ROBIN HOOD
PLAYSCRIPT 2006-2007
ACT 2
The Juggler appears again. Curtains closed. Starts playing his mandolin, then stops and speaks to the public.
JUGGLER: We have seen our hero. But in every tale together with the hero there´s also a villain. And here´s our skunk: The Sheriff of Nottingham. A skunk of the grandest and smelliest order! A skunk whose smell everyone in England has come to disdain! You see … he, this Sheriff of Nottingham, the king´s representative in our part of merry old England … which is not so merry at this time … is a most cruel and cold-hearted skunk!
The Juggler leaves the stage and the curtains open. We see the Sheriff of Nottingham walking though the forest. Together with him, Lord Dunstan is listening to him.
SHERIFF: These peasants who think they can just walk into Sherwood Forest and walk out with one of the king´s deer for free and then think I, the Sheriff of Nottingham, won´t notice, think I, protector of the king´s forest, won´t do anything about their illegal poaching, these thieves must be stopped!
JUGGLER: We have seen our hero. But in every tale together with the hero there´s also a villain. And here´s our skunk: The Sheriff of Nottingham. A skunk of the grandest and smelliest order! A skunk whose smell everyone in England has come to disdain! You see … he, this Sheriff of Nottingham, the king´s representative in our part of merry old England … which is not so merry at this time … is a most cruel and cold-hearted skunk!
The Juggler leaves the stage and the curtains open. We see the Sheriff of Nottingham walking though the forest. Together with him, Lord Dunstan is listening to him.
SHERIFF: These peasants who think they can just walk into Sherwood Forest and walk out with one of the king´s deer for free and then think I, the Sheriff of Nottingham, won´t notice, think I, protector of the king´s forest, won´t do anything about their illegal poaching, these thieves must be stopped!
LORD DUNSTAN: But, my lord Sheriff, your men cannot stand guard in every part of Sherwood Forest every moment of every day.
SHERIFF: (Great sarcasm and cynicism in his tone) Well said, my Lord Dunstan. As if I already didn´t know that!
LORD DUNSTAN: The problem then is how to stop the local farmers from hunting in the Forest.
SHERIFF: I know how! Hang a few of them!
LORD DUNSTAN: Hang, my lord sheriff?
SHERIFF: Yes, hang! Let these lazy, good-for nothing peasants who dare take their crossbow into Sherwood Forest swing from the end of my rope!
LORD DUNSTAN: But, sire, you cannot have every poor English peasant swinging from the end of your rope!
SHERIFF: And why not?
LORD DUNSTAN: Who would pay the taxes?
SHERIFF: The issue here is not “paying taxes”! The issue here is the illegal hunting of the king´s deer in Sherwood Forest. And I will not permit this poaching to continue! (shouting very angrily)
Suddenly a soldier appears holding Will Scarlet, a farmer. And directs himselfs to The Sheriff of Nottingham.He throws the peasant on his kness in front of the Sheriff.
SOLDIER: Sir, Lord Sheriff, I have discovered this farmer hunting the deer of our King,
SHERIFF: (Looking at Lord Dunstan) What did I tell you? (Looking at Will Scarlet) So, you lazy laggard, poaching again in the King´s forest?
WILL SCARLET: No, my lord Sheriff, you have been misinformed.
SHERIFF: Misinformed? (Looking at the two soldiers). Oh, do say. Dare you accuse one of our king´s soldiers of making a false accusation?
WILL SCARLET: (Quickly, most confused) Oh, No, no.
SHERIFF: Or perhaps of lying?
WILL SCARLET: (Just as quickly and even more confused) No … no.
SHERIFF: (Shouting) Silence, sluggard! You are accused of not paying your taxes and trying to kill one of the king´s deer …
WILL SCARLET: I wanted only one deer to feed my family. One deer will last my family many months, and the King has so many deer in his forest.
SHERIFF: And if every family in England poached and killed just one deer every so many months in Sherwood Forest, soon the king would have no deer. And what would happen then?(Looking round, first at the soldier and then at Lord Dunstan who nods)
WILL SCARLET: (Speaking in a frightened way but then finishing in a courageous way) Then, my Lord Sheriff, I am afraid our king would starve … just as we, his people are now starving.
SHERIFF: You are starving because you are lazy and don´t work hard enough!
WILL SCARLET: One man can do only so much, and our taxes are so high. We must give most of what we grow to the king, and still he asks for more!
SHERIFF: That is not my concern, wretch! You have been caught stealing deer from the King´s forest. I sentence you to death by hanging.
Suddenly Robin Hood and his men appear and surround the Sheriff, Lord Dunstan, the soldier and Will Scarlet. They are all pointing at them with their bows and arrows.
ROBIN HOOD: Who´s going to hang who?
SHERIFF: This man, whoever he may be…
WILL SCARLET: I´m Will Scarlet, sir.
SHERIFF: This man has been caught stealing from our good king.
WILL SCARLET: I wasn´t plotting against our king. I was only trying to feed my family, my wife and seven children. My Lord Sheriff, I´m a very poor man.
