King John: What's Inside in Context

King John
Study Guide by Course Hero
What's Inside d In Context
j Book Basics ................................................................................................. 1

A Troublesome Reign
d In Context ..................................................................................................... 1
King John is unusual among the protagonists of William
a Author Biography ..................................................................................... 4 Shakespeare's English histories. He is neither a hero like Henry
V nor a villain like Richard III. He is neither a pious, peace-loving
h Characters ................................................................................................... 5
monarch like Henry VI nor a hard-nosed pragmatist like Henry
k Plot Summary ............................................................................................. 9 IV. In fact, one of the most persistent criticisms of King John is
the blandness of the title character. He seems to alternate
c Scene Summaries .................................................................................. 15 between periods of abject victimhood and periods of fitful, ill-
advised action. He begins the play, for example, by defying the
g Quotes ........................................................................................................ 25
French king's attempt to encroach on his sovereignty. But then
l Symbols ..................................................................................................... 29 King John defies the pope over a seemingly much smaller
matter, causing the outbreak of a needless and costly war. The
m Themes ...................................................................................................... 30 war puts John on the defensive for a time, but when he
emerges to take action once more, the result is even more
e Suggested Reading .............................................................................. 32 disastrous. He orders Philip Faulconbridge, known as the
Bastard, to squeeze money out of the monasteries, angering
and alienating England's churchmen. Then he orders the
assassination of his nephew Arthur, causing his noblemen to
j Book Basics leave the royal court in outrage. From here John is reduced to
a position of anxious passivity, growing sicker and weaker as
AUTHOR the war carries on largely without him. He dies not on a
William Shakespeare battlefield but on a sickbed at the hands of a poisoner.
YEARS WRITTEN Shakespeare's negative portrayal of King John is largely

1594–96 supported by history—at least, the version of history told by
John's contemporaries and near-contemporaries. The
GENRE
historical King John (1167–1216) was an unpopular monarch.
History, Tragedy
Under his predecessors, Henry II (1133–89) and Richard I
(1157–99), England enjoyed control over a vast swath of
ABOUT THE TITLE
territory in the western half of present-day France. Much of
King John of England (1167–1216) is the rather unheroic
this so-called Angevin Empire was lost during the wars
protagonist of the chronicle play King John. His weakness and
depicted in King John, which include the Anglo-French War
vacillation spark a rebellion and bring his kingdom to the brink
(1213–14) and the First Barons' War (1215–17). John himself had
of disaster. The play was originally titled The Life and Death of
lost and regained parts of northern France multiple times prior
King John.
King John Study Guide In Context 2
to the action of the play. After his reign the strife would constant source of drama in King John.
continue, forming the subject—or at least a backdrop—for most
of Shakespeare's remaining history plays.
Throughout Shakespeare's other dramatizations of medieval

Holinshed's Chronicles and The
history, strong English kingship is identified with the ability to
seize and retain territories in France. Those who can do
Troublesome Raigne
so—most notably Henry V—are heroes; those who let French
The historical backbone of King John comes from Raphael
possessions slip—Henry VI—are objects of pity or derision.
Holinshed's Chronicles of England, Scotland, and Ireland (1577;
None of these monarchs, however, allowed French forces to
second edition, 1587). This work presents a panoramic history
invade the English mainland. That such an invasion happens on
of England from prehistoric times up through the reign of
John's watch is a serious mark against him. In allowing England
Henry VIII. Shakespeare was evidently familiar with the
to be overrun by the Dauphin's forces, as happens in Acts 4
posthumous second edition, which he used as a source for at
and 5, John reveals himself a weak ruler. Shakespeare portrays
least a dozen plays. Holinshed's account of King John, like
this weakness as personal rather than as a structural side
many other parts of his chronicle, is a synthesis of the work of
effect of John's political position.
earlier medieval chroniclers. When those chroniclers disagree,
John was also a reputed tyrant who, according to the Holinshed—to his credit—typically reports the disagreement
chroniclers, tortured and imprisoned his noblemen on the and comments on the trustworthiness of the different sources.
slightest pretext, sometimes starving them to death in Sometimes, as in the matter of Arthur's death, Holinshed is
dungeons. At his death he was essentially "booed offstage" by downright skeptical of the chroniclers, whom he sees as having
the clergymen who chronicled his life. "Foul as it is," wrote political biases. They may have been closer to the actual
13th-century Benedictine monk Matthew Paris, "hell itself is events, Holinshed admits, but "the Lord knoweth" which of
made fouler by the presence of King John." them are telling the truth. Holinshed's refusal to endorse a
single, streamlined narrative works in Shakespeare's favor
John's attempt to assassinate his nephew Arthur, Duke of because it gives him many possible "paths" through the story
Brittany, was one of the pillars of his bad reputation, both of King John.
during his life and posthumously. There is no real certainty as
to what became of Arthur, but this question did not stop the A potentially more direct source for King John lies in the 1591
chroniclers from speculating. Some maintained that John had play The Troublesome Raigne of John King of England. Written
delegated the deed to a henchman—Peter de Mauley or and performed in the late 1580s, this play differs from King
Hubert de Burgh. Raphael Holinshed, Shakespeare's primary John in details of plot, characterization, and overall tone. The
16th-century source for his English history plays, says only that Bastard, King John's nephew, plays a much fuller role in the
"writers make sundry reports" concerning John's involvement action of Troublesome Raigne, where he stars in scenes not
in Arthur's death. King John was held "in great suspicion," but included in King John. Arthur, historically a teenager during the
"whether worthily or not, the Lord knoweth." Shakespeare time of the play, is more of a spirited youth in Troublesome
cobbles together the various accounts of the chroniclers into a Raigne, rather than the innocent child he becomes in King
portrait of John that makes him an attempted murderer but not John. The play is also remarkable for its strongly anti-Catholic
a successful one. tone. King John is by no means flattering in its depiction of the
Church, but Troublesome Raigne makes jokes at the clergy's
John is perhaps best remembered for signing the Magna expense. Scene 6 of Troublesome Raigne, for example,
Carta, the "Great Charter" that imposed legal limits on features Franciscan friars and nuns who are comically lustful,
monarchical powers. He did so in 1215 under pressure from his repeating a common anti-Catholic stereotype of the era. Then
noblemen, who had grown tired of his abuses and threatened in Scene 12 Cardinal Pandulph makes some chuckling asides
to revolt if he did not comply. Although it is a central part of to show his smugness and hunger for power. The only
King John's dubious legacy, the Magna Carta is nowhere clergyman to appear onstage in King John is Pandulph, whose
mentioned in Shakespeare's play. Nonetheless, John's villainous traits are presented more subtly than in Troublesome
difficulties in retaining the loyalty of his noblemen are a Raigne.
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King John Study Guide In Context 3
Some details of King John make more sense if Troublesome Church—particularly the papacy—in a bad light.
Raigne is considered its "prototype." In Troublesome Raigne,
for example, Eleanor first attempts to make peace between Where does this anti-Catholic sentiment come from? The
her son and great-nephew by inviting Arthur to become a answer involves a mixture of 13th-century history and 16th-
member of John's court. This would mean forsaking his own century popular prejudices. The historical John had what might
claim to the throne, which he refuses to do, thereby be called a love-hate relationship with Pope Innocent III, who
precipitating the war shown in both King John and had him excommunicated in 1209. John's crime, in the pope's
Troublesome Raigne. Another potentially puzzling development eyes, was his interference in the election of Stephen Langton
in King John is John's poisoning at the end of the play. Why do as archbishop of Canterbury. This much is more or less
the monks hate him so much as to be willing to assassinate accurately reported in King John, but the play's rendition of
him? In King John John sends the Bastard to extort money excommunication is somewhat exaggerated.
from the monasteries, but this act in itself provides a Excommunication, used as a plot device in Act 3, Scene 1 is a
somewhat flimsy reason for regicide. In Troublesome Raigne, formal banning or kicking-out from the Church, intended—at
however, the Bastard gets an entire scene in which he abuses least in principle—to be a temporary punishment. It does not,
the friars, threatening to execute them if they do not pay for as Pandulph's actions suggest, involve turning the
the king's war. Then, in Scene 13, John makes a sarcastic excommunicated person into an outlaw whose assassination is
speech about the luxury and plenty enjoyed by the friars, which sanctioned in advance by the pope. John—again as
surpass those of any "king" or "lord." The friars—onstage—plot Shakespeare dutifully reports—eventually relented and
John's death as retaliation both for the Bastard's extortion and accepted the pope's authority, handing over his crown in 1213.
for his abuse of their hospitality. With its combination of evil It was given back to John in a form of kingly "parole," whereby
friars and openly oppressive rulers, Troublesome Raigne sets John was required to pay an annual tribute to the pope. Thus,
up John's assassination as a foregone conclusion, rather than outwardly at least, the historical John eventually recognized
the surprise it becomes in King John. the authority of Innocent III. More to the point, he
acknowledged the pope as a sovereign, from whom he merely
The true author of Troublesome Raigne, however, is unknown, leased or borrowed the right to rule.
making it impossible to say whether the play was a
predecessor to King John, a near-contemporary rival work, or Shakespeare, however, was not writing for 13th-century
even a "knockoff" version of Shakespeare's history. This is, audiences. His original audiences lived during the late 16th and
admittedly, a long shot because Shakespeare would then have early 17th centuries, when the pope's influence over England
to have written King John much earlier than is commonly was vastly diminished. In the 1530s King Henry VIII had
believed. Troublesome Raigne has sometimes even been rejected the authority of the pope and established the Church
attributed to Shakespeare, as his own unpolished draft of the of England, with himself as its spiritual leader. This Protestant
better-known King John. church proceeded to become the state religion, with
Catholicism being outlawed under Elizabeth I. By the 1590s as
Elizabeth's reign neared its end, Anglicanism (participation in
King John and the Papacy the Church of England) had become a mainstream component
of English thought. Catholic clergy were now, as in King John,
often portrayed as comical or villainous "others" set apart from
Several elements of King John stand out as anticlerical, if not
the regular run of society. By having King John blatantly reject
altogether anti-Catholic. The promise of peace between
papal authority, even in principle, Shakespeare rewrites him
England and France is cut short by a scheming cardinal and a
into a proto-Protestant, three centuries before the Protestant
domineering pope. Abbeys are painted as "fat" revenue
Reformation (1517–1648) waged against Catholic practices
sources and dens of murderous sedition, not beacons of
actually took place. From an Elizabethan standpoint, John's
holiness in a fallen world. About halfway through the play, John
defiance of the pope is, arguably, his most heroic action, in
openly defies the pontiff through his messenger Cardinal
spite of its disastrous consequences.
Pandulph, who responds by goading France into a war with
England. Although King John is not as stridently anti-Catholic
as The Troublesome Raigne, it undeniably paints the

