Will Scarlet
Encyclopedia
Will Scarlet was a prominent member of Robin Hood
's Merry Men
. He was present in the earliest ballads along with Little John
and Much the Miller's Son
.
The confusion of surnames has led some authors to distinguish them as belonging to different characters. The Elizabethan playwright Anthony Munday
featured Scarlet and Scathlocke as half-brothers in his play The Downfall of Robert, Earl of Huntington
. Howard Pyle
included both a Will Scathelock and a Will Scarlet in his Merry Adventures of Robin Hood. Will Stutely
may also exist as a separate character because of a mistaken surname.
. He helps capture Richard at the Lee
and when Robin lends that knight money to pay off his debts, Scarlet is one of the Merry Men who insists on giving him a horse and clothing appopriate to his station.
Another very early ballad featuring Will Scarlet is one variant of Robin Hood's Death
, in which Will's only role is to urge a bodyguard, which Robin scorns.
A later ballad, Robin Hood and the Newly Revived, scribes an origin story to him. Robin finds a finely dressed young man shooting deer in Sherwood, and offers to let him join the band; they quarrel and fight. Robin asks who he is; he says he is Young Gamwell, who killed his father's steward and fled his father's estate to seek out his uncle, Robin Hood. Robin makes him welcome and renames him Scarlet. This story, more or less, is the common origin story for Will Scarlet, although variations occur.
Francis Child
indexed those tales: A Gest of Robyn Hode as Child Ballad 117, Robin Hood's Death as Child ballad 120, and Robin Hood Newly Revived as Child ballad 128. He also listed several other ballads featuring Will Scarlet, sometimes in a very minor role. In Robin Hood's Delight
(Child Ballad 136), the common story in which Robin meets a stranger, cannot outfight him, and must outwit him is altered: Robin has Little John and Will with him, and they meet three foresters, resulting in the usual fight and outwitting. In Robin Hood and the Curtal Friar
(Child Ballad 123), Will Scarlet tells Robin of the friar, resulting in their encounter. In Robin Hood and Guy of Gisbourne
(Child Ballad 118), Little John is captured coming to Will's rescue after two of their band had been killed and Will was fleeing. In an unusual Robin Hood ballad Robin Hood and the Prince of Aragon
(Child ballad 129), Robin, Little John, and Will Scarlet come to the king's rescue, fighting the prince of the title and two giants, and ending with Will marrying the princess; this ballad, unlike the other Child ballads, is seldom used in later adaptations.
s are often depicted as being middle-aged
, whereas Scarlet is often depicted as young or youthful, sometimes in his late teens. In the traditional tales, he is hot-headed and tempestuous, but has a love of fine elegant clothes and is often seen wearing red silk. He is the most skilled swordsman of the merry men whilst Robin Hood is the most skilled archer
and Little John the most skilled staff wielder
. In some tales Scarlet uses two swords at the same time (this was parodied in the movie Robin Hood: Men in Tights
).
According to local tradition, Will Scarlet was killed after a battle with the Sheriff's men and is buried in the churchyard of the Church of St. Mary of the Purification, Blidworth
in Nottinghamshire
. The apex of the old church spire stands in the graveyard and is popularly referred to as a monument to Will Scarlet, whose grave is otherwise unmarked.
, starring Errol Flynn
, and 1991 TV movie, Will Scarlet is portrayed as Robin's friend and companion (almost a squire
) from the beginning, and is a witty, humorous character. In the 1938 film, his given name is "Will o' Gamwell". This character is quite possibly merged with Alan-a-Dale
, as Will plays a lute and sings in one scene. In the 2006 BBC TV series, the same role is given to the character named Much
.
