The stories of William Tell and Robin Hood are examples of the tradition of folk heroes fighting oppression and overturning tyrannical rule.  The stories have been told and sung around camp fires and turned into films, operas and television programmes. With each new retelling there are further embellishments and additions. Their origins have been lost long ago and while there is much academic study around these figures it is uncertain whether they ever existed at all.

The continued existence of, and fascination with these stories suggests that these characters fulfil a need in us – perhaps a belief in the triumph of right over wrong, that justice will be done, and that the baddies will get what they deserve.

There are many similar characters in other cultures. For instance, William Wallace, Jesse James, Ned Kelly and Zorro to name but a few. Perhaps you can think of others.  Also,  think about the following questions…

Aren’t these people just glorified terrorists? What do these stories teach us? Why do they endure? Why are there so many variations of the stories? Do different versions fulfil different functions? Does it matter if these are real or fictional characters?

Robin Hood’s Story

Robin Hood is known through legend as a skilled archer and swordsman, and a heroic outlaw. He is said to have lived in Sherwood Forest in Nottinghamshire. In some tales he is described as a nobleman stripped of his lands for poaching a deer. There, he and his band of followers (Little John, Friar Tuck, Will Scarlett, Maid Marian) found a haven of safety from their persecutor the Sheriff of Nottingham.

Whilst Richard the Lion Heart fought in the Crusades, Prince John ruled in his absence.  During this time, taxes were raised and the people of England were burdened with extortionate duties. Objecting to this imposition, Robin Hood and his “Merry Men” would hide out in the forests and ambush the rich who travelled through.  Thieving from the affluent, they distributed what they took amongst the poor people of Nottingham. Ballads and legends describe Robin Hood as a man of generous spirit and courtesy who took from those with plenty, and gave to those with very little.

For further reading around the stories of Robin Hood, have a look at the websites detailed on the Further Resources page.

Questions for discussion:

• Was Robin Hood a real person?
• What evidence is there that he really existed?
• Some academics suggest there was more than one Robin Hood what difference does that make to the stories?
• What stories do you know of Robin Hood?
• Why do we still make television series and films about him?
• Why do we think of him as a hero?
• Is there a different version of the stories to be told in which Prince John tries to raise money to pay for the King’s expensive war and Robin Hood is a thief?

William Tell’s Story

According to legend, William Tell was a skilled hunter and earned a reputation for being one of the best archers in Switzerland.  He lived with his children on a farm in a rural peasant community in Uri.

Switzerland had been governed by rulers of different countries and was now under Austrian rule.  The Swiss people were unhappy about this, and were made to pay heavy taxes to the government.  The governor of William Tell’s hometown was called Hermann Gessler.  He was a cruel leader and was very unpopular.  He put a hat on a pole in the square and he demanded that the local people bow to the hat every time they walked past it to show respect for the empire.  The Swiss people felt humiliated by this.  They did not want to show respect to a government that was making them so poor.

One day William Tell and his son Walter walked past the hat without stopping.  Guards instructed them to stop and bow, but William refused. He, like so many of his fellow citizens did not agree to the symbol or the government and order that it represented. The news of his refusal soon reached the ears of Gessler who was so angry that he hatched a malicious plan.  He had heard how good an archer William Tell was, so he decided to put him to the test.  Gessler had William Tell arrested and gave him an ultimatum; either shoot an apple placed on top of his son’s head or face execution from the guards.

William Tell reluctantly decided to shoot the apple.  Without further hesitation, he took two arrows from his belt and fired one straight through the middle of the apple on Walter’s head.  Gessler was infuriated and as William Tell began to walk away, demanded to know why he had taken two arrows from his belt instead of one.  William Tell replied, saying that if he had hit Walter by mistake, he would have sent the second arrow straight through Gessler’s heart.  This made Gessler even angrier and he had William Tell arrested a second time, with the intention of keeping him locked up in the dungeon of his castle forever.

During the long boat journey to the castle, a violent storm suddenly arose on the lake across which they were travelling.  The guards and oarsmen were afraid as they could not steer the boat. So they begged Gessler to release William Tell so that he could help them, knowing what a good oarsman he was. Gessler consented.  Once the boat reached the shore, William Tell jumped out, escaping into the thick forest.  Gessler and his men could not catch him and were forced to retreat to the castle.

William Tell hurried through the forest and waited until Gessler and his men came looking for him.  He waited and waited until he saw them coming, then he took an arrow from his belt and fired it straight through Gessler’s heart.  William Tell returned home to his family and friends with news of Gessler’s death.  The story of William Tell’s bravery soon spread throughout the land, inspiring the people of Switzerland to rise up against the Austrian government.  On New Year’s Day of that year, Swiss rebels set the residences of the governors on fire.  The fearful Austrian survivors fled back to their homeland, leaving Switzerland free.

Questions for discussion:

• What did the hat on the pole signify for Gessler?
• Why did the people of William Tell’s village agree to bow to it?
• In different versions of the story Tell fails to bow to the hat for different reasons, in some he forgets, caught up in conversation, in others it is a deliberate act of defiance? What difference does this make to the story? Why do different versions of the story exist?
• Does the story of William Tell teach us anything? If so, What? Why do people like to tell stories like this?
• How many other similar stories can you think of form different parts of the world?
• It is not clear how much of this story is true. Does it matter if William Tell and Robin Hood are fictional or historical characters?