Legends, myths and epic tales of times gone by have inspired writers for ages. In the past hundred years they led to more than just books and plays. We can see old heroes time and again on the big screen, the small screen and… the chess board.
Robin Hood is one classic hero who made it to the chess board. Ages ago, traveling musicians would bring joy to the halls of castles, courtyards of inns and market places with their stories of the merry outlaw. It’s not quite sure whether this legendary man really existed since no one has been able to find his name in official documents. Robin Hood is supposed to have lived in Sherwood Forest, in the thirteenth century. In those days this forest was a famous hiding place for (small) criminals at large.
Hood’s first appearance in literature is at the end of the fourteenth century. It wasn’t until later that the outlaw would be represented as the helper of the poor in songs and myths. At the end of the sixteenth century writers situated the story in the time of the crusades (late twelfth century) in which the English king Richard the Lionheart took part. During the king’s absence his brother John would terrorize the nation. In the nineteenth century the story of Robin Hood is placed in yet another background: according to writer Walter Scott he was the count of Loxley. This version of the legend is the one that has been made into motion pictures the most times and therefore the best-known.
One legend inspires the other
William Shakespeare (1564-1616), the famous English writer, used Robin Hood and his merry men in his writings as well. He referred to the famous villain in his plays The Two Gentlemen of Verona and As You Like It. Shakespeare got most of his inspiration from classic stories, chronicles of the English history and other myths and legends. Few of Shakespeare’s works have original storylines and most of his plays already existed, like the famous Romeo & Juliet, Hamlet and King Lear. The writer would put his own twist on the older stories and plays in a magnificent way and reinvented them linguistically. His works were hugely popular right from the start.
Shakespeare came from a pretty well-off family. His mother was the daughter of a landowner and his father a glove maker that would make it to bailiff later in life. As a young boy, Shakespeare received a perfectly fine education but his lot in life would be to work as a craftsman. In his father’s workshop and store he learned the trade of glover. After he got married and had three children Shakespeare went to London on his own, in 1587. He was lucky: Elizabeth I had ascended the throne in 1558 and she loved plays. Theatre companies were a dime a dozen ever since, as were theatres and there was a huge demand for plays and actors. The queen and the aristocracy were the patrons of the acting guild and because of this the acting profession received more and more respect. Musicians and actors were no longer wandering outcasts. They also got paid a lot better than before so Shakespeare made quite a lot of money during his productive London days.
Always a hero
Shakespeare’s work has had a great influence on the English language; many expressions made up by the writer are still in use. His plays are still a source of inspiration for theatre companies and film directors. Between 1978 and 1985 the BBC launched its biggest Shakespeare project ever. They would make motion pictures of all of Shakespeare’s 37 plays, in seven seasons. Original settings and lines were used as much as possible. The immensity of the project of the famous TV series has never been matched. A tin replica of the chess game that was used in The Tempest, one of Shakespeare’s last plays, can be appreciated at the Chessmen Museum.
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