King John Study Guide Author Biography 4
Most other modern productions have situated themselves

Production History somewhere between these two extremes, updating or
streamlining the play's medieval setting but not eliminating it
The early stage history of King John is shrouded in obscurity. entirely. Among modern-dress stagings, director Maria Aberg's
Critic Michael Best, in his introduction to the University of Royal Shakespeare Company adaptation (2012) stands out for
Victoria's Internet Shakespeare edition, observes "there are no its reimagining of gender roles: both the Bastard and Pandulph
clear indications of the company that first performed it," let are not simply played by women, but rewritten as female
alone of its premiere date or venue. Only in the 18th century characters. In an interview about her approach to the play,
are performances of King John noted, and these are years Aberg described this choice as an experiment that "changed
apart. To judge from the actors and theaters associated with the dynamic" of the play. "There is something quite glorious,"
the play, it was by that time a well-respected part of the Aberg opined, "about seeing a woman play [a] heroic
Shakespearean repertoire. One production took place at warrior"—especially given the absence of such roles elsewhere
Covent Garden (1737) and another (1745) featured English in Shakespeare.
stage legend David Garrick in the title role.
Unlike many Shakespeare plays performed in the 18th century,

King John seems generally to have been performed as written, a Author Biography
rather than heavily adapted. This changed near the end of the
century, when leading British actor-manager John Philip
Kemble brought a trimmed-down King John to the stage. The
abridgments of this version (premiered 1783) then became
Childhood and Family Life
commonplace in the play's numerous 19th-century productions.
The childhood of William Shakespeare is a murky area for
Victorian audiences, as Best notes, were generally fond of the
scholars since few records of his early activities exist. Very
play's moral message, though at least one author of the
little is known about his birth, education, or upbringing.
period—English lawyer Gilbert Abbott à Beckett—saw fit to
However, according to church records, he was baptized on
transform King John into a musical burlesque. The most
April 26, 1564, in Stratford-upon-Avon, England, which leads
famous and well-documented Victorian production, however,
scholars to the conclusion he was born on April 23 of that year.
was that of English producer Herbert Beerbohm Tree (1899),
Birth records were not usually kept in Shakespeare's time,
who staged the play as a grand spectacle with ornate
although clergy fastidiously kept church records—baptisms,
costumes and a cast of hundreds.
weddings, burials.
In the 20th and 21st centuries, King John has fallen into
Shakespeare's family was solidly middle class, and he would
obscurity, becoming one of the most rarely performed of
have had a typical education for an English boy of his time at a
Shakespeare's histories. The classic—and, as of 2018, the
public school endowed by Elizabeth I, which would have
only—screen version of the play is that of the BBC Television
included studying the Latin language and Roman and Greek
Shakespeare, which included King John in its 1984 season. Yet
classical literature. At age 18 Shakespeare married Anne
the infrequency of modern King John productions belies their
Hathaway, a woman eight years his elder who was pregnant
stylistic variety: since the 1970s, versions of the play have
with their daughter Susanna. Anne gave birth to twins—Judith
ranged from stately and conservative to modernized and off-
and Hamnet—a few years later. Church records reveal Hamnet
kilter. The BBC production, like most other histories in the
died in childhood.
series, was very much the former. It featured ornate sets and
costuming designed to evoke a "medieval" atmosphere, though
not necessarily that of the early 13th century specifically.
English theater director Buzz Goodbody (1970), in contrast,
Theatrical Life
produced a "minimalist and hard-hitting" version, which critic
Shakespeare moved to London to pursue a career as an actor
Alycia Smith-Howard credits with not "sentimentalizing the
and playwright, and over time he achieved success. He
king's death."
became a shareholder in the open-air Globe Theatre in London

King John Study Guide Characters 5
and enjoyed widespread fame as a playwright whose works king of England. John quickly agrees to a costly peace, but his
included romantic and classically inspired comedies, histories, defiance of the pope leads to renewed fighting with France.
and tragedies. King John, written in the mid-1590s, is an early Neither a hero nor a villain, King John spends much of the play
work, which likely capitalized on Shakespeare's growing as a passive victim of circumstance. His few assertive acts
reputation for English historical dramas. It was favorably seem to backfire with remarkable consistency. Alienated from
reviewed by Francis Meres, who in 1598 praised King John his noblemen, the Church, and the common people, John
alongside better-known works such as Richard III and Romeo eventually dies not on the battlefield, but on a sickbed.
and Juliet. In all Shakespeare is credited with writing at least 37
plays and more than 150 sonnets.
Throughout his career Shakespeare and his fellow actors were

