The Robin Hood legends form part of a corpus of outlaw stories which date from around the reign of King John. Two other key outlaws, Fulk fitzWarin and Eustace the Monk, were historical figures whose lives can be clearly identified at this time, but Robin Hood himself is much more problematical.
What is striking about these stories is that they reveal that, in an age when the Rule of Law was respected as the foundation of good government, those who put themselves outside the law had become popular heroes. This is in complete contrast to public perceptions of the outlaw at the beginning of King Henry II's reign, and shows that the existing order had come to be regarded as tyrannical. Tyranny was the abuse of law.
If the existing order was founded on the arbitrary will of evil men who could twist the law to their own ends, then it was the role of the outlaw to seek redress and justice by other means. In a violent age, these means were invariably violent. Robin Hood and his contemporaries were cunning, merciless and often brutal (in one instance Much the Miller's Son murders a monk's page to prevent him giving them away); but by the codes of their time, they were also honorable.
The Reading for today has 200 words. It’s an Introduction to the real story of Robin Hood. The full article can be found at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/middle_ages/robin_01.shtml
Tips: At the first reading, try just to understand the main idea. At the second reading, underline the words you don't know and then look at the Dictionary. In the end, give a final reading. Now you'll be able to understand every word.
Don't forget to download the exercise!
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