Robin Hood Chapter Summary

This essay will be covering chapters five through eight of the Merry Adventures of Robin Hood. It will include a general half page summary of each chapter. There will also be a conclusion at the end. In order to summarize the chapters, there must be a main character introduction. Robin Hood is the main character. He and the Sheriff have had a few feuds through the book (considering he is an outlaw). Little John is Robin Hood’s right hand man or “lieutenant,” as stated by Allen W. Wright. The Sheriff of Nottingham is a greedy sheriff who is very focused on capturing Robin Hood.
In chapter five, Robin Hood has now been in the forest for two years. The confinement is beginning to make him anxious, so he decides to get back at the Sheriff.

One day Robin comes across a butcher. Robin asked the butcher how much it would cost for him to buy the meat, wagon, horse, and the butcher’s outfit. The butcher says he will sell it all for four marks. Robin gives him six marks for all of it. Robin goes into town dressed as a butcher, and sells all the meat for very unusual prices. Rich people had to pay double the usual amount for meat. People having comfortable finances could buy meat for the regular price. Housewives got the triple amount of meat for what they paid. If an attractive lady came buy, then she could pay Robin with a kiss. If people were extremely poor, then Robin would give them free meat. Robin sold all the meat. The other butchers invited Robin to lunch with themselves and the Sheriff. The Sheriff doesn’t know who Robin Hood really is. Robin Hood takes the Sheriff to Sherwood Forest, and serves him a feast. Then Robin makes the Sheriff pay three hundred pounds for it (the equivalent of fifty-four thousand dollars). This is how Robin gets revenge on the Sheriff.
In chapter six, Little John is going to Nottingham to enter an archery contest that the Sheriff is hosting. The prize is so small (two fat steers) that the Sheriff believes Robin Hood and his merry men won’t even bother entering the contest. When Little John arrives, a man challenges him to cudgel play. Little John easily wins the match, winning some ale. Shortly after, Little John wins the archery contest. After seeing Little John compete, the Sheriff believes he would be an extremely valuable asset to have, so he asks Little John to work for him. However, Little John entered the contest under the name “Reynold Greenleaf,” so the Sheriff does not know who Little John truly is. If Little John accepts the Sheriff’s offer he will get paid well (forty marks each Michaelmastide, given three suits of clothes a year, and given plenty of food and ale. Little John accepts the Sheriff’s offer, and after giving all the people his prizes from the contest, he goes with the Sheriff to his castle.
In chapter seven, Little John has been working for the Sheriff for six months. He’s been living the good life, eating good food, sleeping in, and getting fat. He awakes one morning and is reminded of Sherwood Forest. Little John realizes how much he misses his old life with Robin Hood, so he decides to go back. He goes to get breakfast, but the steward doesn’t like Little John, because he is the Sheriff’s favorite. The steward tells Little John to get his own food out of the pantry. After arguing for a while, Little John tries to get his food, but the pantry is locked. The steward and him fend up fighting, until Little John knocks the steward out. The cook hears the fight, and goes to help the steward. The steward runs away before the cook and Little John fight. Since it is likely one of them will die in the fight, Little John suggests they eat first. Little John begins to like the cook, they eat the same amount and they both like to sing. They fight for a few hours, but in the end decide to both go to Sherwood Forrest to live with Robin Hood. They steal some of the Sheriff’s silver to take to Robin. Robin is happy to see them, but scolds them for taking the silver when the Sheriff has done nothing to them. Robin gives the Sheriff back his silver, and the Sheriff figures out who Little John really is.
In chapter eight, Robin Hood sends Little John to Ancaster to retrieve more Lincoln green.

He sends Little John at night, so he won’t be seen by any of the Sheriff’s men. On his way to Ancaster, Little John decides to go to the Blue Boar for a while. He chose pleasure over work and he would pay. The next morning Little John sets off to Ancaster again. He meets a Tanner, whom he ends up challenging to cudgel play. Robin hears that Little John spent the night at the Blue Boar, and goes to look for him. Robin ends up watching the fight between the two men. The Tanner beats Little John at cudgel play, something Robin Hood did not think could be done. The Tanner introduces himself as Arthur a Bland, and he joins Robin Hood and his merry men.
In conclusion, “Howard Pyle's Robin Hood is the first, the most beautifully illustrated, and the most complete of the many renditions for young people of the adventures of the famous yeoman-thief of Sherwood Forest,” (Bookrags.com). So far we see Robin Hood as being a powerful leader. He wants to do the right thing, even though he may not have the best methods of doing so. Little John is very loyal to Robin Hood. Even though he left for a few months, he did return. The Sheriff has even more of a reason to capture Robin, since Little John and the cook left. Will the Sheriff capture Robin? Let’s soon find

out!