Queen Eleanor
supported by the patronage of the nation's monarchs—first by
Queen Eleanor is one of the real powers behind the throne.
Elizabeth I (1533–1603), under whose reign Shakespeare's
Her hatred of Constance, her daughter-in-law, leads to
company was known as The Lord Chamberlain's Men. When
persistent quarreling whenever the two encounter one another.
James I (1566–1625) assumed the throne in 1603, the company
Eleanor is most prominent in Acts 1 and 2, where she
was renamed The King's Men. Although many of
influences John's handling of the French crisis. She takes on a
Shakespeare's plays were written for performance at the
lesser role in Act 3 and dies offstage in Act 4.
Globe, The King's Men also performed at the nearby
Blackfriars Theatre, a smaller indoor space, after 1608.
Constance
Retirement and Legacy Constance is the widow of Geoffrey, John's elder brother. She
shrewdly encourages the French to adopt the cause of her son
In 1610 or 1611 Shakespeare retired, moving back to Stratford-
Arthur, who has grown up in the French court and has his own
upon-Avon. Despite his retirement from London life, the
claim to the English throne. The Anglo-French war in Acts 1
playwright continued to do some writing, contributing to Henry
and 2 thus serves Constance's interests. Later in Act 2,
VIII and Two Noble Kinsmen as well as to another play,
however, peace is concluded between England and France, a
Cardenio, now lost. Scholars believe these final works to be
development that leaves Constance bitter and desperate. In
collaborations with John Fletcher (1579–1625), another
Act 3 Constance struggles to reckon with her son's lost
playwright. Shakespeare most likely died on April 23, 1616,
chance at kingship and, later, his capture by the English. Grief
leading to the romantic notion he was born and died on the
at the latter leads her to act in a fashion other characters
same date, although there are no records of the exact date of
perceive as "mad" (i.e., insane). She dies in a "frenzy" in Act 4
either event. He was 52 at his death and was buried on April 25
without ever being reunited with her son.
at Holy Trinity Church in Stratford-upon-Avon. More than 400
years after his death, Shakespeare is still regarded as the
greatest playwright of the English-speaking world.
Arthur
A young boy, Arthur is the Duke of Brittany, which he co-rules
h Characters with his mother, Constance. Before his death King Richard the
Lionheart named Arthur his heir and then revoked the
nomination in favor of John. Far from ensuring a peaceful
King John succession, this decision created two rival factions, each with
its own candidate for the crown. Although John is the current
monarch, the French and their armies back Arthur's claim.
King John is a fictionalized version of one of England's least
Shakespeare generally portrays Arthur as a child with little real
popular medieval rulers. His claim to the throne is challenged
autonomy or power. He is largely at the mercy of the adults in
by the French, who wish to install John's nephew Arthur as
his life—first his mother, then his uncle John. Less cynical than

his older relatives, Arthur craves peace and safety, not the
power and prestige of kingship. He rightly discerns his status
as a potential royal heir places him in grave danger.
King Philip II
Philip II of France is John's main antagonist in Acts 1 and 2.
Although Philip makes no personal claim to the English throne,
he hopes to see Arthur crowned king of England. Philip's
evident reason for backing Arthur is a desire to recover French
territories conquered by England. In Act 2 Philip readily agrees
to a peace treaty whereby France will regain Anjou, Maine, and
other Continental possessions.
Dauphin
Louis the Dauphin is the impetuous heir to the French throne.
To avoid war he marries Lady Blanche of Spain but
nevertheless finds himself fighting against her uncle King John.
After leading a successful invasion of England in Acts 4 and 5,
the Dauphin is ordered by Cardinal Pandulph to cease fighting.
He refuses for a time before ultimately reconciling with
England.
The Bastard
The Bastard begins the play as "Philip Faulconbridge" and is
knighted "Sir Richard Plantagenet" in Act 1. The son of Richard
the Lionheart and Lady Faulconbridge, he relinquishes his
claims to the Faulconbridge estate to acknowledge his royal
lineage. John employs him as a military adviser and
commander. The Bastard is perhaps the most clear-eyed and
astute character in King John. He sees both war and peace as
part of an unprincipled power struggle in which there are no
true heroes. For him the motivations of both kings can be
summed up as commodity, meaning self-interest or
expediency.

Character Map
Queen Eleanor
Domineering dowager Grandmother
Grandmother Mother-in-law
The Bastard Constance

Cynical English military Mother Ambitious, emotional
commander noblewoman
Uncle
and ally
King John
Unpopular, ineffectual Mother
English monarch
Enemies
Uncle and
rival
Dauphin Arthur
Hot-blooded prince; Enemies Young, well-meaning prince;
heir to French throne rival English heir
Father Allies
King Philip II
Indecisive, untrustworthy
French ruler
Main Character
Other Major Character
Minor Character

Full Character List The Duke of Austria, known in some

scenes as Limoges, is a military
commander fighting on the side of
Duke of Austria
France. He claims credit for having
Character Description
killed Richard the Lionheart and
wears a lion's skin as a memento.
King John is a hapless and unpopular
monarch who struggles to retain his
One of the noblemen who attend on
grip on the throne. Embroiled in a
King John, Lord Bigot joins the
King John costly war with the French, he loses Lord Bigot
English earls first in rebelling against
the support of his noblemen when he
John and then in reconciling with him.
orders his nephew Arthur's
assassination.
King John's niece, Blanche of Spain is
Blanche wedded to the Dauphin as part of a
King John's mother and the widow of
peace treaty in Act 2.
Henry II of England, Queen Eleanor is
a domineering presence in the English
Queen Eleanor court. She despises her daughter-in- Chatillon is the French ambassador to
law, Constance, whom she England. Speaking on behalf of King
sees—correctly—as a threat to her Chatillon
Philip, he demands John give up the
son John's rule. English crown.
Duchess of Sicily, King John's sister- The citizen speaks for the people of
in-law, and mother of the young Angiers in Act 2. He refuses to admit
Arthur, Constance is determined to Citizen either of the warring kings to the city
Constance
see her son crowned king of England, until they can establish their claim to
a title she believes he rightfully the English crown.
possesses.
The Earl of Essex is one of King

Arthur is King John's nephew and a John's courtiers. Unlike the other
rival claimant to the English throne. Earl of Essex earls, he makes only a single brief
Arthur Shakespeare presents him as a appearance at the beginning of the
young boy easily coerced and play.
frightened by his elders.
A group of executioners appear in

Fickle, untrustworthy king of France Act 4, Scene 1 where they are
and instigator of the war with Executioners instructed to help torture and kill
England, Philip II seeks to install Arthur. Pitying the boy, they leave the
King Philip II
Arthur on the English throne to dirty work to Hubert.
increase France's influence over
England.
Lady Faulconbridge is the mother of
Robert Faulconbridge and his half
Dauphin is the title of Louis, the brother Philip "the Bastard"
Lady
French crown prince and a leader of Faulconbridge. She appears only in
Faulconbridge
France's invasion of England. Initially Act 1 where she is peripherally
Dauphin
eager for peace, he later refuses to involved in the land dispute between
give up the invasion despite orders her sons.
from the pope.
Son of a deceased knight, Robert

The Bastard, also known as Philip Faulconbridge is the younger half
Faulconbridge, is an illegitimate son Robert brother of Philip "the Bastard." Robert
of Richard the Lionheart and is a Faulconbridge asserts his half brother's illegitimacy
The Bastard military commander under King John. to solidify his own claim to the family
His speeches provide cynical estate.
commentary on the conflict between
England and France.

