King John - Definition and Overview

This article is about the Shakespearian play. For the English monarch, see John of England. For other kings named John see Kings named John

King John is one of the so-called Shakespearean histories, plays written by William Shakespeare and based on the History of England. The play details the story of King John of England, son to Henry II of England and Eleanor of Aquitaine, younger brother to William, Count of Poitiers, Henry the Young King, Matilda, Duchess of Saxony, Richard I of England, Geoffrey, Duke of Brittany, Matilda, Duchess of Saxony and Joan Plantagenet, father to Henry III of England.

The play opens with a demand from the French King Philippe II, Auguste for King John to abdicate in favor of his nephew Arthur I, Duke of Brittany, son of his older brother Geoffrey. The five acts follow a dizzying change of alliances, Papal excommunication and subsequent acceptance, and ends finally with King John's death at the hands of a monk.

Throughout the play, a character known as "The Bastard" delivers a commentary on nobility, "commodity" and English sovereignty.

Cast

• King John
• Prince Henry, son to the King (the future Henry III)
• Arthur, Duke of Britain, nephew to the King (Arthur I, Duke of Brittany)
• Earl of Pembroke (William Marshal)
• Earl of Essex (Geoffrey FitzPeter)
• Lord Bigot
• Hubert de Burgh
• Robert Faulconbridge, son of Sir Robert Faulconbridge
• Philip the Bastard, his half-brother (also called Richard)
• James Gurney, servant to Lady Faulconbridge
• Peter of Pomfret, a prophet

• Philip, King of France (Philip II of France)
• Louis, the Dauphin (future Louis VIII of France)
• Lymoges, Duke of Austria
• Cardinal Pandolph, the Pope's Legate
• Melune, a French Lord
• Chatillion, ambassador from France to King John

• Queen Elinor, widow of Henry II, mother to King John (Eleanor of Aquitaine)
• Constance, widow to Geffrey (John's elder brother), mother to Arthur (Constance, Duchess of Brittany).
• Blanch of Spain, daughter to the King of Castile, niece to King John (Blanche of Castile)

• Lady Faulconbridge, widow of Sir Robert Faulconbridge

• My Lord Blackadder

• Lords, heralds, etc.

External links

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to:

King John

• Complete Text of King John at MIT (http://the-tech.mit.edu/Shakespeare/john/full.html)
• King John (http://www.gutenberg.net/etext/2249) - plain vanilla text from Project Gutenberg
• The life and death of King John (http://william-shakespeare.classic-literature.co.uk/the-life-and-death-of-king-john/) - HTML version of this title.

See also:

• King John of England