Le Jeu de Robin et Marion (The Play of Robin and Marion) was written around 1280 by Adam de la Halle in the language of Old Picard, a type of early French with a strong Flemish overtone. While several of the dramatic pieces preserved in the literature of the medieval French troubadours contain musical excerpts, The Play of Robin and Marion is by far the most extensive in terms of settings. The manuscripts of the work do not indicate if it was performed by one person or given as a pageant with actors and musical interludes. In contemporary performances of this play the latter option is taken for granted; however, the play contains seven distinct characters and indications towards the use of props.

The Play of Robin and Marion is in the form of a pastourelle, a type of heraldic piece that usually consists of a dialogue between a knight and a peasant girl. In some pastourelles, the girl gives in to the knight's advances; however, in most, the knight is tricked and left only with his dignity. In another form of pastourelle, the knight merely oversees a merry peasant dance.

In Adam's play, elements of all are put together in a work that, with added interludes, runs nearly an hour. The Play of Robin and Marion opens with shepherdess Marion alone, singing of her love for Robin. A knight enters and makes a pass at Marion, but she rebuffs his advances. Robin enters, and Marion informs him of her encounter with the knight. After a meal and a bit of dancing, Robin runs off to find his cousins Walter and Baldwin, in case the knight should return, and to provide additional guests for merrymaking. The knight does come back a bit before Robin's return and attempts to force himself on Marion. When Robin arrives, the knight overpowers him and carries Marion away on his horse. Later, Marion uses her guile to escape the knight. Robin enters to discover that Marion has "rescued" herself, and his grateful advances are none too enthusiastically received. Gautier enters to announce that in the meantime a wolf has carried off one of Marion's sheep. This is Robin's chance to redeem himself, and he retrieves the injured ewe. For the remaining action, the company dances, eats, sings, and tells lusty jokes.

The Play of Robin and Marion is silly and none too compelling dramatically by modern standards. However it was never intended to be more than a charming diversion for its original audience, whether for court or in the public squares of thirteenth century France. Nonetheless, The Play of Robin and Marion is of great historical importance, as it is the earliest known work of secular musical theater that is verifiably crafted by a single hand.

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