In the classic 1950s series of The Adventures of Robin Hood
, the character was played by Ronald Howard
and later by Paul Eddington
. When first met he and Robin Hood
get into a fight with each other before Scarlet escapes from the Sheriff's men. He was initially depicted as a bearded yet youthful gentleman. Fun-loving, adventurous and a roguish womanising boaster. He was however also a loyal and experienced swordsman. This version of Will's real name was Will O'Winchester. In the first two episodes, a cynical Will Scathelock is the original leader of the Sherwood outlaws. On his death bed, Scathelock tells the outlaws to follow Robin Hood.
In the UK TV series Robin of Sherwood
(1984-6), Ray Winstone
portrays a very different version of Will Scarlet. Rather than the stereotypical merry sidekick, this interpretation gave us a much bleaker, more passionate character. An ex-soldier who fought in France, he is shown as the most violent of the outlaws, having turned to murder after powerlessly witnessing the brutalisation and trampling to death of his wife at the hands of Normans. With a burning hatred of the Sheriff of Nottingham's men – and a lack of respect for all authority – he tells Robin he has changed his name from Scathelocke to Scarlet having killed three men in revenge.
In Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves
, Christian Slater
plays Will Scarlet, whom the film depicts as the illegitimate half-brother of Robin Hood. (Many older traditions make him a kinsman of Robin's, usually a cousin or nephew.) Robin Hood's father did not acknowledge Scarlet, and instead doted on Robin, leading Scarlet to become resentful of Robin Hood. He initially appears as a treacherous character, but later finds redemption when he helps the Merry Men rescue Maid Marian
and several others from the Sheriff of Nottingham
.
In the Mel Brooks
movie Robin Hood: Men in Tights
, Will is shown as Little John's best friend. His full name is Will Scarlet O'Hara; he's from Georgia. Played by Matthew Porretta
.
In Blackadder: Back & Forth
, Robin Hood sarcastically says, "Is Will Scarlet a poof in tights?" – the camera reveals that he is, and later Baldrick
describes him as friendly.
In the 2002 video game Robin Hood: The Legend of Sherwood
, Will Scarlet is shown as Robin's troublesome nephew that rebels against the sheriff constantly and as a result of this is put in prison. He is later rescued by Robin Hood and added to the band of merry men. He is shown to be extremely violent, with the ability to strangle enemies from behind or finish them off when they are down, and it is implied that he wears red
so no one can see the blood stains.
In the Star Trek: The Next Generation
episode Qpid, Q
has the crew of the Enterprise re-enact the legend of Robin Hood. Worf
(Michael Dorn
) plays the part of Will despite protesting that he is 'NOT a merry man!'
In the BBC 2006 series Robin Hood, Will Scarlet, portrayed by Harry Lloyd
, is an eighteen year old carpenter whom Robin saves from hanging. He is a brooding, quiet character who is often one of the most sensible and moral of Robin's band of men. The youngest of Robin's men, Will fights skilfully with two axes. In this series, Will appears to be best friends with Alan-a-Dale
(Joe Armstrong
) although this is put in doubt when Alan is unmasked as a traitor and admits to love Djaq (played by Anjali Jay
).
In "Princess of Thieves", Will Scarlet (played by Crispin Letts) is said to be Robin Hood's loyal friend and companion, as well as his brother (Robin's daughter Gwen refers to Will as "Uncle").
In the 2010 film Robin Hood
, directed by Ridley Scott
, Will Scarlet is played by actor Scott Grimes
and is a Welsh Archer serving alongside Robin and Allan A'Dayle
.
Robin Hood
Robin Hood was a heroic outlaw in English folklore. A highly skilled archer and swordsman, he is known for "robbing from the rich and giving to the poor", assisted by a group of fellow outlaws known as his "Merry Men". Traditionally, Robin Hood and his men are depicted wearing Lincoln green clothes....
's Merry Men
Merry Men
The Merry Men are the group of outlaws who followed Robin Hood, according to English folklore. An early use of the phrase "merry men" occurs in the oldest known Robin Hood ballad, "Robin Hood and the Monk", which survives in a manuscript completed around 1450. The word "merry" in this and other...
