British Literature Lesson 5

THE BALLADS OF THE 14th-15th CENTURIES.

THE BALLADS ABOUT ROBIN HOOD. WILLIAM CAXTON.

The death of Chaucer was a great blow to English poetry. It took two centuries to produce a poet equal to him. The
Hundred Years' War ended but another misfortune befell the country: in 1455 a feudal war between the descendants of
Edward III broke out. This war is known as the War of Roses. It was the war between two noble families of York and
Lancaster for the British throne. Only when Henry VII, a Lancastrian, married a Princess of York, the two roses were
at last united, and the new Tudor family was established. This period marked the close of the Middle Ages.

WILLIAM CAXTON (1422? - 1491)

In his early youth William Caxton was an apprentice to a company of London dealers in silk and woollen cloth.
Later he lived in Flanders, in the town of Bruges, where he worked as a hand-copier of books for the royal family. He
was a learned man and translated French histories into English.
When on business in Cologne 1, a German town, he learned the art of printing. In 1478 Caxton set up the first
printing-press in Westminster. During the next fifteen years he printed 65 works, both translations and originals.

SONGS
mowing weaving wedding harvest spinning

BALLADS
heroic romantic historical

Folk poetry flourished in England and Scotland in the 15th century. Folk-songs were heard everywhere. A folk-
song is a short poem in rhymed stanzas usually set to a melody. The rhythm goes along with in the song/ Thus
moving, spinning and weaving songs were made up to the measured motions of that kind of work. Harvest songs and
wedding songs were set to the measured motions of dance.
The most interesting examples of folk poetry were the ballads. English and Scottish ballads were either lyrical-epic
(these were narratives) or lyrical-dramatic poems incidents in action). Ballads were either for singing or for reciting.
They were often accompanied by musical instruments (such as the bagpipes in Scotland) and dancing. The ballad
became the most popular form of amusement in towns and villages because it was something intermediate between a
performance and a game.
Since few common people at that time could read or write, the ballads were passed on orally from one generation
to the next. As regards the content the ballads may be divided into three groups: historical, heroic and romantic
ballads. Historical were based on a historical facts, heroic ballads were about people persecuted by the law or by their
own families. Among the most popular ones were those about Robin Hood who was an outlaw.
The story of Robin Hood, the most popular English folk hero of all times, has reached every corner of the Earth.
Everybody knows Robin’s friends (Little John, Brother Tuck, Will Scarlet), and the famous Sherwood Forest –
Robin’s home and the place where many of his adventures took place. In other countries there are similar stories, such
as William Tell in Switzerland, El Cid in Spain or Janosik in Poland. But only Robin Hood has become an
“international” hero.
There are over 40 separate ballads about Robin Hood, which were written down at various times in the 14th and
the 15th centuries. Robin Hood, England's favourite hero, is a character partly historical, partly legendary. In 1800s
and 1900s, historians found two Robin Hoods who lived in the 14 th century. One of them was even King Edward’s
servant. Later on, other historians found several different Hoods living in different parts of England – Robin was a
popular Christian name and Hood was a fairly common surname.
He must have lived in the second half of the 12th century during the reign of Henry II and his son Richard I (the
Lion-Hearted). The ballads always tell of persons who were robbed by the Church or the feudal barons, or imprisoned
by the foresters and sheriffs.
Robin is the relentless enemy of the Norman oppressors and always helped the country-folk in their troubles. He
robbed only rich people and helped poor people. The Sheriff of Nottingham, a cruel and corrupt government official,
put a big price on Robin's head, but not a single Saxon betrayed him.
Robin is an outlaw and lives in Sherwood Forest, which in those days was quite near the town of Nottingham. He
is brave, adventurous, smart and clever. Whenever the sheriff or the king sends out a party of men to catch him, Robin
fights with so much vigour that his enemies amazed at his bravery, confess themselves beaten and stay with him in the
forest. They become "the merry men of Robin Hood". Robin's best friends are Little John (he is 7 feet tall), Friar Tuck
(a jolly monk) and Allan-a-Dale, a great singer.

Task 1: Answer the questions.

