Some Recent Reports about Robin Hood Might Be Wrong

The legend of Robin Hood has become a home hold story both in Britain and many other countries as well. The Saxon nobleman, who was oppressed by the Normans, hid in the forest of Sherwood in the north midlands of England with his band of “merry men” went out to rob from the rich to give to the poor has featured in many television series and films (1); however, in Robin Hood: The Unknown Templar, a new book by John Paul Davis and some other recent reports, it is claimed that Robin Hood may not actually be so great a hero as it is usually depicted. After reading Robin Hood and the Men of the Greenwood written in 1912 by Henry Gilbert, a popular children’s author but was noted not only for his story telling style, but also his accuracy of history, I gradually came to find proofs to go against John Paul Davis’s notion.

First and Foremost, John Paul Davis pointed out that Robin Hood was probably “an early kind of loan shark” (4) and his action of stealing from the rich and giving to the poor was actually a substantial pretence. Did Robin Hood really planned to earn a profit in the transaction of leading money to the poor? In my point of view, the answer is negative. It could be clearly seen from Henry Gilbert’s depiction that Robin was not rich. What he ate in the Greenwood with some of his fellow “merry men” were simply venison and wine, what they hunted in the woods. If he was rich, he would have eaten much better. Another apparent example was Robin’s death. When Robin was aged and one day he felt giddy and ill, he went to Kirklees, a nunnery where his cousin stayed as an abbess for medication. His aunt, bribed by some of the foes of Robin, gave Robin some pills to make him unconscious and then cut Robin’s vein to let his life out ...

... middle of paper ...

...bin Hood, which was passed on from generation to generation and spread from door to door, was free of doubts. Some recent reports of Robin Hood, including John Paul Davis’s supposition and many others’s doubts might be wrong. Robin Hood was not only a gallant and bold Green Wood fighter against many vicious villains who suppressed people but also a kind and folksy savour to England people at that time.

Works Cited

1. 朱永涛，王立礼。《英语国家社会与文化入门》。北京：高等教育出版社，2005

2. 常俊跃。《英国历史文化》。北京：北京大学出版社，2009

3. Gilbert, Henry. Robin Hood and the Men of the Greenwood (also published as Robin Hood). Hertfordshire: Wordsworth Edition Limited, 1994.

4. Nikkhah, Roya. New book claims Robin Hood stole from the rich and lent to the poor. Retrieved from www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/booknews/7385198/New-book-claims

-Robin-Hood-stole-from-the-rich-and-lent-to-the-poor.html. 6 March, 2010.