King John Study Guide Plot Summary 9
James Gurney is Lady The sheriff appears in the first scene

James Gurney
Faulconbridge's servant. of the play, where he introduces the
Sheriff
feuding Faulconbridge brothers and
then departs.
Prince Henry is King John's son and,
Prince Henry after John's death, heir to the English
throne.
An English herald appears in Act 2 to k Plot Summary

announce England's victory over
English herald
France. The news is premature, and
the war soon resumes.
Act 1
The French herald, like his English
French herald counterpart, claims victory for his The kingdoms of France and England are on the brink of war.
country in Act 2.
King John sits uneasily on the English throne, which he has
inherited from his brother Richard the Lionheart. His main rival
A loyal supporter of King John,
is his nephew Arthur, earlier named Richard's heir. Though a
Hubert cannot bring himself to carry
Hubert mere boy, Arthur has the backing of the French king, Philip II,
out the king's order to assassinate
Arthur. who claims the English crown on his behalf. Arthur's mother,
the duchess Constance, thrusts her unwilling son into the
One of the French noblemen serving conflict to protect her own interests.
in the Dauphin's army, Count Melun
Count Melun reveals the Dauphin's treachery to the The play begins at the royal palace in England, where the
English lords just before his own
death in Act 5. French ambassador Chatillon demands King John relinquish
the crown. John rebuffs the ambassador and sends him back
Cardinal Pandulph is a legate—a to France, warning him to prepare for war. Before he can
diplomatic representative—of the gather his army, however, John is asked to settle a land
pope. He excommunicates King John dispute between two brothers. One of them, Philip
Pandulph
for failing to obey the pontiff's
Faulconbridge, turns out to be John's nephew, born out of
decrees and rekindles the war
between France and England. wedlock to Richard the Lionheart and Lady Faulconbridge.
Once his ancestry is recognized, Philip—now known as "the
One of King John's high-ranking Bastard"—is welcomed into the royal court. His importance to
courtiers and advisers, the Earl of the play's development will lie mainly in his keen-eyed
Earl of
Pembroke rebels against John after commentary on English and French politics.
Pembroke
learning of the king's attempt to
assassinate Arthur.
Peter of Pomfret is a soothsayer who Act 2

Peter of foretells King John will relinquish his
Pomfret crown. John has him jailed for Outside the French city of Angiers, the French and English
insolence.
armies meet. Each king attempts to persuade the townsmen to
open the gates and receive him as ruler. The citizens of
A leading nobleman in the court of
King John, the Earl of Salisbury later Angiers, however, refuse to admit anyone but the true "king of
Earl of Salisbury becomes one of the "angry lords" who England," a title to be decided by combat. The two armies
abandons John for trying to march away and, after a brief offstage battle, send
assassinate Arthur.
messengers to announce victory for their respective sides.
Because both claim victory, the matter seems to be at a

standstill. Frustrated, the Bastard suggests the two armies

enact a temporary truce and lay waste to the defiant city. The
warring kings agree and are about to issue marching orders Act 4
when a panicked Angevin citizen offers a different suggestion.
If the Dauphin (France's crown prince) marries John's niece Hubert tries—and fails—to bring himself to assassinate Arthur.
Blanche, he proposes, perhaps the war can be averted Instead, to protect the boy, he claims to have done the deed,
altogether. The kings and their young relatives quickly agree to buying Arthur time to escape. John insists on being re-
the match. Constance, who is offstage, is reportedly angered crowned, a move that troubles his courtiers. Then when the
by the prospect of peace, which will quash her own son's Earl of Pembroke demands Arthur's release, John says Arthur
chance of becoming king. The Bastard, similarly vexed, gives a has died—a statement that, at this point, the king believes true.
long soliloquy about the kings' faithless and self-serving This is the breaking point for John's noblemen who, suspecting
behavior. foul play, desert him. Soon thereafter, King John learns of a
huge army that just arrived from France. Queen Eleanor and
Constance die offstage, the latter still in a "frenzy" over her
Act 3 son's capture. To top it all off, a soothsayer warns John shall
"deliver up [his] crown" on Ascension Day.
Still shocked and saddened at the news of a peace treaty, Frightened and needing allies, John sends the Bastard to make
Constance vacillates between rage and desperation, accusing peace with his "angry lords"—Salisbury, Pembroke, and Bigot.
the French king of breaking his promise to support Arthur's When Hubert reveals Arthur has not really been killed, John
claim to the throne. At first the other French and English royals sends him along as well to deliver the good news and win the
attempt to calm her, but they soon fall to bickering among noblemen back. However, by the time John's allies track down
themselves. the rebellious lords, it is too late: Arthur has died in an attempt
to leap off a castle wall, and his manner of death convinces the
Just then, papal ambassador Cardinal Pandulph appears. John,
lords he has been murdered. Thus, far from returning to John's
it is now revealed, has been defying the pope by preventing the
side, Salisbury and the others vow vengeance for the boy's
archbishop of Canterbury from leaving England. Pandulph
death. Hubert and the Bastard fail to prevent them from going
demands John submit to the pope's authority immediately, on
to join the Dauphin's army.
pain of excommunication. John scoffs at the demand, offers
some harsh words about the pope, and is excommunicated on
the spot. Pandulph then orders the French king, as a loyal
Christian, to resume his war with England. Act 5
King Philip wavers for a moment, reluctant to renege on his John reconciles with the Church, and Pandulph promises to
just-concluded peace treaty with the English. Soon he is worn make peace with France on England's behalf. The Dauphin,
down by the cardinal's threats, and the English and French join however, refuses to be bullied into abandoning his campaign
in battle, with England winning the day. Arthur is taken captive so close to victory. Flouting the cardinal's decrees, he
and entrusted to Hubert, one of John's loyalists, initially tasked continues with his largely unresisted invasion of England. On
with escorting the boy to England. Later John orders Hubert to the battlefield King John falls ill and leaves to take refuge at
kill Arthur and thereby eliminate a threat to John's sovereignty. Swinstead Abbey.
The Bastard, meanwhile, is sent to raise war funds by extorting
money from the English clergy. Salisbury, Pembroke, and Bigot, meanwhile, learn of the
Dauphin's plan to execute them as traitors after they have
Back at Angiers, Constance grieves the loss of her son, whom served their purposes. They flee to Swinstead and reconcile
she suspects will die in captivity. After she leaves the stage, with King John, now on his deathbed. Supply line difficulties
Pandulph consoles the Dauphin by predicting King John will undermine the Dauphin's advantage in the war and lessen his
indeed assassinate Arthur. This deed will undermine public chances of an easy victory.
faith in the already unpopular John and pave the way for the
Dauphin to invade England, claiming its throne for himself. The In the play's final scene, King John expires in agony. His fatal
Dauphin cautiously sets about raising an army for this purpose. sickness, the English noblemen discover, is the result of

poisoning by a monk. Henry, the English crown prince, grieves

his father's death, but Salisbury urges Henry to focus on his
destiny of reuniting and strengthening the country. A peace
treaty, brokered by Cardinal Pandulph, spares England from
further losses, and the English lords pledge their loyalty to the
future King Henry III. The Bastard, the last character onstage,
construes the play's events as a lesson in the importance of
national unity. "Naught shall make us rue," he declares, "[i]f
England to itself do rest but true."

Plot Diagram
Climax
7
10 Falling Action
Rising Action
6
11
5
4 12
3 Resolution
2
1
Introduction
Introduction Climax
1. King John refuses to acknowledge Arthur's sovereignty. 9. The Dauphin defies the pope by continuing to wage war.
Rising Action Falling Action
2. English and French armies prepare to besiege Angiers. 10. King John falls ill and retires to Swinstead Abbey.
3. War with France is temporarily averted by a royal marriage. 11. John dies at Swinstead after reconciling with his barons.
4. During renewed fighting, Arthur is captured.
5. French forces invade England.

