The context of Magna Carta and the Robin Hood films - Essay Example

His story has won the hearts of many young and adventurous readers who view him as a type of deliverer, and it’s interesting to discover that he had a bigger impact in history than we know. The first time for the story to be put into film was in 1938. It was filmed in Technicolor and starred Errol Flynn as the main character. It was released in the United States on a whopping two-million dollar budget. It was highly acclaimed by critics and won three Academy awards. The plot is focused on the political affairs of medieval England.

It shows how Robin Hood plays a big part in preventing the royal throne from being usurped while King Richard is away. His younger brother, Prince John has been scheming the whole time, hoping his brother would encounter some trouble so that he would take the throne. When it does happen, he takes power and immediately exercises his authority, raising taxes all over the kingdom. Meanwhile, King Richard is smuggled into England, disguised as a monk. He joins Robin Hood, and together, they outwit his treacherous brother and manage to win the throne back to its rightful king (Dirks, 2002).

In the film, the Magna Carta is not mentioned, although it was a main event during those days. The Magna Carta was drafted by the barons and noblemen in the year 1215 and presented to the king as a strategy to limit his powers and lighten the loads he had placed on their backs. But the signing of this document did not fully give the people the freedom they wanted. King John still caused problems. Moreover, the pope denounced the charter, calling it treason against the king’s God-given authority.

This gave the king courage to stand up to the barons, who reacted violently, plunging the country into civil war, and threatening its collapse (Danziger & Gilligam, 2003). All the while, Robin Hood had been banished to Sherwood Forest as an outlaw, and he was daily evading capture from the king’s soldiers. Since then, Hollywood has produced many other films about Robin Hood and his exploits, the newest one starring Russell Crowe as the main character. This is one of the few films that includes the Magna Carta within its plot.

Set on the backdrop of the early 1200s, this film also dwells largely on the political conflicts in the royal courts. In the film, King John promises to sign a charter promising to establish fair and just laws that will limit the monarch’s power and protect their privileges. This was to be done after a French invasion led by King Philip was overthrown. Believing in his promise, the barons unite with the King’s army in fighting off the French in the coastal beaches of England. They attain success and are able to push back the French armies.

Once this is accomplished, the final scene depicts the barons in London eagerly awaiting the King to keep his promise to sign the document. The king stares at the document loathsomely, then after a short moment of silence, sets it on fire and casts it to the ground. Seeing this, the barons break into anger and hurl their curses at the treacherous King John. Unperturbed, he summons his soldiers to contain the crowd, then as a final act of betrayal, he banishes Robin Hood from England, declaring him an outlaw.

Robin Hood is then forced to hide in Sherwood Forest together with his band of merry men. Various