King John Summary
William Shakespeare

Biography Essay"He was not of an age, but for all time." So wrote Ben Jonson in his dedicatory verses to the memory of William Shakespeare in 1623, and so we continue to affirm today. No other writer,... Read more

Considered by critics, scholars, and the theater-going public the most important dramatist in the history of English literature, William Shakespeare occupies a unique position in the pantheon of great... Read more

William Shakespeare's reputation is based primarily on his plays. With the partial exception of the Sonnets (1609), quarried since the early nineteenth century for autobiographical secrets allegedly ... Read more

INTRODUCTION Shakespeare's King John, standing between the two tetralogies, marks a transition in his treatment of political and historical questions. This argument has been advanced by ... Read more

In the following essay, Matchett argues that, structurally, King John revolves around the question of succession and which of the three potential claimants—Arthur, the Bastard, or Henry—... Read more

In the following essay, originally a paper presented at a conference sponsored by the Shakespeare Association of America in 1986, Vaughan asserts that in King John, Shakespeare intentionally reflects ... Read more

In the following excerpt, Bullough argues that The Troublesome Reign was Shakespeare's source for King John and presents a comparison of the two plays so that readers can decide for themselves.... Read more

In the following essay, Boyd closely analyzes The Troublesome Reign of King John, arguing that this inferior play is not the source for Shakespeare's King John or for its character the Bastard,... Read more

In the following essay, Calderwood asserts that King John achieves structural unity via the play's juxtaposition of two conflicting themes: commodity and honor. Most critics of King John, ev... Read more

In the following essay, Weimann characterizes Faulconbridge as a new type of vice character, a type that merged the serious with the jocular. With the advent of Marlowe the aims of representation i... Read more

In the following essay, Robinson considers the ways in which Shakespeare satirizes the moral interpretation of past events. One of the distinctive stylistic features of the Shakespearean history pl... Read more

In the following excerpt, Pugliatti reexamines King John in light of Elizabethan politics, arguing that Shakespeare intended it as a commentary on the political crisis in England. Lily Campbell ope... Read more

In the essay below, MacKenzie examines the imagery of regeneration in King John, arguing that Shakespeare emphasizes the importance of death, rather than life, in the play. The fourth print in Hans... Read more

In the following essay, Boyd argues that Shakespeare's play King John provided source material for The Troublesome Raigne of King John. The debate goes on: is Shakespeare's King John ... Read more

In the following review of Michael Kahn's 1999 production of King John at the Shakespeare Theater in Washington, D.C., Marks praises the contemporary relevancy of the play's political co... Read more

In the following essay, Traister investigates the concept of ceremony in King John, and evaluates the portrayal of John as a king without recourse to ceremony or access to the power of “majesty... Read more

In the following essay, Grennan contends that Shakespeare's idiosyncratic King John reflects a pivotal change in the historiographic method of the dramatist's earlier chronicle history p... Read more

In the following essay, Blanpied regards King John as a transitional play that adheres to the events of its source while simultaneously parodying the work, and as one in which Shakespeare does not inv... Read more

In the following essay, Bonjour defends his thesis that Lord Faulconbridge, the Bastard, should be viewed as the dramatic hero of King John. This is not the place to re-open the much debated questi... Read more

In the following essay, Dusinberre focuses on the subversive and dramatically energizing qualities of the feminine roles in King John. Compared with almost any other play of Shakespeare's, K... Read more

In the following essay, Vaughan maintains that King John operates as a bridge between the two historical tetralogies, contending that the play “demonstrates Shakespeare's experimentation... Read more

In the following essay, Hunt analyzes Shakespeare's use of antimetabolic tropes in King John, contending that this type of language obscures what is presented as truth and emphasizes the play&#... Read more

In the following essay, Elliot argues that Shakespeare's King John reveals the playwright's understanding of the Elizabethans ambiguous and complex interpretations of King John. Elliot s... Read more

In the following essay, Colmo reviews the political issues of King John, and within this context discusses the problems related to the inheritance of rule in general, King John's role as a usur... Read more

In the following excerpted review of Karin Coonrod's Theatre for a New Audience production of King John, Simon faults the production on several levels. Simon argues that the acting was weak, th... Read more

In the following review, Bates examines two productions of King John: Northern Broadsides' production co-directed by Conrad Nelson and Barrie Rutter, and the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) pro... Read more

In the following review of Gregory Doran's 2001 Royal Shakespeare Company production of King John, Macaulay commends the strong performances of the cast as well as Doran's fine stewardsh... Read more

In the following essay, Sibly describes King John as a strongly anti-papal drama depicting themes of usurpation and political legitimacy that were especially relevant in the Elizabethan era. Most w... Read more

In the following essay, Ortego argues that King John, like Shakespeare's other history plays, invokes the Tudor doctrine of providential, divine-right monarchy as a tool of political legitimacy... Read more

In the following essay, Tucker considers themes associated with the chaotic, unpredictable, and Machiavellian political world of King John. Among Shakespeare's history plays King John has se... Read more

In the following excerpt, Cousin surveys the performance and critical history of King John, listing significant adaptations of the drama and summarizing major movements in its reception and interpreta... Read more

In the following essay, Burgoyne stresses Cardinal Pandulph's role as villain and “chief mischief-maker” in King John. Although holding a minority opinion, a surprising number ... Read more

In the following review, Isaac admires Karin Coonrod's “vibrantly alive” 2000 Theatre for a New Audience production of King John, noting its emphasis on the play's concerns... Read more

In the following excerpted review, Clapp singles out several excellent performances in director Gregory Doran's “shrewd and playful” 2001 Royal Shakespeare Company production of K... Read more

In the following essay, Matchett maintains that the plot of King John focuses on the issue of the “right” to the throne, and studies the claims to the throne of Arthur, John, and the Bas... Read more

Steve Longstaffe, S. Martin's College Lancaster Deborah Curren-Aquino, summing up fifty years of critical engagement with Shakespeare's King John, identifies a radical break wit... Read more