Medieval Outlaw Heroes: Poem Analysis

One of the essential motifs of medieval outlaw heroes is the motif of the Greenwood. The outlaw separates himself from society by living in the woods, enjoying a sort of Edenic paradise free from the corrupt laws of society. There, the outlaw can do what he pleases, usually accompanied by a band of merry men. Modern-day outlaw group Anonymous too has its own Greenwood. Unlike the physical Greenwoods of the medieval outlaws, however, Anonymous' Greenwood is the Internet, and, once the computer is turned off, Anonymous members still live in the confines of society. How, then, could the Internet be a Greenwood, if medieval outlaws relied on the physical separation that the forest allowed? Despite not being physical, the Internet, for Anonymous, is a paradise of sorts, and from this it becomes clear that the power of the Greenwood lies not in its ability to physically separate the outlaw from society. Rather, the Greenwood motif serves to offer the outlaw personal, mental separation from society, …show more content…
The text opens with, “It was merry in the green forest among the green leaves, where men walked in all directions with their bows and keen arrows, seeking to raise the deer out of their dens” (407). The three men live happily in the Inglewood Forest, where they are free from the confines of society. Finally, the forest is extremely important in “A Gest of Robyn Hode”. In this text, Robin lives in the Barnsdale forest, but in other iterations of the tale he lives in the Sherwood forest. Regardless of the specific forest, however, it is clear that the Greenwood is incredibly important to Robin. In the Greenwood, Robin can find freedom from the confines of society's corruption, whether the source of that corruption be from the Sherrif of Nottingham or Prince John. In the forest, Robin is king, and he lives a life of freedom and plenty surrounded by his