Movies - The Black Arrow

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The Black Arrow: A Tale of the Two Roses is an 1888 novel by the Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson, which can be classed genre-wise as an historical adventure novel and a romance. It first appeared as a serial, 1883-1884, beginning in Young Folks; A Boys' and Girls' Paper of Instructive and Entertaining Literature, vol. XXII, no. 656 (Saturday, June 30, 1883)—Stevenson finished writing it by the end of that summer of 1883. Stevenson alludes to the time gap between the serialization and the publication as one volume in 1888 in his preface "Critic on the Hearth": "The tale was written years ago for a particular audience ...."

Stevenson did not like his Black Arrow, referring to it as "tushery" with reference to his use of archaic English dialogue. For the planned fourteen-volume Edinburgh edition of his works, Stevenson indicated that he did not want to write an introduction to The Black Arrow—his wife Fanny, however, did so for the 1905 Biographical Edition of his works. The Black Arrow is in good company as Stevenson also did not like his The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (see below: links to the two volumes of his correspondence).

Brief overview

The Black Arrow tells the story of Richard (Dick) Shelton during the Wars of the Roses: how he becomes a knight, rescues his lady Joanna Sedley, and obtains justice for the murder of his father, Sir Harry Shelton. Outlaws in Tunstall Forest organized by Ellis Duckworth, whose weapon and calling card is a black arrow, cause Dick to suspect that his guardian Sir Daniel Brackley and his retainers are responsible for his father's murder. Dick's suspicions are enough to turn Sir Daniel against him, so he has no recourse but to escape from Sir Daniel and join the outlaws of the Black Arrow against him. This struggle sweeps him up into the greater conflict surrounding them all. The story of the Wars of the Roses is told in miniature by The Black Arrow. This novel consists of 79,658 words.

Characters in the Novel

Richard Shelton, son of the late Sir Harry Shelton, heir of Tunstall. (the protagonist).
Clipsby, a Tunstall peasant.
Bennet Hatch, a middle aged retainer of Sir Daniel Brackley, and bailiff of the Tunstall hundred.
Nicholas Appleyard, a septuagenarian veteran of the Battle of Agincourt (1415).
Sir Oliver Oates, the local Tunstall parson and Sir Daniel's clerk.
Sir Daniel Brackley, a self-serving, unscrupulous knight, who sides with either York or Lancaster when it suits him. (the antagonist).
Joanna Sedley, also known as John Matcham, the ward of the Lord Foxham but kidnapped by Sir Daniel. (the heroine).
Will Lawless, a "Friar Tuck" type of outlaw, member of the Black Arrow Fellowship, who has been many things in life, including a Franciscan friar.
Ellis Duckworth, organiser of the Black Arrow Fellowship to avenge Harry Shelton, Simon Malmesbury, and himself. He was rumored to be an agent of Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick.
John Capper, a Black Arrow outlaw
Goody Hatch, wife of Bennet Hatch
Lord Foxham, a local Yorkist magnate
Hawksley, Lord Foxham's retainer
Earl Risingham, a local Lancastrian magnate
Alicia Risingham, niece of Earl Risingham and friend, confidant, and companion of Joanna Sedley. She coquettishly poses herself for romantic consideration by Dick Shelton, who graciously declines in favor of his true love Joanna.
Lord Shoreby, a local Lancastrian magnate
Captain Arblaster, the owner of the ship The Good Hope, stolen by Shelton and the Black Arrow Fellowship
Tom, Captain Arblaster's first mate
Richard Crookback, Richard Plantagenet, Duke of Gloucester, future Richard III of England (a real historical person)
Richard Catesby, Richard Crookback's retainer (a real historical person).

Plot Summary

In the reign of "old King Henry VI." and during the Wars of the Roses the story begins with the Tunstall Moat House alarm bell being rung to begin mustering troops for its absent lord Sir Daniel Brackley, who intends to join the Battle of Risingham toward its end. It is then that the "fellowship" known as "The Black Arrow" headquartered in Tunstall Forest begins to strike with its "four black arrows" for the "four black hearts" of Brackley and three of his retainers: Nicholas Appleyard; Bennet Hatch; and Sir Oliver Oates, the parson. The rhyme that is posted in connection with this attack gets the protagonist Richard (Dick) Shelton, ward of Sir Daniel, to become curious about the fate of his father Sir Harry Shelton. Having been dispatched to Kettley, where Sir Daniel was quartered, and sent to Tunstall Moat House by return dispatch, he also falls in with a fugitive from Sir Daniel, disguised as a boy, alias John Matcham, who in reality is Joanna Sedley, an heiress, kidnapped by Sir Daniel. Coincidentally Sir Daniel was intending to marry Joanna to Dick himself; and, in her male disguise, Joanna brings up the matter to Dick affording her the opportunity of feeling him out on the subject. Dick says he is not interested, but he does ask her how his intended bride looks.

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