King John: A History

By William Shakespeare

Treachery and betrayal are the order of the day during the reign of King John of England (1199-1216.) After he is forced to recognize the illegitimate son of his dead brother, King Richard I, King John finds himself under siege by the French king, Philip. At the same time, his appointment of an archbishop without the pope’s consent result in John’s excommunication from the church, and his nobles’ divided loyalties are revealed as they choose between the anointed King John and Louis the Dauphin of France.

Known as “The Bard of Avon,” William Shakespeare is arguably the greatest English-language writer known. Enormously popular during his life, Shakespeare’s works continue to resonate more than three centuries after his death, as has his influence on theatre and literature. Shakespeare’s innovative use of character, language, and experimentation with romance as tragedy served as a foundation for later playwrights and dramatists, and some of his most famous lines of dialogue have become part of everyday speech.

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• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Release date: Dec 16, 2014
• ISBN: 9781443443388

William Shakespeare

William Shakespeare is the world's greatest ever playwright. Born in 1564, he split his time between Stratford-upon-Avon and London, where he worked as a playwright, poet and actor. In 1582 he married Anne Hathaway. Shakespeare died in 1616 at the age of fifty-two, leaving three children—Susanna, Hamnet and Judith. The rest is silence.

Book preview

DRAMATIS PERSONAE

KING JOHN

PRINCE HENRY

his son

ARTHUR, DUKE OF BRITAINE

son of Geffrey, late Duke of Britaine, the elder brother of King John

Earl of PEMBROKE

Earl of ESSEX

Earl of SALISBURY

Lord BIGOT

HUBERT DE BURGH

ROBERT FAULCONBRIDGE

son to Sir Robert Faulconbridge

PHILIP THE BASTARD

his half-brother

JAMES GURNEY

servant to Lady Faulconbridge

PETER of Pomfret

a prophet

KING PHILIP OF FRANCE

LEWIS

the Dauphin

LYMOGES

Duke of Austria

CARDINAL PANDULPH

the Pope’s legate

MELUN

a French lord

CHATILLON

ambassador from France to King John

QUEEN ELINOR

widow of King Henry II and mother to King John

CONSTANCE

mother to Arthur

BLANCH of Spain

daughter to the King of Castile and niece to King John

LADY FAULCONBRIDGE

widow of Sir Robert Faulconbridge

Lords, Citizens of Angiers, a Sheriff, Heralds,

Officers, Soldiers, Executioners, Messengers, and Attendants.

THE SCENE: ENGLAND AND FRANCE.

ACT ONE

SCENE I. King John’s palace.

Enter KING JOHN, QUEEN ELINOR, PEMBROKE, ESSEX, SALISBURY, and Others, with CHATILLON.

KING JOHN Now, say, Chatillon, what would France with us?

CHATILLON Thus, after greeting, speaks the King of France

In my behaviour to the majesty,

The borrowed majesty, of England here.

[5]

ELINOR A strange beginning – ‘borrowed majesty’!

KING JOHN Silence, good mother; hear the embassy.

CHATILLON Philip of France, in right and true behalf

Of thy deceased brother Geffrey’s son,

Arthur Plantagenet, lays most lawful claim

[10]

To this fair island and the territories.

To Ireland, Poictiers, Anjou, Touraine, Maine,

Desiring thee to lay aside the sword

Which sways usurpingly these several titles.

And put the same into young Arthur’s hand,

[15]

Thy nephew and right royal sovereign.

KING JOHN What follows if we disallow of this?

CHATILLON The proud control of fierce and bloody war,

To enforce these rights so forcibly withheld.

KING JOHN Here have we war for war, and blood for blood,

[20]

Controlment for controlment – so answer France.

CHATILLON Then take my king’s defiance from my mouth –

The farthest limit of my embassy.

KING JOHN Bear mine to him, and so depart in peace;

Be thou as lightning in the eyes of France;

[25]

For ere thou canst report I will be there,

The thunder of my cannon shall be heard.

So hence! Be thou the trumpet of our wrath

And sullen presage of your own decay.

An honourable conduct let him have –

[30]

Pembroke, look to’t. Farewell, Chatillon.

[Exeunt Chatillon and Pembroke.

ELINOR What now, my son! Have I not ever said

How that ambitious Constance would not cease

Till she had kindled France and all the world

Upon the right and party of her son?

[35]

This might have been prevented and made whole

With very easy arguments of love,

Which now the manage of two kingdoms must

With fearful bloody issue arbitrate.

KING JOHN Our strong possession and our right for us!

[40]

ELINOR Your strong possession much more than your right,

Or else it must go wrong with you and me;

So much my conscience whispers in your ear,

Which none but heaven and you and I shall hear.