. He was present in the earliest ballads along with Little John
Little John
Little John was a legendary fellow outlaw of Robin Hood, and was said to be Robin's chief lieutenant and second-in-command of the Merry Men.-Folklore:He appears in the earliest recorded Robin Hood ballads and stories...
and Much the Miller's Son
Much the Miller's Son
Much the Miller's Son was, in the tales of Robin Hood, one of his Merry Men. He appears in some of the oldest ballads, A Gest of Robyn Hode and Robin Hood and the Monk, as one of the company.Generally he becomes an outlaw when he is caught poaching...
.
The confusion of surnames has led some authors to distinguish them as belonging to different characters. The Elizabethan playwright Anthony Munday
Anthony Munday
Anthony Munday was an English dramatist and miscellaneous writer. The chief interest in Munday for the modern reader lies in his collaboration with Shakespeare and others on the play Sir Thomas More and his writings on Robin Hood.-Biography:He was once thought to have been born in 1553, because...
featured Scarlet and Scathlocke as half-brothers in his play The Downfall of Robert, Earl of Huntington
The Downfall and The Death of Robert Earl of Huntington
The Downfall of Robert Earl of Huntington and The Death of Robert Earl of Huntington are two closely related Elizabethan-era stage plays on the Robin Hood legend, that were written by Anthony Munday in 1598 and published in 1601...
. Howard Pyle
Howard Pyle
Howard Pyle was an American illustrator and author, primarily of books for young people. A native of Wilmington, Delaware, he spent the last year of his life in Florence, Italy.__FORCETOC__...
included both a Will Scathelock and a Will Scarlet in his Merry Adventures of Robin Hood. Will Stutely
Will Stutely
Will Stutely or Will Stutly is in English folklore a prominent member of Robin Hood's Merry Men.-Ballads:He was present in two of the ballads in the Child collection, although not ones dating from the early medieval period...
may also exist as a separate character because of a mistaken surname.
Ballads
The first appearance of Will Scarlet was in one of the oldest surviving Robin Hood ballads, A Gest of Robyn HodeA Gest of Robyn Hode
"A Gest of Robyn Hode" is Child Ballad 117; it is also called A Lyttell Geste of Robyn Hode in one of the two oldest books that contain it....
. He helps capture Richard at the Lee
Richard at the Lee
Richard at the Lee was a major character in the early medieval ballads of Robin Hood, especially the lengthy ballad A Gest of Robyn Hode, and has reappeared in Robin Hood tales throughout the centuries.Sir Richard is said to have been a nobleman, the lord of Verysdale...
and when Robin lends that knight money to pay off his debts, Scarlet is one of the Merry Men who insists on giving him a horse and clothing appopriate to his station.
Another very early ballad featuring Will Scarlet is one variant of Robin Hood's Death
Robin Hood's Death
Robin Hood's Death is the 120th ballad of the Child ballads collection published by Houghton Mifflin. The fragmentary Percy Folio version of it appears to be one of the oldest existing tales of Robin Hood; there is a synopsis of the story in the fifteenth century A Gest of Robyn Hode...
, in which Will's only role is to urge a bodyguard, which Robin scorns.
A later ballad, Robin Hood and the Newly Revived, scribes an origin story to him. Robin finds a finely dressed young man shooting deer in Sherwood, and offers to let him join the band; they quarrel and fight. Robin asks who he is; he says he is Young Gamwell, who killed his father's steward and fled his father's estate to seek out his uncle, Robin Hood. Robin makes him welcome and renames him Scarlet. This story, more or less, is the common origin story for Will Scarlet, although variations occur.
Francis Child
Francis James Child
Francis James Child was an American scholar, educator, and folklorist, best known today for his collection of folk songs known as the Child Ballads. Child was Boylston professor of rhetoric and oratory at Harvard University, where he produced influential editions of English poetry...
indexed those tales: A Gest of Robyn Hode as Child Ballad 117, Robin Hood's Death as Child ballad 120, and Robin Hood Newly Revived as Child ballad 128. He also listed several other ballads featuring Will Scarlet, sometimes in a very minor role. In Robin Hood's Delight
Robin Hood's Delight
-Synopsis:Robin Hood, Will Scarlock, and Little John are walking in the forest when they met with three foresters, who fight with them. They refuse Robin permission to sound his horn, but Robin persuades them to go to an inn, and there they drink instead of fighting.-External links:**...
