Page 52 - Exercise 1B

Page 52 - Exercise 1B

Robin Hood

One of the most famous heroes in Britain is Robin Hood. There are lots of stories, poems, films and TV series about him. Nobody knows if he was a real person, but according to the legends he was an outlaw and he lived at the end of the 12th century. He lived in Sherwood Forest near Nottingham with his wife, Maid Marian, and his band of outlaws. They were called his Merry Men, because they were always happy and had a lot of fun. The most famous of the outlaws were Little John (who was actually very tall). Will Scarlett and Friar Tuck. Robin and his Merry Men always dressed in green, so that they could easily hide in the forest.

Robin Hood became a popular hero, because he and his band of outlaws helped ordinary people. When they saw rich people travelling through Sherwood Forest, they used to steal their money and give it to poor people.

Robin’s great enemy was the Sheriff of Nottingham. The Sheriff was a cruel and corrupt man. He put high taxes on people and if they couldn’t pay the taxes, he threw them into prison or stole their land. According to one legend, Robin was originally a rich man - the Earl of Huntingdon - but he became an outlaw because the Sheriff took all his land away. Robin was very clever and brave. He often wore disguises to trick the Sheriff. He was also a famous archer. In one story, the Sheriff held an archery competition. The prize was a golden arrow. He hoped to catch Robin Hood, but Robin disguised himself, won the arrow and then escaped back into the forest. When he was dying, he took his bow and fired an arrow into the forest. The outlaws watched the arrow flying through the air. They buried Robin in the place where it landed. This statue of Robin Hood is outside Nottingham Castle. Unfortunately, people keep stealing the arrow as a souvenir.