1
Cologne [kə'loun]
1. What was the important historical event of the 15th century?
2. Who was William Caxton?
3. What is a folk song?
4. What types of folk songs do you know?
5. What is the difference between a song and a ballad?
6. What types of ballads do you know?
7. How many original Robin Hood ballads are there in English literature and when were they written down?
8. Where and when did Robin Hood live?
9. Who were the merry men of Robin Hood?
10. What is the chief idea expressed in the Robin Hood ballads?

"THE NOTTINGHAM EXECUTION"

The new sheriff of Nottingham learned that three Saxon hunters had been captured by the foresters and charged
with stealing the king's deer. Al three were the sons of a poor widow who lived in the village of Mansfield. She wept
bitterly when she saw her sons bound, and begged hard that they be released, but the boys were led away.
The sheriff who was angry with Robin Hood (he had tried to capture Robin several times but had failed) ordered
the prisoners to be brought to Nottingham where they were found guilty and sentenced to be hanged in the Saxon
market-place "as a warning to evil-doers in general and to the Saxons in particular".
That same morning Robin was walking through the forest when he met the poor old woman who was crying as if
her heart would break. Robin asked her what had happened. She told him about her sons and said that she was going
to Nottingham to ask for mercy. Robin told her that by herself she would not be able to do anything for her sons, and
he vowed that he would set them free himself before three days had passed. He then blew his horn to call his merry
men and plan the rescue of the three brothers.
One of his scouts had just returned from Nottingham where he had heard the story. There was a great stir in
Nottingham, he said, to see the execution that was to take place the next morning. A whisper had gone round the town
that it was Robin Hood and two of his men that had been caught. People threatened to take bloody vengeance on the
sheriff if this was found to be true.
Soon after daybreak Robin started off to town. On his way he met a beggar who wore a cloak patched with black,
blue and red. Robin wanted to speak to him, but the beggar said he could not stop - he was running away because the
sheriff had wanted him to be the executioner. This was excellent news for Robin who at once proposed that they
should exchange clothes. Robin then hurried on to Nottingham, the streets of which he found filled with people. A cry
was raised of "Hangman!" followed by some hisses, which caused Robin to turn his head, and he found that a crowd
was gathering at his heels.
Robin was walking as quickly as he could towards the sheriff's house when he met the sheriff riding on horseback
followed by a number of his men, all armed with spears, on their was to prison. Catching sight of Robin, the sheriff
called out, "Well, will thou be hangman today?" Robin nodded. "It is well," said the sheriff, "thou hast saved me the
trouble to look for another man."
On seeing the sheriff, the people dispersed. Robin fell into the procession of spearmen immediately behind the
sheriff. When they came to the prison, the sheriff signalled Robin to bind the prisoners. This Robin immediately began
to do, meanwhile managing to whisper into the ear of the eldest: "All's right! Robin Hood will be here to rescue you."
Then the boys were led out and placed in a low cart where they knelt down and the cart moved on, surrounded by the
sheriff's spearmen. The eldest of the prisoners took the opportunity of communicating Robin's words to his brothers.
There was a great crowd of people in the streets and many ill words were shouted at the sheriff as he rode along. At
last they came in sight of the gallows. Robin looked at the crowd as the cart stopped and, to his joy, he recognized
many of his merry men.
The spearmen were ordered to clear a space around the gallows, and while the sheriff was looking after his men,
Robin busied himself loosening the bonds of the brothers who still knelt in the cart. At length sheriff called out: "Now,
hangman, waste no time." Robin sprang up and brandished the sword he held in his hand. The sheriff turned pale with
rage. The three brothers jumped up with their arms loose, and Robin shouted: "Who's on Robin Hood's side?" In an
instant there was a roar of voices. The slender barrier of spearmen that separated the people from the gallows was
broken, the people seized the spears from the men's hands, and arming themselves, struck right and left amongst the
Normans. At the same time Robin's men, numbering some fifty, pressed forward to where Robin and the brothers now
stood. A sword was thrust into each brother's hand and he used it with vigour. The sheriff was seized and hanged on
the gallows put up for the three brothers.

Task 2: Answer the questions

1. How do you feel about Robin Hood’s treatment of the sheriff?
2. Do you think Robin and his men are justified in hanging the sheriff on the gallows meant for Robin’s men? Explain.
3. Why do you think Robin wants to rescue the three squires accused of the crime?
4. Describe Robin Hood as a character. Think of the way he treats the old woman, the beggar, the sheriff.