Robin Hood
Valerio Spadoni
The book that i read this summer deals with the story of Robin Hood
He was a hero of the XII century, during the reign of Richard the Lion-Hearted. His real name was Robert and he was the son of a noble Saxon, the Earl of Huntington.
king Richard was a man that is always in search of adventure. He started for the Holy Land to fight the infidels and rescue the Holy Sepulchre form their hands, and left his younger brother John as regent in England.
Always in need of money, John oppressed the nobles, often deprived them of their lands, and sometimes put them to death. The Earl of Huntington was among his victims: he was dispossessed of his lands and killed. Robert, reduced to poverty, was lucky enough to save his life by running away. He sought refuge al last in Sherwood Forest near Nottingham and decided to take the forest for his home and live there.
Robert soon found out that life in the woods was not so lonely as he had thought or he was not the only man who lived to the forest to escape the tyranny of prince John. Moreover some of his father's servants had followed him, and now joined together around him offering their services. So Robin of Sherwood or Robin Hood as he now called himself became the leader of a band of outlaws who had their headquarters in Sherwood Forest.
Robin and his men got their food by killing the animals in the forest and this was rather dangerous because Sherwood Forest was the King's hunting ground and whoever killed the King's deers and other animales would pay the penalty with his life if the king's foresters caught him in the act. That's why Robin and his men who called themselves the "Merry Men" were all dressed in green so that they could easily hide among the forest trees.
when they needed things from outside the forest sometimes Robin would disguise himself and go to Nottingham to get what was needed.
Here he ran great risks and had narrow escapes from the Sheriff of Nottingham who was their sworn enemy and wanted to hang them from the gallows.
Robin and his men also attacked rich travellers on the highway and stole them their money and valuable things, although they rarely did them any harm. Then they carried these things to their headquarters in the forest and later distributed them to the poor people. Soon they became known as the friends of the poor and there was not one of those humble people who would have betrayed them for all the gold on earth.
This book is very interesting and quite funny to read.
I hope to read it again.