Essay on THE SHERIFF”S KITCHEN by RONALD GOW

THE SHERIFF”S KITCHEN

RONALD GOW

          Ronald Gow an English Dramatist was Born on November 1, 1897 in Heaton Moor, Stockport, Cheshire, the son of a bank manager, Gow attended Altrincham County High School. After training as a chemist, he returned to his old school as a teacher. In the late 1920s he made several educational silentfilms with his pupils: The People of the Axe (1926) and The People of the Lake (1928) recreated life in ancient Britain, the latter produced 'with the approval of' Sir William Boyd Dawkins; The Man Who Changed His Mind (1928). Writing occupied his spare time during his years as a schoolmaster, and he wrote several plays for the BBC. At the age of 35 he had his first professional production, in London, with Gallow's Glorious (1933), a play about the American slavery abolitionist John Brown. In 1934 he wrote” Love on the Dole”, based on Walter Greenwood's novel about unemployment in Salford during the Great Depression – the play was a huge success. Wendy Hiller played the lead in the play, and also made her first film appearance in the Gow-scripted” Lancashire Luck”. Later ,Hiller and Gow got married.

The  play starts  at Nottingham castle .The cook  prepares the food for sheriff and waits for him. He tastes all the  food prepared  by him  and feels proud about  his cooking, He then arranges all the dishes on the table. The steward enters to the hall and comes near the table  with a lantern. He feels so cold   he swings his arm  Smells the food on the table. Cook asks steward about masters arrival. Steward replies that sheriff   would be late for his dinner. Cook gets angry at sheriff and  he informs steward that he cannot wait for sheriff for long hours. Its past three hours the dinner time and all the pies are getting dried up. It is better  he appoints another cook. Steward says that it would be better when you say it to him. Steward asks cook for a pie as he was hungry. Cook does not give any food to steward being held irresponsible for  sheriffs punctuality. Steward says that he manages everything well in the castle and he is a responsible person in the castle. They   both keep arguing . Steward tells that his cooking is no better than pigswill.       A messanger enters the castle  and tells that sheriff  worships the guest of the prior of Emmet and he  is having his food and drinks with them tonight.Your master is eating for twelve months. He does not require your food.The cook was angry and worried. Steward comes to know that if sheriff will not turn to castle   he wont get his dinner .So he goes up to the cook and  says I spoke everything in jest and your dinner is the best. We need to have the dinner we cannot waste food.The cook in an angry tone replied don’t touch the pies you have insulted my cooking. Steward  held up a key on his side and tells that this is the of the cellar where there is plenty of ale. Bring two jugs we would share the ale and have our dinner. Cook half minded agreed to it .They went on to the cellar. Meanwhile  Little john and Friar Truck smells food and enters the castle they found delicious food spread on the table. When they began to eat they heard the cook entering. So,both  hid under the table.     Steward gives ale to the cook and he in return asked steward to taste the  roasted fowl,beef , eggs and pie.

A messenger comes in and informs that sheriff  has returned to the castle and a good news for everyone is that Robin hood is captured. The cook leaves to the kitchen .Sheriff calls steward and ask him to put robin hood  in the prisoner’s cell. He  would die at sunrise.Let the flag  fly from the castle top and  the trumpets blow and greet the  rising sun. The sentry guard was at the door step. Sheriff discuss the proud moment of his life with steward and goes away.

          Little john, goes near the door and comes back wearing sentry’s steel cap ,leather coat and carries the halberd. He calls steward for accompanying him for ale  and pies. They start enjoying their dinner and little john asks steward to lose his belts and have good amount of ale and pie. friar who was still under the table took the jug of ale from steward and drank. Steward shouted that there is devil it drank my ale. little john  tells him that he is tired for the day and need to take bed. The key wass dropped on the table. Little john opened up the cell and brings Robin Hood out. When steward comes out of his bed and starts shouting that he had seen a devil ,sheriff  enters .Sheriff  is taken  by little john he  puts sheriff in the cell and locks him. Sheriff knocks the room continuously. The cook comes near the table and shows steward that, there is no devil here and your key are also on the table. Steward and cook  could not find anybody in the castle other than them. They both went near the prison cell and started staggering over the door. Sheriff knocks the room continuously. Through the keyhole sheriff says robinhood has escaped! open the door  and “tis me Sheriff”!.The stewards jaw drops and his  eyes blink.