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| Guy of Gisbourne (Richard Armitage) Richard Armitage as Guy of Gisbourne
Sir Guy of Gisborne, played by Richard Armitage, is a dark, brooding man always clad in black leather. Guy is the Sheriff's second-in-command, and manages the Locksley estate in Robin's absence. He is reluctant to relinquish control over it and takes a dark satisfaction in being named its permanent lord after Robin is outlawed. His eagerness for land of his own comes from bitterness over having no actual Gisborne estate, and he contemplates renaming Locksley to Gisborne. it is revealed that Gisborne's mother was French, and that after his family had lost their land they moved to France. Guy fathers a child, Seth, with a servant girl, Annie, and later abandons him in the forest, only for the baby to be found and rescued by Robin and his men. In the words of the Radio Times, Gisborne is "the chief dispenser of the Sheriff's rough justice... seen killing a man in front of his own son." As in other tales of the Hood legends, he is a suitor of Marian, but she does not return his affections. In episode seven of series one, he practically forces her into an engagement with him. It is later revealed that Guy was the masked assassin that Robin was wounded by in the Holy Land as he tried to prevent him from killing King Richard. Robin slashed his tattoo with a sword during the fray, and Robin realises that it was Guy when he sees his tattoo with an identical scar through it. A very angry Robin kidnaps and tortures Guy after he finds out, and attempts to reveal Guy's treachery to the public with proof, but so far has been unsuccessful. Just before their wedding is due to go ahead, Marian disguises herself as the Nightwatchman and attempts to steal a chest of money from Guy, which she describes to her father as "a final fling to make me more comfortable in my marriage". Unaware that it is his fiancée, Guy stabs her in the stomach. After being cared for by Robin and Djaq, she recovers for the wedding, but decides not to marry Guy at the last minute - she punches him and runs from the altar. Gisborne is evidently not pure evil as he lacks the Sheriff's sadistic glee and even seems at times to disapprove. When three young boys witness an incriminating event during "Childhood," Gisborne attempts to spare their lives even though the Sheriff wants them disposed of. He risks his own life to help Marian when the Earl of Winchester demands Marian as part of a deal with the Sheriff in For England!. He does show remorse for his villainous ways in the final episode of the first season and lets Marian go after she goes to warn Robin of the Sheriff's plan. In Get Carter, Guy breaks down and confesses to Marian his desire for a home and her love. She resists him at first, saying that she needs time to grieve her father's recent death. But when Guy is turning to leave, the two share a passionate kiss (though it is to protect a fleeing Robin from Guy's view); taking their formerly more platonic and strained relationship to an entirely new, if not dangerous, level. In the season two finale, A Good Day to Die, Marian offers Guy her hand in marriage if he assassinates The Sheriff before he can oversee the murder of King Richard (though she does think that Robin Hood is already dead by this time). Guy instead alerts The Sheriff of Marian's offer and instead decides to wed her regardless of her approval. During the final battle within a fort between Robin's men and the Sheriff's Saracen assassins, King Richard is wounded in battle and is left to the mercy of an advancing Gisborne. Realizing that Guy is consumed with power and greed, Marian stands between Guy and the King, informing him that she loves only Robin. An enraged Gisborne finally snaps and stabs Marian with his sword, fatally injuring her, but seems genuinely shocked and upset by his actions, nearly crying. He flees the fort with The Sheriff on horseback, as Marian dies from her wounds. In series 3 he continues to attempt to kill Robin while beeing tormented by guilt for killing Marian (in 3x01 he pleads with Robin to kill him and end his hell). His hatred for Robin seems to have grown since he learned of Robin and Marian's marriage. He also grows increasingly antagonistic with the Sheriff until fighting and (so he thinks) killing him in Do You Love Me?. In the fifth episode of series 3 his younger sister, Isabella, arrives in Nottingham. It is revealed that Guy sold her into marrige at the age of 13 to finance is own career. Until recently, Guy was shown to have a close relationship with Prince John who seemed to hold him in high esteem. After Guy told John that he considered John "a fraud, a fake, an imposter" and "a pretender" however, the prince-regent attacked Guy in an animalistic rage that ultimately climaxed with John falling into a pit, after telling Guy that his days as a free man were over. | |||||||||||||||