SHERIFF: England´s full of poor men! And that is no reason to break the king´s law and poach the king´s deer in the king´s forest. (Looking very angrily at Robin Hood and emphasizing on the word “king” every time he pronounces it).
ROBIN HOOD: This man (Holding his arm around Will´s shoulder), Will Scarlet, can hardly grow enough food on his tiny parcel of land and the king has a hundred thousand acres in his forest…
SHERIFF: The King has what God gave him…through the divine right of kings.
ROBIN HOOD: But if God has given our king so much, then why should our king demand even more from his poor peasants? Will Scarlet, I think King Richard wouldn´t mind you hunting a deer of his…
SHERIFF: King Richard? You surely meant King John.
ROBIN HOOD: No, you heard me well, King Richard is my King. John is just a tyrant like you!
Everybody starts approaching the sheriff and the sheriff starts shouting. The Curtains close.
SHERIFF: (Great sarcasm and cynicism in his tone) Well said, my Lord Dunstan. As if I already didn´t know that!
LORD DUNSTAN: The problem then is how to stop the local farmers from hunting in the Forest.
SHERIFF: I know how! Hang a few of them!
LORD DUNSTAN: Hang, my lord sheriff?
SHERIFF: Yes, hang! Let these lazy, good-for nothing peasants who dare take their crossbow into Sherwood Forest swing from the end of my rope!
LORD DUNSTAN: But, sire, you cannot have every poor English peasant swinging from the end of your rope!
SHERIFF: And why not?
LORD DUNSTAN: Who would pay the taxes?
SHERIFF: The issue here is not “paying taxes”! The issue here is the illegal hunting of the king´s deer in Sherwood Forest. And I will not permit this poaching to continue! (shouting very angrily)
Suddenly a soldier appears holding Will Scarlet, a farmer. And directs himselfs to The Sheriff of Nottingham.He throws the peasant on his kness in front of the Sheriff.
SOLDIER: Sir, Lord Sheriff, I have discovered this farmer hunting the deer of our King,
SHERIFF: (Looking at Lord Dunstan) What did I tell you? (Looking at Will Scarlet) So, you lazy laggard, poaching again in the King´s forest?
WILL SCARLET: No, my lord Sheriff, you have been misinformed.
SHERIFF: Misinformed? (Looking at the two soldiers). Oh, do say. Dare you accuse one of our king´s soldiers of making a false accusation?
WILL SCARLET: (Quickly, most confused) Oh, No, no.
SHERIFF: Or perhaps of lying?
WILL SCARLET: (Just as quickly and even more confused) No … no.
SHERIFF: (Shouting) Silence, sluggard! You are accused of not paying your taxes and trying to kill one of the king´s deer …
WILL SCARLET: I wanted only one deer to feed my family. One deer will last my family many months, and the King has so many deer in his forest.
SHERIFF: And if every family in England poached and killed just one deer every so many months in Sherwood Forest, soon the king would have no deer. And what would happen then?(Looking round, first at the soldier and then at Lord Dunstan who nods)
WILL SCARLET: (Speaking in a frightened way but then finishing in a courageous way) Then, my Lord Sheriff, I am afraid our king would starve … just as we, his people are now starving.
SHERIFF: You are starving because you are lazy and don´t work hard enough!
WILL SCARLET: One man can do only so much, and our taxes are so high. We must give most of what we grow to the king, and still he asks for more!
SHERIFF: That is not my concern, wretch! You have been caught stealing deer from the King´s forest. I sentence you to death by hanging.
Suddenly Robin Hood and his men appear and surround the Sheriff, Lord Dunstan, the soldier and Will Scarlet. They are all pointing at them with their bows and arrows.
ROBIN HOOD: Who´s going to hang who?
SHERIFF: This man, whoever he may be…
WILL SCARLET: I´m Will Scarlet, sir.
SHERIFF: This man has been caught stealing from our good king.
WILL SCARLET: I wasn´t plotting against our king. I was only trying to feed my family, my wife and seven children. My Lord Sheriff, I´m a very poor man.
SHERIFF: England´s full of poor men! And that is no reason to break the king´s law and poach the king´s deer in the king´s forest. (Looking very angrily at Robin Hood and emphasizing on the word “king” every time he pronounces it).
ROBIN HOOD: This man (Holding his arm around Will´s shoulder), Will Scarlet, can hardly grow enough food on his tiny parcel of land and the king has a hundred thousand acres in his forest…
SHERIFF: The King has what God gave him…through the divine right of kings.
ROBIN HOOD: But if God has given our king so much, then why should our king demand even more from his poor peasants? Will Scarlet, I think King Richard wouldn´t mind you hunting a deer of his…
SHERIFF: King Richard? You surely meant King John.
ROBIN HOOD: No, you heard me well, King Richard is my King. John is just a tyrant like you!
Everybody starts approaching the sheriff and the sheriff starts shouting. The Curtains close.
END OF ACT 2
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