Enter a Sheriff.

ESSEX My liege, here is the strangest controversy

[45]

Come from the country to be judg’d by you

That e’er I heard. Shall I produce the men?

KING JOHN Let them approach.

[Exit Sheriff.

Our abbeys and our priories shall pay

This expedition’s charge.

Enter ROBERT FAULCONBRIDGE and PHILIP, his bastard brother.

What men are you?

[50]

BASTARD Your faithful subject I, a gentleman

Born in Northamptonshire, and eldest son,

As I suppose, to Robert Faulconbridge –

A soldier by the honour-giving hand

Of Coeur-de-lion knighted in the field.

[55]

KING JOHN What art thou?

ROBERT The son and heir to that same Faulconbridge.

KING JOHN Is that the elder, and art thou the heir?

You came not of one mother then, it seems.

BASTARD Most certain of one mother, mighty king –

[60]

That is well known – and, as I think, one father;

But for the certain knowledge of that truth

I put you o’er to heaven and to my mother.

Of that I doubt, as all men’s children may.

ELINOR Out on thee, rude man! Thou dost shame thy mother,

[65]

And wound her honour with this diffidence.

BASTARD I, madam? No, I have no reason for it –

That is my brother’s plea, and none of mine;

The which if he can prove, ’a pops me out

At least from fair five hundred pound a year.

[70]

Heaven guard my mother’s honour and my land!

KING JOHN A good blunt fellow. Why, being younger born,

Doth he lay claim to thine inheritance?

BASTARD I know not why, except to get the land,

But once he slander’d me with bastardy;

[75]

But whe’er I be as true begot or no,

That still I lay upon my mother’s head;

But that I am as well begot, my liege –

Fair fall the bones that took the pains for me! –

Compare our faces and be judge yourself.

[80]

If old Sir Robert did beget us both

And were our father, and this son like him –

O old Sir Robert, father, on my knee

I give heaven thanks I was not like to thee!

KING JOHN Why, what a madcap hath heaven lent us here!

[85]

ELINOR He hath a trick of Coeur-de-lion’s face;

The accent of his tongue affecteth him.

Do you not read some tokens of my son

In the large composition of this man?

KING JOHN Mine eye hath well examined his parts

[90]

And finds them perfect Richard. Sirrah, speak,

What doth move you to claim your brother’s land?

BASTARD Because he hath a half-face, like my father.

With half that face would he have all my land;

A half-fac’d groat five hundred pound a year!

[95]

ROBERT My gracious liege, when that my father liv’d,

Your brother did employ my father much –

BASTARD Well, sir, by this you cannot get my land;

Your tale must be how he employ’d my mother.

ROBERT And once dispatch’d him in an embassy

[100]

To Germany, there with the Emperor

To treat of high affairs touching that time.

Th’advantage of his absence took the King,

And in the meantime sojourn’d at my father’s;

Where how he did prevail I shame to speak –

[105]

But truth is truth: large lengths of seas and shores

Between my father and my mother lay,

As I have heard my father speak himself,

When this same lusty gentleman was got,

Upon his death-bed he by will bequeath’d

[110]

His lands to me, and took it on his death

That this my mother’s son was none of his;

And if he were, he came into the world

Full fourteen weeks before the course of time.

Then, good

Reviews for King John

[john257hopper · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Having finished the last of a trilogy of novels about Eleanor of Aquitaine last night, I was prompted to read this, one of Shakespeare's less well known and now rarely performed plays. It prevents a telescoped version of the events early in John's reign in 1202-3, where he fought, triumphed over and probably murdered his nephew Arthur of Brittany, who had an arguably superior claim to the throne of England, being the son of one of John's older brothers, Geoffrey. It also presents a fictitious version of John's death and succession by his son, Prince Henry, who was not in reality born until a few years after Arthur's death. (Magna Carta does not exist in this fictionalised version of events). The events are dramatic, but it mostly lacks the memorable and pithy dialogue and quotations of many of the plays, and is one of only two Shakespeare plays written entirely in (mostly blank) verse.

[amerynth · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Certainly not among Shakespeare's greatest plays, "King John" isn't among his worst either. I found it pretty middle of the road overall -- a decent plot and good pacing, but lacking in those memorable lines of dialog that have filtered into modern times.The plot, like most of the bard's historical plays, focuses on the struggle over the throne as a vacillating and somewhat weak-willed King John fights with the French. All this is viewed through his brother's illegitimate son's eyes.I'm not sure why this is ranked with Shakespeare's least popular plays -- it's not half bad.