Resolution
6. King John orders Arthur's assassination.
12. The English nobility depart to seek peace with France.
7. A group of "angry lords" defect from King John to France.
8. Arthur attempts to escape and dies in a fall.

Timeline of Events
About 1200
King John refuses to acknowledge Arthur's right to rule

England.
Soon after
English and French armies prepare to besiege Angiers.
That day
In Angiers war with France is narrowly averted by a royal

marriage.
Not long after
Pandulph excommunicates the insolent King John on the

pope's behalf.
Immediately after
Pandulph urges Philip to break the treaty and continue

fighting against England.
Within days
Fighting resumes between England and France.
During the war
English forces capture Arthur, whom Hubert brings back

to England.
Almost instantly
King John secretly orders Arthur's assassination.
Soon after
French forces prepare to invade England.
Meanwhile
Ordered to kill Arthur, Hubert cannot bring himself to do

so.
Days later

John has himself re-crowned to the dismay of his

noblemen.
Almost immediately
A group of "angry lords" defect from King John to

France.
Within hours
John sends Hubert and the Bastard to make peace with

the lords.
Shortly after
Allowed to escape, Arthur dies in a suspicious-looking

accident.
As war continues
John makes peace with the pope.
Meanwhile
The Dauphin defies the pope by continuing to wage war.
Autumn 1216
King John falls ill and retires to Swinstead Abbey.
Soon after
Poisoned by a monk, John dies at Swinstead after an

earlier reconciliation with his barons.
Immediately after
The English nobility depart to seek peace with France.

King John Study Guide Scene Summaries 15
[her] husband's bed." She repents this "transgression," but the

c Scene Summaries Bastard promises to defend her against slander: "Who lives
and dares but say thou didst not well / When I was got, I'll send
his soul to hell."
Act 1, Scene 1
Analysis
Summary Chatillon's demand to King John is not quite as outrageous as
it may first appear. Arthur, the rival claimant to the throne, is a
At his palace in England, King John receives an ambassador member of the English royal family—the son, in fact, of John's
from the French king, Philip II. Also present are John's mother, late elder brother, Geoffrey. He is also, through his maternal
Queen Eleanor, and the Earls of Pembroke, Essex, and bloodline, the Duke of Brittany, a territory he rules jointly with
Salisbury. The ambassador, named Chatillon, demands King his mother, Constance. More important—though this fact is not
John give up the throne in favor of Arthur, John's nephew. If he made explicit in the play—Arthur was at one point the
does not do so, Chatillon warns, France will subject England to designated heir to Richard I, the previous king, who had no
"the proud control of fierce and bloody war." John defies this children of his own. Near the end of his life, however, Richard
demand and threatens to invade France preemptively. As changed his mind and made his brother John the heir. Thus,
Pembroke escorts Chatillon offstage, Queen Eleanor voices when Richard died in 1199, John was slated to succeed him,
her opinion that Arthur's mother, Constance, ambitious for her and Arthur was no longer part of the order of succession.
son, is behind Chatillon's demand. Needless to say, not everyone got the memo.
Many—particularly in England's French territories—retained
A sheriff now comes onstage with two men involved in a
their allegiance to Arthur and resisted John's attempt to
"strange ... controversy." The men, Robert and Philip
govern. Others, like the Angevin townsfolk who will appear in
Faulconbridge, are half brothers, though this fact is not
Act 2, were caught in the crossfire between John's faction and
immediately evident from their testimony. Both claim to be
Arthur's.
heirs to Sir Robert Faulconbridge, a knight in the service of the
late King Richard. It eventually becomes clear, however, Philip Richard's decision to disinherit Arthur was not driven by mere
is the illegitimate son of King Richard himself. (At this point the capriciousness or spite, or by any special fondness for his
stage directions rather bluntly begin referring to Philip as the younger brother. Rather Richard sought to protect the English
"Bastard.") To end the argument about who is the real heir, crown from the influence of King Philip II of France, at whose
Queen Eleanor offers Philip a choice: be acknowledged as Sir court Arthur had lived since 1196. Despite Richard's change in
Robert's heir and inherit his lands or be acknowledged as the policy, Arthur remained a puppet—or, more charitably, an
illegitimate son of a king. Philip chooses the latter and is ally—of France throughout his short life. Philip II, in turn, backed
knighted Sir Richard Plantagenet. All but the newly knighted Arthur's bid for the English throne.
Bastard leave the stage.
Eleanor, John and Richard's mother, would have had her own
In the first long soliloquy of the play, the Bastard reflects on his reasons for not wanting to see Arthur crowned. Since the
choice, which has made him rich in honor but poor in land and death of her husband Henry II in 1189, Eleanor had carefully
money. He laughs to himself about the fancy airs he will have managed the realm during the reign of first Richard, then John.
to put on to get along with the king's high-society friends. She had helped them consolidate their empire formed by her
Finally he remarks on the tendency toward flattery and deceit marriage to Henry, defending it against external threats and
in the royal court. At this point his mother, Lady Faulconbridge, internal dissension. The last thing the aging Eleanor wants now
enters the stage, accompanied by her servant James Gurney. is to watch this empire disintegrate as England's French
She asks the Bastard about his brother's whereabouts. territories are broken off piece by piece. Anyone who
Dismissing Gurney, the Bastard demands to know the identity threatens such an outcome (e.g., Constance and Arthur) is
of his real father. After stalling Lady Faulconbridge admits to persona non grata.
having been "seduced / to make room for [King Richard] in

The real breakout character of Act 1, however, is the Bastard, claim to the city. The chief citizen of Angiers, however, refuses
who quickly establishes himself as a major interpreter of the to acknowledge any ruler but "the King of England"—whoever
play's events. He will be involved—chiefly offstage—in the that might turn out to be. The two kings, he says, should go
political and military maneuvering that defines the play's action. fight it out, and Angiers will submit to the winner. John and
Onstage, however, the Bastard functions primarily as a kind of Philip rally their forces, and a bloody battle ensues offstage.
cynical chorus, deflating the noble pretensions of the other
characters. His choric quality is first evident at the end of this Soon French and English heralds, or messengers, appear, each
scene, where he scoffs at the customs of the political elite: reporting a victory for his own side. The chief citizen says the
their fancy dinner parties, their exaggerated sense of their own battle is too close to declare a winner. The two kings return
learning and culture. More important, he mocks the ideals of with their respective groups of noblemen, but the citizens of
this group by noting the courtiers' tendency to tell flattering Angiers still refuse to open the gates to either. The Bastard
lies rather than uncomfortable truths. This is the "sweet, sweet proposes a solution: the kings should join forces to besiege
poison" against which the Bastard wishes to immunize himself. Angiers and then fight their own battle afterward. Terrified, the
chief citizen asks the kings to hear his own less violent
proposal. The Dauphin, he says, should marry the Lady
Act 2, Scene 1 Blanche, thus forging a family bond between the two
kingdoms.
The two parties step aside to consider the proposal. Eleanor

