“I’ve never seen a Robin Hood adaptation that was not a political commentary on something. Because you can’t separate that out from the legends.” -Bethany Kessler

Are outlaws just criminals or are they symptoms of a broken system? From fifteenth century ballads all the way to Luigi Mangione, the High Fantasy track spent Friday evening discussing the political themes of Robin Hood stories from literature, Hollywood, and modern-day politics. Panelists Beth Kessler, Gina Denny, and D.B. Jackson welcomed a small but enthusiastic crowd to Marriott L401-402 for a 10PM discussion on political activism while wearing tights (tight tights) and the ways these ancient tales reflect the political climates in which they are adapted.

As Denny put it, just as each generation has its version of Batman, each adaptation of Robin Hood has to be viewed through the lens of the time period it comes out of. “The word ‘revolutionary’ is carrying a lot of weight,” Kessler noted. “Because it’s entirely down to perspective and the time period you’re in as to whether or not you view him as a revolutionary figure or not.” Citing different versions like the recent, very bleak, Death of Robin Hood, all the way back to Errol Flynn, the panelists discussed the different climates certain adaptations reflect.

“Errol Flynn…it’s very much a New Deal movie that’s all about adopting this kind of Rooseveltian, ‘We’re taking from the rich, giving it to the poor, and everybody’s going to be happy,’” Jackson said. Meanwhile, at the same point in history, Roosevelt rival Huey Long referred to himself as Robin Hood while fighting the New Deal, opposing it for not, in his opinion, going far enough. These themes brought the discussion to the concept of Robin Hood as a figurehead for an idea, rather than a literal interpretation of a person. The panelists drew comparisons to the Hunger Games, and the ways in which a revolution can rally around a person as a symbol, a spark where there was already fuel built up over a very long time.

From there, the discussion turned towards our modern world, and what a Robin Hood story would look like if it truly reflected our current political and economic situation. In today’s modern world, would Robin Hood be a nepo baby? Would he be a philanthropist billionaire? “This is not about moving coins from one house to another, and so it would have to be this entirely new way of just breaking down an entire system, so Elon Musk’s kid, or like multiple of his kids…all working together to funnel money from their dad,” Denny joked. “The more that we dive further and further into late-stage capitalism, it’s no longer just moving a few coins from house to house…you’re talking about deconstructing systems, because if you move a few billion from someone like Elon Musk, we didn’t make a dent in anything.” 

The panelists continued, drawing comparisons between past and present systems of governmental oppression. “You’re writing a twelfth or thirteenth century Robin Hood and the authority figure is the Sheriff of Nottingham. Robin Hood has a fighting chance. You write this story today and the oligarchical forces across international boundaries are so powerful that the story doesn’t work,” Jackson said. 

Overall, the thing the panelists felt was most interesting about a good Robin Hood story is the presence of joy. Merry men are, after all, merry, and joy can be a revolutionary act in a corrupt world. Kessler put it beautifully: “Joy persists. It continues on. Societies fall, but Humanity remains. If we manage to tear down all of the things there will still be family and people who love each other, who care. Even if we lose… people will still sing songs.”

So remember to experience some revolutionary joy this weekend. It’s what Robin Hood would have wanted.