SOURCE: Hamel, Guy. “King John and The Troublesome Raigne: A Reexamination.” In King John: New Perspectives, edited by Deborah T. Curren-Aquino, pp. 41-61. Cranbury, N.J.: Associated University Presses, 1989.

In the following essay, Hamel approaches King John as an adaptation of the anonymous 1591 drama The Troublesome Reign of John, King of England, noting that Shakespeare altered his source material in a number of significant ways, particularly his expanded characterization of the Bastard and his improvement upon the play's poetic quality.

The comparison of Shakespeare's King John to the anonymous The Troublesome Raigne of Iohn King of England has been done so often that one should offer some justification for doing it again.¹ My reasons are both specific and general. The immediate cause is a recent note by Sidney Thomas supporting the “orthodox” opinion that The Troublesome Raigne precedes King John.² That claim now seems to me so strong...