[dinadansfriend · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

WS sees John as a lesser man coming to the throne in the wake of the Glorious Richard Lionheart. He's not that good, and drags the country down, gets it interdicted by the Papacy and invaded by the French. He's also the murderer of his older brother's son, a child with a good claim to the throne. WS creates., a point of view character "Bastard Fauconbridge" who represents the playwright's vision of what the English thought of John. there's no mention of the Magna Carta, because in Elizabeth I's England, it wasn't thought of as an important document. I've recorded it as read 4 times.

[coach_of_alva · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The Bastard Faulconbridge, illegitimate son of Richard the Lion-Hearted, is welcomed at the beginning of the play into the retinue of his uncle John. He spends most of the rest of the play being shocked at the inability of the medieval powers that be to keep their word or maintain their honor or stay the course or even show decent familial feelings when "commodity" enters the picture. This dour play, almost a satire, puts King John in Richard III's position, i.e., having a young boy as a dangerous political rival, but John behaves more like Richard II than III, giving the death order rashly, then whining over its consequences.

[leslie398 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I think I would like a modern English version of this historical (fiction?) play as there was plenty of action. However I struggled with Shakespeare's writing too much to enjoy it.

[anthonywillard · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I don' t know why Shakespeare's King John is so little known. It has an involving story line and some quirky characters that I imagine could be played very effectively, though I have never had the opportunity to see it on stage. King John is as bad as he is legendarily supposed to be, though not without redeeming qualities. The famous Eleanor of Aquitaine of Lion in Winter fame plays a substantial part. There is, however, no comic character to compare with Falstaff of the Henry IV plays, though Richard the Bastard, the supposed illegitimate son of King Richard the Lion Heart, has a fair number of snarky lines, and is, in his role of outside observer, a satiric commentator on the political insincerities of the other characters, until his assumption of a redemptive role in the final act.

I had to brush up on the history of the real King John after reading the play. It turns out that King John had a very convoluted and eventful life filled with sound and fury, and Shakespeare selected episodes from it to weave into a tragedy without much regard to the actual historical sequence of events. Yet every episode dramatizes something that is part of the historical record.
I recommend King John if you have already read the major Shakespeare plays. Otherwise go read them first, i.e. Macbeth, Julius Caesar, Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, The Tempest, Antony and Cleopatra, The Merchant of Venice, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Henry IV Parts I and II, Henry V, Othello, etc. King John is not at the same level of excellence, but is still worth a read.

[391_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I love, love, love King John. I can see why it's hardly ever performed, though - there's several characters that only show up for a scene or two before leaving (the three women - Constance, Queen Elinore and Blanche disappear after act three), plus it would be hard to find a child actor that could memorize and speak Arthur's role. But, dear God, the characters! Constance and Philip the Bastard may be two of my favorite characters in all the histories. Constance is just so nuts - her catfight with Queen Elinor is hilarious - and the Bastard is so completely epic in every way. His constant haranguing of Austria is hilarious, and his utterly mad schemes of warfare (that always end up working!) are just...he's just awesome.

[mrslee_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

My memory is sketchy on the facts of John's reign, this may be colored by Shakespeare's need to please Queen Elizabeth and re-write history a bit, but then, who reads Shakespeare for history? There are certainly many pithy, witty and funny lines within this drama. Though it isn't my favorite, it was good to read. I really enjoyed the two women sending verbal barbs at each other, and even teared up a bit at Arthur's death.

[prop2gether · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This play has absolutely the best line in Shakespeare: Let that be thy message and go rot!

[antiquary_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Has powerful moment when Prince Arthur is pleading with Hubert for his life.

