Little John is found working in disguise as one of the "Good Sheriff’s" servants. ". . . and none so popular a man had come to Nottingham town in many a long day as this same Reynold Greenleaf. Now you may have guessed, by this time, who Reynold Greenleaf really was; so I shall tell you that he was none other than Little John". Just as one gets caught up in the dialogue between the characters, the author pulls the reader back and reminds him or her that someone is actually telling a story.
The Walt Disney animated classic Robin Hood uses a similar style to tell the tale of Robin Hood. Allan-a-Dale, the gentle minstrel in McFadden’s book, played by a rooster in this animated movie, acts as the narrator of the story. Allan-a-Dale begins the story through verse and song, and then unnoticeably meshes into the story only to resurface at later points and speak again directly to his young audience. In contrast, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves does not employ this method of narration. Continuing with the theme of many "Hollywood" movies, this film relies almost solely on the dialogue between characters to progress through the plot. Both ways are effective methods, but they result in different effects. Both movies involve the reader, but do so in different ways. Like the McFadden novel, the audience of the Disney classic are encouraged to be active participants, while the Prince of Thieves lulls its audience into passively watching the events unfold.
Using this style of writing consistently through the book, McFadden develops the central and surrounding characters of this legend. His portrayal of these characters are very human. The author presents his audience with every facet of each character’s being, including their shortcomings and unrealized dreams. For example, there are many accounts of Robin not faring victoriously over his adversary in a battle of strength and wit. One such case is the initial encounter between Robin and the man soon to be known as Will Scarlet. "Robin found the stranger as hard to hit as though fenced in by an oak hedge . . . while Little John rolled over and over in silent joy." For the sake of its young audience, the Walt Disney version of Robin Hood does not have characters that are as well-rounded as those in McFadden’s novel. The characters are dichotomous. While no one is violently evil, each is largely either good or bad, wise or foolish and the personality of each is summed up nicely by the animal chosen to play each character. For example, Robin is a fox, a sly and cunning animal, while Prince John is played by a lion, an animal deemed as majestic and "king of the forest." The other characters follow the same pattern: Little John is a bear with a big and kind heart, not unlike that of a teddy bear, while the Sheriff of Nottingham is a merciless wolf who has employed vultures as his right hand men. The animator’s choice of animal for each of the characters helps to define and represent the traits and characteristics of each of the main people in the legend.
In contrast, the character portrayal in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves is more similar to the McFadden novel than is the Disney version. In this version, the characters are imperfect. Each is aware of his or her own shortcomings and faults, and are humbled by the other characters. For example, in the scene in which Robin Hood encounters Little John within the sanctity of Sherwood Forest, he soon discovers that Little John is quite a worthy and able adversary and has to "roll with the punches" for a while before he finds sure footing. Like the novel, this version is similar in the way each character is imperfect. However, unlike the Disney film, in which the character histories are quite similar to the McFadden novel, this film has changed the facts that have defined the personal story of each character. It seems that each amendment to the personal histories of each character was done in an attempt to heighten the drama within the movie. For example, in the book Will Scarlet is a colourful, dynamic individual who actually got his name from a vivacious scarlet outfit that he was wearing when he encountered Robin and Little John for the first time in the woods. In contrast, the movie depicts him as a ragged, young man who has a burning rage for Robin Hood. As the story unfolds, the audience soon finds out that Will is Robin’s illegitimate half brother who had been denied his rightful place by his father’s side because of Robin’s childhood selfishness. This character change is present throughout the movie.
In addition to this change, there is yet another difference between the cast of characters in the Kevin Costner film and the novel. In the film, many of the characters that play a key role within the novel are not present. For example, Prince John, the evil and unintelligent brother of King Richard strives to capture Robin Hood at any cost in both the novel and the Disney version. However, in the Prince of Thieves this character is strangely absent and has been replaced by the Sheriff of Nottingham, who is a secondary character in the novel. While some characters present in the novel are absent I this film, some characters who have no place in the legend have been added. The most notable example is that of Morgan Freeman’s character Azim. Azim is a Moor who Robin meets in a Jerusalem dungeon following his fight in the Crusades. In the novel, the characters are not racially diverse. Each is of English background and the only mention of another religion or race is a fleeting moment in which Robin mentions a Jew in passing. The racial uniformity present in the novel is representative of England in centuries past; it is not a statement of superiority or anything of the like. However, a cast of all white characters is not representative of today’s society and it is likely that the Moorish character was added to instill a sense of racial diversity and acceptance in the movie and present this acceptance to its audience. This racial "diversity" is also seen [in] the Disney film. Each character is played by a different animal. It is interesting to note, however, that the only two characters of the same breed of animal are Robin Hood and Maid Marion, two characters who later marry.
There are similarities and differences between the three versions in regards to the actual content of the legend. The novel, by J. Walker McFadden, is very complete in its account of this tale. This author takes the reader through all of Robin’s life; the audience learns about Rob’s family, his encounters in Sherwood Forest, how each of the Merry Outlaws became his faithful followers, and how he came to rest at the end of his full life following the death of his love, Maid Marion. In contrast, the two films deal with the plot differently. In the Disney version, t he plot follows a very simple line. The creators dealt with the most known aspects of the legend and incorporated into the animated classic. For example, many of the scenes show Robin and his band of men "stealing from the rich to give to the poor", a trait for which Robin is known. It also spends a large amount of time on Robin’s various disguises and his masterful way of fooling the King and the Sheriff. Disney incorporated these aspects because they are entertaining and would serve a young audience well. It is also interesting to note two other differences between the novel and the animated version. In the novel, there are no children whatsoever. However, in the cartoon many children are present and [are] presented in the foreground of the film with the main adult characters. This gives the movie’s young audience a few more characters to relate to. The second notable difference in the animated version is that no one, despite the sword play and master archers in the movie, is ever injured or killed. This again, differing from the novel, is for the benefit of its young audience.
Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves also varies the plot. Many of the facts surrounding the actual story are similar to the book. However, the temporal line of each of these events is not in sync with McFadden’s version of this tale. For example, at the onset of the movie, the audience finds Robin escaping from imprisonment and returning to his home in England following his efforts in the Crusades. It is after this that Robin becomes an outlaw and forms his band of Merry Men. In the novel, it is at the end of the legend, upon King Richard’s royal pardon that Robin and his men embark on the royal Crusades. Each change to the legend found in the movie seems to be only for dramatic effect, again a benefit to its slightly older audience.
The legend of Robin Hood has lasted for centuries and will continue to last for centuries to come. It is through novels, movies, and bedtime stories that this legend lives on. Which aspects of the legend that are to be told, like many legends, depends on who is telling the tale and who wants to hear it. As with these three versions, each handles a different facet of Robin’s life and shares it with those who love to hear it again and again.
Erica Brandl