(Child Ballad 136), the common story in which Robin meets a stranger, cannot outfight him, and must outwit him is altered: Robin has Little John and Will with him, and they meet three foresters, resulting in the usual fight and outwitting. In Robin Hood and the Curtal Friar
Robin Hood and the Curtal Friar
"Robin Hood and the Curtal Friar" is Child Ballad number 123, about Robin Hood.-Synopsis:This ballad is one of those appearing in earlier and later versions, the earlier one appearing in damaged form in the Percy manuscript but, as with Robin Hood and Guy of Gisborne the story also appears in May...
(Child Ballad 123), Will Scarlet tells Robin of the friar, resulting in their encounter. In Robin Hood and Guy of Gisbourne
Guy of Gisbourne
Sir Guy of Gisbourne is a character from the Robin Hood legends of English folklore. In The Ballad of Robin Hood and Guy of Gisborne , he hunts Robin for the Sheriff of Nottingham, but Robin kills him and cuts off his head...
(Child Ballad 118), Little John is captured coming to Will's rescue after two of their band had been killed and Will was fleeing. In an unusual Robin Hood ballad Robin Hood and the Prince of Aragon
Robin Hood and the Prince of Aragon
Robin Hood and the Prince of Aragon is Child ballad 129. Showing more imagination than fidelity to tradition, it catches up Robin Hood into a tale of chivalrous adventures, such as are uncommon in his ballads, and has seldom been featured in later tales....
(Child ballad 129), Robin, Little John, and Will Scarlet come to the king's rescue, fighting the prince of the title and two giants, and ending with Will marrying the princess; this ballad, unlike the other Child ballads, is seldom used in later adaptations.
Later versions
Traditionally, most of the outlawOutlaw
In historical legal systems, an outlaw is declared as outside the protection of the law. In pre-modern societies, this takes the burden of active prosecution of a criminal from the authorities. Instead, the criminal is withdrawn all legal protection, so that anyone is legally empowered to persecute...
s are often depicted as being middle-aged
Middle age
Middle age is the period of age beyond young adulthood but before the onset of old age. Various attempts have been made to define this age, which is around the third quarter of the average life span of human beings....
, whereas Scarlet is often depicted as young or youthful, sometimes in his late teens. In the traditional tales, he is hot-headed and tempestuous, but has a love of fine elegant clothes and is often seen wearing red silk. He is the most skilled swordsman of the merry men whilst Robin Hood is the most skilled archer
Archery
Archery is the art, practice, or skill of propelling arrows with the use of a bow, from Latin arcus. Archery has historically been used for hunting and combat; in modern times, however, its main use is that of a recreational activity...
and Little John the most skilled staff wielder
Quarterstaff
A quarterstaff , also short staff or simply staff is a traditional European pole weapon and a technique of stick fighting, especially as in use in England during the Early Modern period....
. In some tales Scarlet uses two swords at the same time (this was parodied in the movie Robin Hood: Men in Tights
Robin Hood: Men in Tights
Robin Hood: Men in Tights is a 1993 French-American adventure comedy film and a parody of the Robin Hood story. Produced and directed by Mel Brooks, the film stars Cary Elwes, Richard Lewis, and Dave Chappelle in his film debut...
).
According to local tradition, Will Scarlet was killed after a battle with the Sheriff's men and is buried in the churchyard of the Church of St. Mary of the Purification, Blidworth
Church of St. Mary of the Purification, Blidworth
The Church of St. Mary of the Purification, Blidworth is a parish church in the Church of England in Blidworth, Nottinghamshire.The church is Grade II* listed by the Department for Culture, Media & Sport as it is a particularly significant building of more than local interest.-History:Only the west...
in Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire is a county in the East Midlands of England, bordering South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west...