Summary tells John to endorse the marriage, which will deprive Arthur of
his chance to seize the throne. He agrees and, as a dowry,
Act 2 consists of a single massive scene, set outside the offers France all of England's Continental territories except
French city of Angiers. First to enter is Philip II of France, Angiers. King Philip cheerfully accepts the offer. The Dauphin
accompanied by his son Louis, the Dauphin; Arthur, Duke of and Lady Blanche consent to the match as well, joining hands
Brittany; and Arthur's mother, Constance. On the opposite side and kissing to seal the betrothal. All but the Bastard exit to get
of the stage enters the Duke of Austria, who has brought his ready for the impending wedding. Left alone onstage, he gives
army to aid Arthur's cause. King Philip prepares to besiege a long and bitter speech about the "commodity"—the
Angiers, but Constance advises him to hold off until the French expediency or self-interest—that has led the two kings to make
ambassador Chatillon returns from England. Just then peace with one another.
Chatillon appears with fearful news: an English army has
landed in France. He advises Philip to turn his "forces from this
paltry siege / And stir them up against a mightier task": that is, Analysis
end the siege and prepare to fight the English. A far-off drum
announces the English have already arrived. Throughout the Middle Ages, England claimed and controlled
various territories that are now parts of France. Angiers, now
Within moments King John and his retinue appear onstage. His spelled Angers, is the capital city of Anjou, one such territory.
party includes Queen Eleanor; the Bastard; John's niece, the Other Continental English possessions, mentioned in Act 1,
Lady Blanche; and the Earls of Pembroke and Salisbury. Each Scene 1, include the city of Poitiers and the provinces of
king now demands the other's surrender, to no effect. As they Touraine, whose capital city is Tours, and Maine, whose capital
begin arguing, Constance and Eleanor fall into a venomous city is Le Mans. At the beginning of the play, these territories
quarrel of their own, questioning the legitimacy of each other's are understood by all characters to be under English control.
son. The Duke of Austria attempts to silence the two women, Chatillon, in his Act 1 audience with King John, explicitly
but the Bastard and Blanche mock him. Arthur, meanwhile, is validates the English claim when he declares Arthur the "right
mortified by the fighting among his relatives and friends. royal sovereign" of the territories. Then in Act 2 the Angevin
citizens pronounce themselves "the King of England's
As English and French parties continue to bicker, King Philip
subjects." These gestures show France, in backing Arthur, is
summons the citizens of Angiers to see which king they will
not directly contesting England's claim to the territories. Rather
acknowledge. Each king makes a long speech in defense of his
Philip II and his followers are hoping to enact a "regime

change" within the English court. If they install the young and England. Kings John and Philip arrive at the tent, accompanied
malleable Arthur as king, they may not have to fight to win back by the newly betrothed Dauphin and Lady Blanche. Also in
the territories. The drive to control these Continental attendance are Queen Eleanor, the Bastard, and the Duke of
possessions was a main source of conflict between England Austria. King Philip pronounces the young couple's wedding
and France throughout the Middle Ages. day a "festival" day, but Constance sees nothing to celebrate.
For her it is "[a] wicked day, and not a holy day!" She berates
In King John, as in his other history plays, Shakespeare turns Philip for making peace with John, thus deceiving her and
the political into the personal. Instead of trying to dramatize the failing to maintain Arthur's right to the crown. When the Duke
dry, board-game-like territorial politics of medieval Europe, he of Austria tries to calm Constance, she gives him a similar
boils it down to a single question: who should rule? Eleanor and dressing-down. For Constance, "peace is ... a war."
Constance, the mothers of King John and Arthur respectively,
are even more keenly interested in this question than their As the bad feelings boil over, Cardinal Pandulph—an
sons seem to be. In portraying Eleanor as petty and vindictive, ambassador from the pope—arrives. He charges King John
Shakespeare is not being altogether fair: her contemporaries with flouting papal authority by keeping the archbishop of
viewed her as a wise, charismatic leader who actively managed Canterbury from returning to Rome. John answers he refuses
the affairs of the realm during her sons' rule. This, however, is a to be subject to the pope, a mere "Italian priest," and angrily
simplification with a purpose. By letting Eleanor and Constance proclaims his grievances against papal authority. King Philip is
argue over the crown in the bitterest and most personal terms, shocked at John's irreverence: "Brother of England, you
Shakespeare injects a sense of urgency into the struggle for blaspheme in this." Pandulph excommunicates John for his
the throne. King John and Arthur may be weak leaders, but insolence, pronouncing him an official enemy of the Church
their mothers—and, by extension, their courts—realize just how and demands Philip resume his war with England until John
much is at stake. repents. The English nobles now attempt to get Philip to
maintain the peace, while the French nobles seem to favor a
The Bastard—the de facto narrator of King John—returns at renewed war.
the end of this scene with his most scathing speech about the
kings and their courts. In Act 1 he was cynically amused at the Philip, "perplexed," explains his plight to Pandulph: having just
"sweet poison" of flattery the noblemen doled out to their pledged peace to England, he is reluctant to break his promise.
monarchs and to one another. Now a darker and more Pandulph tells him his duty to God outweighs any other oath he
Machiavellian side of the Bastard emerges. Although he can make. Finally Philip agrees to break off the peace with
previously claimed to have no intention to "deceive," he now England, cheering Constance and angering the other English.
feels fully justified in betraying others. He rationalizes this John, infuriated, commands the Bastard to raise the English
amoral behavior by citing the bad example of the kings, who troops and prepare for battle.
"break faith," or disregard promises whenever it suits them.
Though not as manipulative as Iago in Othello or Richard III in
the play of the same name, the Bastard happily serves up half- Analysis
truths and equivocations when it serves his purposes.
King John is, to put it mildly, not a great play for monarchy.
Neither John nor Philip shows himself a particularly capable
Act 3, Scene 1 leader, but each is fortunate to have some competent
supporters among the royalty and nobility. In John's case the
support comes from his noblemen, with the Earl of Salisbury at
the head of the pack. In a less official capacity, it also comes
Summary from the Bastard, John's nephew. These characters are the
voice of reason, urging John to action when he hesitates too
Back at the French king's pavilion near Angiers, Constance,
long and advising him to hesitate when he acts too rashly. If
"full of fears," reacts negatively to the news of peace. Arthur
the earl and his fellow lords were to defect—as they do in Acts
and the Earl of Salisbury try to console her, but she fears for
4 and 5—the king would be in serious trouble. However, John
her own future and Arthur's if France abandons its war with
does not yet understand how much he relies on the loyalty of

his noblemen. He will recognize this dependency only when it is John's noblemen, an episode known as the First Barons' War
too late. (1215–17). In doing so he alters a gap of roughly 10 years
between the Anglo-French War of 1202–04 and that of
Meanwhile, in his portrayal of Philip, Shakespeare seems 1213–14. Dramatically the effect is to underscore King John's
interested in bringing the French monarch down to John's difficulties by presenting him as almost constantly under siege
level. Philip appears in just one scene after this (Act 3, Scene from Act 2 onward. A similar "cut and paste" approach to
4), and he spends much of his time there fretting history is used in the Henry VI trilogy, with the same overall
unproductively about the war. Here he vacillates for dozens of effect of sustained but ever-mutating crisis.
lines about whether he dares to defy the pope, letting his
opinion be molded by his noblemen and noblewomen. This
wishy-washy depiction does no justice to the real Philip II, a
bold and successful military strategist who reclaimed much of
Act 3, Scene 3
mainland France from English rule. Yet Shakespeare knows his
English audience too well to write a play that pits a weak
English monarch against an assertive and charismatic French
Summary
foe. If England's king is unheroic, like Henry VI for example, the
The battle at Angiers has ended. King John enters with Queen
French leadership also must have some conspicuous flaw,
Eleanor, the captive Arthur, the Bastard, and Hubert. He tells
such as religious superstition or excessive vanity. Thus in this
Queen Eleanor to stay behind in France until he can return with
play Philip II becomes a marginal character, and his hotheaded
an army. Arthur, meanwhile, is to accompany the king to
son, the Dauphin, takes over from Act 4 onward.
England, guarded by Hubert. John then instructs the Bastard
to go on ahead and demand money from England's "hoarding
Act 3, Scene 2 abbots" to fund the ongoing war. The Bastard exits, and Queen
Eleanor takes her grandson Arthur aside to speak with him in
private.
Summary King John now thanks Hubert, in rather extravagant terms, for
his service in battle. Further rewards, John hints, are in store
This short scene dramatizes a battle between the French and for Hubert—if he will help John out with another problem.
English armies. The Bastard enters the stage, bearing the Indirectly at first, then quite blatantly, John voices his wish to
severed head of the Duke of Austria. King John arrives a have Arthur, "a very serpent in my way," assassinated. Hubert
moment later, accompanied by the captive Arthur and the tersely agrees to do the job. John takes his leave of Eleanor
English gentleman Hubert. Entrusting Arthur to Hubert's care, and, with the other men, heads for the northern French port of
he then asks about his mother, Queen Eleanor. The Bastard Calais.
replies, "I rescued her. / Her Highness is in safety." The
Bastard then urges John to reenter the battle, where an
English victory—a "happy end"—seems near. Analysis
Much of King John's abysmal reputation—both during life and
Analysis in chronicles written after his death—comes from his
suspected role in the death of Arthur. Although medieval
As in his other history plays, Shakespeare takes a series of historians circulated conflicting accounts of the boy's death,
different but roughly contemporary wars and stitches them most agreed he had been murdered, and several identified
together to give the impression of a single, intense conflict. John as the culprit. Raphael Holinshed, whose Chronicles of
Because both Arthur (d. c. 1203) and Eleanor (d. 1204) are England, Scotland, and Ireland (1587) Shakespeare often
alive, the battle depicted here probably belongs to the Anglo- consulted for his histories, showed a bit more restraint. Seeing
French War of 1202–04. Yet Shakespeare later portrays the how much the 13th-century chroniclers had varied in their
war with France as segueing directly into the rebellion of King reports, he deemed John's guilt or innocence impossible to

