Corruption In Robin Hood And The Monk

The criminal behaviour of Robin Hood doesn’t just deal with the corruption of the law and justice system but also religious corruption. The anti-monastic tone of the rhymes is largely a result of the feelings of resentment towards the corruption of clergy. This is illustrated through the juxtaposition of Robin Hood’s personal piety and the ignorance and wealth of members of the clergy. In Robin Hood and the Monk, Robin risks his life to hear Mass in Nottingham, but is betrayed by the monk. The monk alerts the sheriff of his whereabouts and thus appears as the villain in the story. Consequently, the beheading of the monk later appears justified. Although Robin and his men are targeting members of the church, his actions are targeted at the

This is because it diverges from the expectations about how we could expect criminal activity in medieval society to be perceived. This is due to Robin Hood’s position as hero who helps fight the corruption in society. Consequently, audiences of the rhymes will not have viewed his offences as being as severe to the offences which contemporaries experienced in their everyday lives. Robin Hood’s criminal behaviour would have likely been perceived differently by different audiences. For example, the shared sympathy with rural audiences over the issue of poaching wouldn’t have meant the same thing to aristocrats. This is because they enjoyed poaching as a leisurely pursuit and not as means for survival. When the criminal behaviour of Robin Hood and his men is compared to the behaviour of real life bandits and other outlaw stories, there are many similarities. This indicates the usefulness of the Robin Hood rhymes as a historical source. The status of Robin Hood as a heroic outlaw had a lasting impact on medieval society, as we can see by his inspiration in real life crime. It is important not to forget the lasting legacy of the famous outlaw hero as a legend but also a particularly useful historical