The Robin Hood legend and its cultural adaptation for the film industry : comparing literary sources with filmic representations

Abstract

The legend of Robin Hood has been going strong for over 600 years. In that time, the English hero has been a medieval revolutionary, an earl in Renaissance drama, a Saxon freedom fighter in the XVIIIth and XIXth centuries or a courteous robber. Nowadays the hero is especially known as a famous romantic film star. This paper is about the way the legendary hero has been interpreted over the centuries and the medieval texts translated and adapted to suit the taste of the new audience. This capacity of adaptation in the Robin Hood legend has been demonstrated in the twentieth century through the various film adapatations of the now legitimate bandit, rightfully fighting against coercive and unjust authorities.