judge. For Holinshed Arthur's death presented a chicken-or-

egg problem: John was so unpopular among his near-
Analysis
contemporaries that "whatsoever was done in prejudice of him
This scene includes a series of remarkable short speeches by
or his subjects ... the blame was still imputed to him." In other
Constance, all centered on the idea of "a mother's grief." When
words, John's unpopularity may have made him a suspect in
she first appears onstage, Constance's hair is unbound—left to
Arthur's demise, which in turn dragged his approval ratings
fall naturally, as opposed to the elaborate updos associated
down even further.
with royalty in Shakespeare's day. King Philip, embarrassed by
John's treatment of the "hoarding abbots" was no doubt the spectacle, urges Constance to "bind up [her] tresses" at
another contributing factor. Most medieval chroniclers were once. The gesture of binding, which Constance attempts
clerics of one sort or another, and many were monks. Thus, in midway through the scene, thus becomes a sort of theatrical
attempting to divert monastery funds to his war chest, John shorthand for "reining in" grief and reasserting self-control.
alienated and angered the very men who would be responsible Ultimately, however, Constance considers it dishonest to put
for writing his life story. In the play John's decision to plunder up an appearance of calm and composure while she is so
the "fat" monasteries comes back to haunt him in a more inwardly distressed by Arthur's absence. "I will not keep this
concrete way after he is forced to take refuge at Swinstead form upon my head," she declares, "when there is such
Abbey (Act 5, Scenes 6 and 7). disorder in my wit."
The Dauphin, meanwhile, has not had much of an opportunity

to show his true colors. He first appears in Act 2, Scene 1
Act 3, Scene 4 where he is married off by his father to prevent a war. Meeting
his fiancée, he falls in love on the spot and lapses into the kind
of rhapsodic language of love poetry later mocked in
Summary Shakespeare's sonnets. Blanche, the Dauphin's bride-to-be, is
so beautiful he falls in love with his own reflection simply
Still at Angiers, King Philip of France complains to Cardinal because it appears in her eye. The Bastard, cynical as ever,
Pandulph about his army's losses and England's safe retreat. scoffs at this hyperbolic display and describes the Dauphin as
"All shall yet go well," promises the cardinal, but Philip still has a traitor to his country. As preparations for the wedding begin,
his doubts. The Dauphin, somewhat unhelpfully, expresses his the question lingers: is Louis the Dauphin a lover and not a
own amazement at King John's success in the war so far. fighter?
Constance enters, looking disheveled. Unhinged by the capture Then in Act 3, Scene 1 the Dauphin seems to follow his father's
of her son, she wishes for death and rebuffs Philip's attempts lead in resuming—reluctantly—his war with the English.
to calm her down. Pandulph accuses her of "utter[ing] Whatever enchantment he found in Blanche's eyes has now
madness and not sorrow," but Constance insists she is worn off enough for him to defy his wife and her family. The
perfectly sane. "I am not mad," she declares. "Too well, too well Dauphin is still, however, not a free agent, for he has merely
I feel / The different plague of each calamity." Grief, she says, traded one set of allegiances for another. At the beginning of
has taken the place of her "absent child," whom she despairs the present scene, the Dauphin still seems to be taking his
of seeing again before he is killed. She exits, followed by King cues from his elders, moping and mourning when his father
Philip, who fears for her safety. does so. But toward the scene's end, the Dauphin begins at
last to assert his independence. Once Cardinal Pandulph
The Dauphin and Pandulph remain onstage. The Dauphin
suggests the project of conquering England, the Dauphin sets
complains of his feelings of "shame and bitterness," but
about gathering his own army and mounting an invasion force.
Pandulph predicts a reversal of France's fortunes. Arthur, he
He is, as far as the play is concerned, the new leader of the
says, will be assassinated before long, an act that will turn the
French military and the chief French officer to appear in Acts 4
English against King John. With Arthur dead and John out of
and 5. This scene is thus a pivot from the Dauphin's childlike
favor, he says, the way will be clear for the Dauphin to seize
dependency on his father toward something like adult
control of England. He urges the Dauphin to raise an army and
autonomy.
head for England.

and murder a child. He has reached his breaking point—a

Act 4, Scene 1 pattern repeated in Act 4, Scene 2 when John's noblemen walk
out on him in disgust. In later scenes this mutiny will spread
beyond the court to England's towns and villages, where
Summary tradesmen and peasants will welcome the Dauphin and the
promise of a new regime. Eventually, even the Bastard—the
At a castle (in Normandy or England; Shakespeare does not play's cynic par excellence—will get in on the general
specify), King John's servant Hubert instructs some condemnation of John's deeds. Shrewd as he is, however, the
executioners to prepare hot irons and then conceal Bastard will swallow his disapproval and continue to serve his
themselves until he gives the signal. They exit, and Arthur uncle the king.
comes forth. When Hubert greets him, Arthur can tell
something is wrong. He speaks innocently of his own sadness
at being imprisoned and his fear of foul play on King John's Act 4, Scene 2
part. Hubert is moved to pity by Arthur's childlike speech. In an
aside he admits he is unable to kill Arthur as the king has
ordered him to do.
Summary
Unable to speak, Hubert shows Arthur a piece of paper
ordering Hubert to burn out Arthur's eyes with hot irons. Arthur At his palace in England, King John has been crowned again in
pleads with Hubert, citing his kindness and innocence: "Will you the presence of the Earls of Pembroke and Salisbury. His
put out mine eyes, / These eyes that never did nor never shall / noblemen worry the "re-crowning" ceremony will show John's
So much as frown on you?" Hubert remains firm in his purpose insecurity and turn popular sentiment against him. John offers
and calls for the executioners, but he hesitates when the hot to address any grievances the earls might have with his
iron is placed in his hand. As he attempts to summon the governance of the realm. Immediately Pembroke asks for
resolve to torture Arthur, the iron grows cold and the fire goes Arthur to be set free from his imprisonment. John consents,
out. Deciding to spare Arthur, Hubert promises to spread "false but just then Hubert enters the room and draws the king aside
reports" of the boy's death. to talk with him. A few moments later they step forward and
announce Arthur's death without stating the cause. Losing
their patience, the two earls accuse John of ordering Arthur's
Analysis murder, and then leave the court, taking some other lords with
them. A messenger enters, announcing the arrival of a huge
On its surface this scene is a maudlin affair, full of tears and army from France and the deaths of Queen Eleanor and
pitiful speeches. Its sentimentality underscores Arthur's status Constance. John begins to lose his nerve "under the tide" of
as the one true innocent among the play's major characters. bad news.
He is a frightened child, eager for assurances of love and
Next to enter is the Bastard, who has succeeded in extorting
security, set loose in a world of scheming and self-interested
war funds from the clergy. He brings with him the soothsayer
adults. His lisping lines about loyalty are bound to sound over-
Peter of Pomfret, who has announced "that ere the next
the-top to a modern reader; they may even have sounded over-
Ascension Day at noon / [King John] should deliver up [his]
the-top to Elizabethans. Still they unmistakably convey Arthur's
crown." John orders Hubert to throw Peter in prison, to be
blamelessness, his perplexity at living in a world where people
executed on Ascension Day. The Bastard also reports the
do not keep promises or reciprocate kind deeds. Arthur's
arrival of the French and the defection of the earls—both of
speeches also allow him to display a degree of calm and
which John already knows. John asks him to seek out the
dignity in the face of an immediate threat to his life.
discontented earls and make an offer of peace with them. He
This scene, however, does more than build Arthur's character. obliges the king's request and leaves right away.
It also shows the extent to which resistance and rebellion have
Hubert reenters, having disposed of the soothsayer. He tells of
begun to pervade English society. Hubert, so eager to win King
an English populace bustling with rumor—both of the French
John's favor in Act 3, now finds he cannot stifle his conscience