. The apex of the old church spire stands in the graveyard and is popularly referred to as a monument to Will Scarlet, whose grave is otherwise unmarked.
Other depictions of Will Scarlet
In both the 1938 filmThe Adventures of Robin Hood (film)
The Adventures of Robin Hood is a 1938 American swashbuckler film directed by Michael Curtiz and William Keighley. Filmed in Technicolor, the picture stars Errol Flynn, Olivia de Havilland, Basil Rathbone, and Claude Rains.-Plot:...
, starring Errol Flynn
Errol Flynn
Errol Leslie Flynn was an Australian-born actor. He was known for his romantic swashbuckler roles in Hollywood films, being a legend and his flamboyant lifestyle.-Early life:...
, and 1991 TV movie, Will Scarlet is portrayed as Robin's friend and companion (almost a squire
Squire
The English word squire is a shortened version of the word Esquire, from the Old French , itself derived from the Late Latin , in medieval or Old English a scutifer. The Classical Latin equivalent was , "arms bearer"...
) from the beginning, and is a witty, humorous character. In the 1938 film, his given name is "Will o' Gamwell". This character is quite possibly merged with Alan-a-Dale
Alan-a-Dale
Alan-a-Dale is a figure in the Robin Hood legend...
, as Will plays a lute and sings in one scene. In the 2006 BBC TV series, the same role is given to the character named Much
Much the Miller's Son
Much the Miller's Son was, in the tales of Robin Hood, one of his Merry Men. He appears in some of the oldest ballads, A Gest of Robyn Hode and Robin Hood and the Monk, as one of the company.Generally he becomes an outlaw when he is caught poaching...
.
In the classic 1950s series of The Adventures of Robin Hood
The Adventures of Robin Hood (TV series)
The Adventures of Robin Hood is a popular British television series comprising 143 half-hour, black and white episodes. It starred Richard Greene as the outlaw Robin Hood and Alan Wheatley as his nemesis, the Sheriff of Nottingham. The show aired weekly between 1955 and 1959 on ITV in London in the...
, the character was played by Ronald Howard
Ronald Howard (British actor)
Ronald Howard was an English actor and writer best known in the U.S. for starring in a weekly Sherlock Holmes television series in 1954. He was the son of actor Leslie Howard.- Life and work :...
and later by Paul Eddington
Paul Eddington
Paul Eddington CBE was an English actor best known for his appearances in popular television sitcoms of the 1970s and 80s: The Good Life, Yes Minister and Yes, Prime Minister.-Early life:...
. When first met he and Robin Hood
Robin Hood
Robin Hood was a heroic outlaw in English folklore. A highly skilled archer and swordsman, he is known for "robbing from the rich and giving to the poor", assisted by a group of fellow outlaws known as his "Merry Men". Traditionally, Robin Hood and his men are depicted wearing Lincoln green clothes....
get into a fight with each other before Scarlet escapes from the Sheriff's men. He was initially depicted as a bearded yet youthful gentleman. Fun-loving, adventurous and a roguish womanising boaster. He was however also a loyal and experienced swordsman. This version of Will's real name was Will O'Winchester. In the first two episodes, a cynical Will Scathelock is the original leader of the Sherwood outlaws. On his death bed, Scathelock tells the outlaws to follow Robin Hood.
In the UK TV series Robin of Sherwood
Robin of Sherwood
Robin of Sherwood , was a British television series, based on the legend of Robin Hood. Created by Richard Carpenter, it was produced by HTV in association with Goldcrest, and ran from 1984 to 1986 on the ITV network. In America it was retitled Robin Hood and shown on the premium cable TV channel...
