ANo. Robin and Marian is based on a screenplay written by American screenwriter James Goldman. However, Goldman also novelized the story as Robin and Marian (1976). The novel is an unusual hybrid such that the dialogue is presented in script format, while the descriptive material is presented in paragraphs.
ARobin suggests a duel between champions him against the sheriff. If the sheriff wins, Robin promises that his band of followers will disarm and return to their homes. If Robin wins, the sheriff's army must leave the field. At the start of the fight, Robin appears to be the stronger, but he quickly tires and the sheriff overtakes him, wounding Robin severely. When the sheriff deals Robin a particularly hard blow that knocks him to the ground, Robin rallies by runing his sword through the sheriff with the last of his strength. Ignoring the terms of the duel, Sir Ranulf (Kenneth Haigh) leads an attack on Robin's men, most of whom scatter into the forest. Many are wounded or killed. Little John kills Ranulf and then helps Marian carry Robin to her abbey where her medicines are stored. While John keeps watch outside the door, Marian prepares a potion to ease Robin's pain. She first takes a drink of it before giving it to him. Robin's pain subsides, but his legs start to go numb. Realizing that Marian has poisoned him, Robin screams for Little John. As she sits against the wall, herself dying, Marian explains why she took this route: 'I love you,' she says. 'more than all you know. I love you more than children. More than fields I've planted with my hands. I love you more than morning prayers or peace or food to eat. I love you more than sunlight, more than flesh or joy or one more day. I love you...more than God' Robin agrees that it is better this way, as he would continue to go on fighting, a battle he must eventually lose because of his advancing age. As Robin and Marian stretch their fingertips towards each other, Little John breaks down the door, but it is too late. Robin asks for his bow, and Little John hands it to him. In the final scene, Robin shoots an arrow through the open window and tells Little John to bury them as close as possible to where it lands. As the credits begin to roll, the arrow disappears into the glare of the sky and the camera pans to the windowsill to show the three rotting apples that were shown at the beginning of the movie.