[baswood · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

[King John (Arden Shakespeare)]- William ShakespeareThe life and death of King John - BBC FilmThe Arden Shakespeare edited by Jesse M. Lander and J. J. M. Tobin have chosen to call the play King John instead of the usual title The Life and Death of King John. It is unusual in the Shakespeare cannon as it appears to be a rewrite of an earlier play: The Troublesome Reign of John, King of England which was published in 1591, some four years earlier than the probable date of Shakespeare's play. In my opinion Shakespeare could have called his play The Troublesome play of King John, because although he improved the dramatic effect of the earlier play, he lost some continuity in his version. It was a play depicting an historical event and the telling of the story, however accurate or inaccurate it might be, should be intelligible for the punters paying their money at the theatre gate. It is a play that has not enjoyed many revivals in the late 20th and early 21st century and although the poetry is typically Shakespearean the drama suffers from being tied to the earlier Troublesome Reign.The Troublesome Reign of John, King of England has been accredited to George Peele and it is noted for its coherent story and sustained and developed characterisation. It starts in the court of King John when a messenger from king Philip of France informs John that his brother Geoffrey's son Arthur is entitled to the crown of England and that John has usurped the throne. John tells the messenger that he will take an army to France to enforce his crown. Shortly after the messenger leaves two sons of Lord Faulconbridge arrive disputing a claim to their father's property. John with the aid of Queen Eleanor sorts the dispute by knighting the bastard Philip as Sir Richard and agreeing that his brother Robert be entitled to Sir Robert's property. The newly knighted Sir Richard will join King John in his expedition to France. The armies of England and France face each other outside the town of Angiers, whose citizens will not decide who is the rightful ruler of their town. A compromise is reached when the citizen of Angiers suggests a marriage between the Dauphin and Blanche a ward of John. After the wedding the Pope's legate Cardinal Pandulph arrives to excommunicate King John and orders King Philip to restart his war with John. After the battle we learn that John has captured Arthur and returned to England and instructed Sir Richard to rob the monasteries. The Dauphin and his army land in England to rescue Arthur. King John arranges for Hubert to murder Arthur, but this is too much for his followers who side with the French. Sir Richard remains loyal and leads King John's army against the French; the English Lords who have changed sides learn that the Dauphin is planning to kill them change sides again. Cardinal Pandulph arrives to welcome John back into the christian fold and the Dauphin's invasion is thwarted but King John while residing at an Abbey is poisoned and his son Henry is proclaimed king.It is a complex story and the plot in (TR) is reeled out in fairly pedestrian fashion. Shakespeare takes the plot by the scruff of the neck in his King John and in the very first scene the french ambassador has arrived and is squaring up to the usurper King John. In the Troublesome Reign (TR) Queen Eleanor starts by explaining the history of King Richard's brother Geoffrey and Arthurs claim to the crown. This is an early example as to how Shakespeare dramatises the action and he continues to do this as he follows and changes the story line to the plays advantage. His characters are more sharply drawn and have better poetry to speak: there is no prose in Shakespeares play. Shakespeare further enhances the drama by introducing more action; for instance he has the two Kings clutching hands while the Pope's legate is excommunicating John and King Philip must decide to let John's hand fall.I read the two plays side by side and had the impression that Shakespeare grew into the story. The first act with the disputed land rights of the Faulconbridge brothers is confusing and goes on too long, making the play appear top heavy at the start. There follows the dispute in front of the town of Angiers and it feels like the scene has been shaped to allow processions and parades, rather than battles and action. In the second half of the play Shakespeare is able to cut out scenes that hamper the central storyline. for example in TR there is an account largely in prose of Sir Richard's sacking of a monastery: there is a semi humorous conversation between Sir Richard and Friar Lawrence. This scene has disappeared from King John. Shakespeare's play is built around the politics of the relationship between the two kings and the women who support them. Queen Eleanor mother of John and Constance mother of Arthur are fanatical in support of their progeny and emerge as strong characters exerting some control over the men. Shakespeare emphasises the oath breaking: the changing of sides which all the men are guilty of, while the women stay firm. The action moves forward at a good pace in the second half and while it does not enjoy a particular climax the death scene of King John provides a sombre conclusion to a play where few characters are shown at their best. Commodity rules much of the action as Sir Richard reminds us in one of his soliloquies. TR is very anti catholic and while this is present to some extent in King John Shakespeare has toned it down.I also watched the 1984 BBC production with Leonard Rossiter as King John, who gave his character a particularly Machiavellian bent; perhaps a bit too much like a pantomime character in some places. The production made excellent sense of the story and moved it along at a pace. Shakespeare indulges in much word play throughout and some of it, not even the best actors are able to deliver meaningfully, for example part of Pandulph's speech in act 3:It is religion that doth make vows kept,
But thou hast sworn against religion
By what thou swear’st against the thing thou swear’st,
And mak’st an oath the surety for thy truth
Against an oath. The truth thou art unsure
To swear, swears only not to be forsworn,
Else what a mockery should it be to swear?
But thou dost swear only to be forsworn,
And most forsworn, to keep what thou dost swear.
Therefore thy latter vows against thy first
Is in thyself rebellion to thyself;Of course there is much good poetry, including this much misquoted speech by Lord Salisbury: Therefore, to be possess’d with double pomp,
To guard a title that was rich before,
To gild refined gold, to paint the lily,
To throw a perfume on the violet,
To smooth the ice, or add another hue
Unto the rainbow, or with taper-light
To seek the beauteous eye of heaven to garnish,
Is wasteful and ridiculous excess.All in all I spent an enjoyable few days with King John, but this early play of Shakespeare's is not my favourite. 4.5 stars.