(1984-6), Ray Winstone
Ray Winstone
Raymond Andrew "Ray" Winstone is an English film and television actor. He is mostly known for his "tough guy" roles, beginning with that of Carlin in the 1979 film Scum and as Will Scarlet in the cult television adventure series Robin of Sherwood. He has also become well known as a voice over...
portrays a very different version of Will Scarlet. Rather than the stereotypical merry sidekick, this interpretation gave us a much bleaker, more passionate character. An ex-soldier who fought in France, he is shown as the most violent of the outlaws, having turned to murder after powerlessly witnessing the brutalisation and trampling to death of his wife at the hands of Normans. With a burning hatred of the Sheriff of Nottingham's men – and a lack of respect for all authority – he tells Robin he has changed his name from Scathelocke to Scarlet having killed three men in revenge.
In Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves
Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves
Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves is a 1991 American adventure film directed by Kevin Reynolds. Kevin Costner heads the cast list as Robin Hood...
, Christian Slater
Christian Slater
Christian Michael Leonard Slater is an American actor. He made his film debut with a small role in The Postman Always Rings Twice before playing a leading role in the 1985 film The Legend of Billie Jean...
plays Will Scarlet, whom the film depicts as the illegitimate half-brother of Robin Hood. (Many older traditions make him a kinsman of Robin's, usually a cousin or nephew.) Robin Hood's father did not acknowledge Scarlet, and instead doted on Robin, leading Scarlet to become resentful of Robin Hood. He initially appears as a treacherous character, but later finds redemption when he helps the Merry Men rescue Maid Marian
Maid Marian
Maid Marian is the wife of the legendary English outlaw Robin Hood. Stemming from another, older tradition, she became associated with Robin Hood only in the 16th century.-History:The earliest medieval Robin Hood stories gave him no female companion...
and several others from the Sheriff of Nottingham
Sheriff of Nottingham
The Sheriff of Nottingham was historically the office responsible for enforcing law and order in Nottingham and bringing criminals to justice. For years the post has been directly appointed by the Lord Mayor of Nottingham and in modern times, with the existence of the police force, the position is...
.
In the Mel Brooks
Mel Brooks
Mel Brooks is an American film director, screenwriter, composer, lyricist, comedian, actor and producer. He is best known as a creator of broad film farces and comic parodies. He began his career as a stand-up comic and as a writer for the early TV variety show Your Show of Shows...
movie Robin Hood: Men in Tights
Robin Hood: Men in Tights
Robin Hood: Men in Tights is a 1993 French-American adventure comedy film and a parody of the Robin Hood story. Produced and directed by Mel Brooks, the film stars Cary Elwes, Richard Lewis, and Dave Chappelle in his film debut...
, Will is shown as Little John's best friend. His full name is Will Scarlet O'Hara; he's from Georgia. Played by Matthew Porretta
Matthew Porretta
Matthew Charles Porretta is an American television and film actor.Porretta was born into an incredible show-biz family: his father, Frank II, is a trained opera singer and accomplished actor. His mother, Roberta, is also a trained singer and was Miss Ohio 1956. Porretta wasted no time in getting...
.
In Blackadder: Back & Forth
Blackadder: Back & Forth
Blackadder: Back & Forth is a 1999 short film based on the BBC mock-historical comedy series Blackadder that marks the end of the Blackadder saga...
, Robin Hood sarcastically says, "Is Will Scarlet a poof in tights?" – the camera reveals that he is, and later Baldrick
Baldrick
Baldrick is the name of several fictional characters featured in the long-running BBC historic comedy television series Blackadder. Each one serves as Edmund Blackadder's servant and sidekick and acts as a foil to the lead character...
describes him as friendly.
In the 2002 video game Robin Hood: The Legend of Sherwood
Robin Hood: The Legend of Sherwood
Robin Hood: The Legend of Sherwood is a 2002 stealth-based real-time strategy video game developed by Spellbound Studios. It is similar to games such as Desperados: Wanted Dead or Alive and the Commandos series. In the game, the player controls up to five characters in a setting based on the...
