A. E. Chandler

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1. Outlawry is portrayed as freedom on one hand, and exile on the other. Which do you think is more accurate? Would you have wanted to live as a Sherwood Forest outlaw?

 

2. Do you think Robin would have been as successful a knight as he was an outlaw? Why or why not?

 

3. An impoverished Little John accepts a warrant from the Sheriff to hunt down an outlaw that he knows only as a well-trained killer. What circumstances would drive you to a similar decision? What circumstances would cause you to switch allegiances and join someone you knew only as an outlawed killer?

 

4. Were Robin and Anne right to marry in secret? Why or why not? Was Anne right to make herself an outlaw? Consider the culture of medieval England. Faced with Anne’s decision to choose between family, power, and comfort, or love, adventure, and danger, what would you do?

 

5. When Robin and Anne are sixteen, and they discuss having to marry, which of them do you think is in the right? Which do you think is being more realistic about their future happiness?

 

6. When Anne’s father, Baron Fitzwalter, comes to persuade her to go to court so that she is not permanently outlawed, do you think that she makes the right choice? Why or why not? Is there another option that she overlooked?

 

7. When Robin confronts the fletcher, he is speaking to a typical medieval highwayman. Which one do you think the original Robin Hood more resembled? In what ways?

 

8. The story of Floris and Blancheflour is a medieval romance, a different genre than Robin Hood, but from the same time when his legend was developing. What are some parallels between Floris and Blancheflour, and Robin and Anne? What do the two stories tell us about one another?

 

9. Robin and Little John make a wager as to who leads the merriest life, Robin claiming that a travelling beggar does, Little John a barefoot friar. Anne says that an outlaw has the merriest life of the three. Who do you think was right, and for what reason? Was it a fair contest?

 

10. The only time Robin breaks his rule against killing is when he faces Guy of Guisbourne. Do you think Robin was justified in this instance? Why or why not?

 

11. The Sheriff breaks his promise to leave the outlaws alone when they are in the forest. Do you think that he is justified in hunting the outlaws? Why or why not?

 

12. At the royal shooting match, Queen Eleanor keeps her word, while King Henry breaks his in order to accomplish justice. Who do you think was in the right? Was Queen Eleanor justified in extending an invitation to criminals in the first place?

 

13. Will Stutely is Anne’s oldest friend, yet he always addresses her with formal language and pronouns, even when they are alone together. (Though not when they are alone and she keenly upsets him.) Do you think this respect creates a more devoted friendship, or that it creates a barrier in the friendship? Why?

 

14. Anne calls Robin the criminal who upholds justice better than the Sheriff, the robber who can be more generous than the gentry, and the excommunicant who shows more devotion than the clergy, preserving what they all claim to love by being his own hypocrite. True to his medieval roots, Robin is actually a conservative character, while Anne represents the modern notion of Robin Hood as a rebel against society. Which version of outlaw do you prefer? Why?

 

15. Rich clergy and poor clergy are portrayed very differently in the Robin Hood legend. Do you think that these portrayals are fair? Why or why not?

 

16. Robin’s desire to protect Anne causes conflict between them throughout their relationship. Do you think Anne is justified in making dangerous choices? Do you think Robin is justified in acting as her protector?

 

17. When Robin is captured by the Sheriff, Little John tries to establish himself as the band’s defacto leader, before being argued down by Anne. Who do you think the band should have listened to and why? Was Little John’s plan more reasonable than Anne’s?

 

18. Robin tells King Edward, “Right justly was I outlawed.” Do you think that he deserves to be pardoned for his original crime? Do you think he deserves to be pardoned in light of what he has done during his outlawry?

 

19. After spending five years fighting in King Edward’s wars, Robin is drastically changed. What differences can you see between the outlaw and the soldier? Are there hints of the old Robin peeking through?

 

20. Robin’s greatest downfall is his pride. There are numerous times when it leads him to make poor decisions. Are there any instances, in your opinion, when his pride is beneficial?

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© A. E. Chandler 2017 for use with The Scarlet Forest: A Tale of Robin Hood. aechandler.wixsite.com/author