, Will Scarlet is shown as Robin's troublesome nephew that rebels against the sheriff constantly and as a result of this is put in prison. He is later rescued by Robin Hood and added to the band of merry men. He is shown to be extremely violent, with the ability to strangle enemies from behind or finish them off when they are down, and it is implied that he wears red
Red
Red is any of a number of similar colors evoked by light consisting predominantly of the longest wavelengths of light discernible by the human eye, in the wavelength range of roughly 630–740 nm. Longer wavelengths than this are called infrared , and cannot be seen by the naked eye...
so no one can see the blood stains.
In the Star Trek: The Next Generation
Star Trek: The Next Generation
Star Trek: The Next Generation is an American science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry as part of the Star Trek franchise. Roddenberry, Rick Berman, and Michael Piller served as executive producers at different times throughout the production...
episode Qpid, Q
Q (Star Trek)
Q is a fictional character who appears in the television series Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Star Trek: Voyager, as well as in related products. In all of these programs, he is played by John de Lancie....
has the crew of the Enterprise re-enact the legend of Robin Hood. Worf
Worf
Worf, played by Michael Dorn, is a main character in Star Trek: The Next Generation and in seasons four to seven of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. He also appears in the films based on The Next Generation. Worf is the first Klingon main character to appear in Star Trek, and has appeared in more Star...
(Michael Dorn
Michael Dorn
Michael Dorn is an American actor, and voice artist who is best known for his role as the Klingon Worf from the Star Trek franchise.-Early life and career:...
) plays the part of Will despite protesting that he is 'NOT a merry man!'
In the BBC 2006 series Robin Hood, Will Scarlet, portrayed by Harry Lloyd
Harry Lloyd
Harry Lloyd is an English actor. He played Will Scarlet in the first two seasons of the BBC drama Robin Hood which began in 2006...
, is an eighteen year old carpenter whom Robin saves from hanging. He is a brooding, quiet character who is often one of the most sensible and moral of Robin's band of men. The youngest of Robin's men, Will fights skilfully with two axes. In this series, Will appears to be best friends with Alan-a-Dale
Alan-a-Dale
Alan-a-Dale is a figure in the Robin Hood legend...
(Joe Armstrong
Joe Armstrong (actor)
Joe Armstrong is an English actor. He played Allan A Dale in the BBC series Robin Hood. He plays Hotspur in the forthcoming BBC production of Henry IV, Part 1 and he will appear in the film Closer to the Moon by Nae Caranfil...
) although this is put in doubt when Alan is unmasked as a traitor and admits to love Djaq (played by Anjali Jay
Anjali Jay
Anjali Jay is a British-Indian actress. She is best known for her role in the 2006 film Blind Dating and as Djaq on the first two seasons of the 2006 television series Robin Hood.-Biography:...
).
In "Princess of Thieves", Will Scarlet (played by Crispin Letts) is said to be Robin Hood's loyal friend and companion, as well as his brother (Robin's daughter Gwen refers to Will as "Uncle").
In the 2010 film Robin Hood
Robin Hood (2010 film)
Robin Hood is a 2010 British/American adventure film based on the Robin Hood legend, directed by Ridley Scott and starring Russell Crowe and Cate Blanchett...
, directed by Ridley Scott
Ridley Scott
Sir Ridley Scott is an English film director and producer. His most famous films include The Duellists , Alien , Blade Runner , Legend , Thelma & Louise , G. I...
, Will Scarlet is played by actor Scott Grimes
Scott Grimes
Scott Richard Grimes is an American actor, voice artist and singer. Some of his most prominent roles are his appearances in ER as Dr. Archie Morris, Party of Five as Will McCorkle, Band of Brothers as Technical Sergeant Donald Malarkey, and the popular animated sitcom American Dad!, voicing Steve...
and is a Welsh Archer serving alongside Robin and Allan A'Dayle
Alan-a-Dale
Alan-a-Dale is a figure in the Robin Hood legend...
.