invasion and of Arthur's death. John accuses Hubert of being The mere mention of John's losing the crown again constitutes,
overhasty in killing Arthur, but Hubert replies he was just in his eyes, an odious act of treason.
following orders. At last John acknowledges his own guilt, at
which point Hubert confesses Arthur is still alive. John urges
Hubert to track down the "angry lords" and tell them the good Act 4, Scene 3
news.
Summary
Analysis
Back at the castle where he was held prisoner, Arthur has
John's re-coronation is another historical detail that might
donned a disguise and climbed to the top of the wall. He now
seem odd to a modern reader. In fact, John was hardly alone
decides to leap down and escape before he is discovered and
among English monarchs in choosing to have a second
murdered. The fall, however, kills him upon impact. The Earls of
coronation ceremony. Two of his predecessors, Stephen and
Pembroke and Salisbury—the "angry lords" from the last
Richard I, had been re-crowned as a way of celebrating their
scene—approach, accompanied by fellow Englishman Lord
return to the throne after periods of imprisonment by a foreign
Bigot. As they discuss defecting to the French side of the war,
power. Stephen was re-crowned in 1141 at his own behest after
the Bastard arrives and tries to convince them to return to King
being captured by the forces of the Empress Matilda. Richard I,
John. Before he can persuade them, however, they discover
John's immediate predecessor, had undergone a similar
the broken corpse of Arthur. This sight fills the lords with fresh
experience, being captured in late 1192 by Duke Leopold of
outrage. Salisbury vows to avenge the boy, and Pembroke and
Austria. Upon his release in 1194, Richard I was re-crowned at
Bigot join in the oath.
the urging of his noblemen, who thought his dignity as a ruler
had been diminished by his time in captivity. Hubert rushes in. "Arthur doth live," he declares, a statement
Salisbury takes as a bald-faced lie. For a moment a sword fight
As these two examples show, being re-crowned was not all
seems about to break out, but then Salisbury and the other
that unusual in the England of King John's time. Monarchs both
lords depart to meet the Dauphin and join his forces. The
great (Richard I) and mediocre (Stephen) used it as a way of
Bastard asks Hubert about his role in Arthur's death, but
publicly reasserting themselves as rulers. Shakespeare,
Hubert professes his own innocence. With Arthur dead, the
however, transforms John's re-coronation into a huge
Bastard declares, England can no longer hope to escape the
"Warning: Reign Unstable" sign. He does this primarily through
"tempest" of coming war.
the earls, who treat the re-coronation as an absurd and
paranoid act. For the Earl of Salisbury, a second coronation is
a gesture of "wasteful and ridiculous excess," which will "make
Analysis
sound opinion sick and truth suspected." It will, in other words,
raise uncomfortable questions about the security of John's grip
In this scene Shakespeare ties up some historical loose ends.
on the throne. The Earl of Pembroke seconds this opinion,
As far as is known, the real Arthur simply went missing about
likening the re-crowning to "an ancient tale new told" at an
1203, though plenty of chroniclers were happy to divulge their
"unseasonable" time.
suspicions of murder. Whatever became of Arthur historically,
his continued presence in the play at this point would be a
Shakespeare also undercuts King John's re-coronation by
distraction. His death, however, helps explain the lords'
bringing in a prophet, Peter, who assures anyone who will listen
ongoing rebelliousness without forcing the play to plunge into
John's reign will be short-lived. Prophets in Shakespeare plays
details of English politics. The real "angry lords" may have been
have an uncanny habit of being correct in even their most far-
motivated by oppressive taxation and inconsistent law
fetched predictions, as are for example, Macbeth's witches or
enforcement, but these ideas are harder to convey in a play.
Queen Margaret in Richard III. Thus, Peter's quite reasonable
Dramatically, Arthur's body becomes a symbolic rallying point
prophecy is a heavy hint to the audience. King John's reaction
for the lords—even though, historically, he likely died a decade
to the prophecy—imprisonment pending execution—further
before their open revolt against John.
demonstrates how anxious and insecure the king has become.

By having Arthur die in an accident that is mistaken for murder, noblemen, who saw it—correctly—as a sign of insecurity rather
Shakespeare maneuvers the surviving characters into position than strength.
for the end of the play. The "angry lords," who already know of
John's intention to have Arthur assassinated, are In this scene the situation is worse. John regains the English
understandably unwilling to give John the benefit of the doubt. crown, but not as a ruler in his own right. Rather he has turned
Upset to the point of mutiny, they are unlikely to look at the over the English monarchy to the pope, who is lending it back
boy's shattered body and say, "Well, maybe he just jumped." to John in exchange for good behavior. John, who mocked the
Instead, the overt signs of trauma confirm their worst pontiff as a "slight, unworthy, and ridiculous" figure in Act 3,
suspicions. now humiliatingly acknowledges the pope as his sovereign.

Pandulph, as the pope's representative, even mocks John a
Arthur's decision to dress in a commoner's clothes introduces little by calling him a "gentle convertite," a term that
a further cruel twist. He donned this costume to escape, but to emphasizes the king's submissiveness. Historically, John's
the lords, it looks as though Arthur has been brutally tortured reconciliation with the pope offered him some protection from
and dumped incognito in a ditch. The Bastard, meanwhile, has his rebellious noblemen, though not enough to bring a stop to
any remaining idealism wrung out of him by the apparent the civil war ravaging England.
murder of his young cousin. He may remain loyal to England
(Act 5, Scene 7), but his personal loyalty to King John reaches
an all-time low in this scene. Act 5, Scene 2
Act 5, Scene 1 Summary

In the French camp at St. Edmundsbury, Louis, the Dauphin is
Summary receiving the English defectors: Lord Bigot and the Earls of
Salisbury and Pembroke. He orders his lieutenant, Count
At his palace King John ceremonially receives the crown from Melun, to make copies of his truce with the English lords.
Cardinal Pandulph, who has reconciled England to the pope. Salisbury expresses his loyalty to the Dauphin but also his
John now urges Pandulph to meet with the French and stop regret at having to kill his own countrymen. The Dauphin voices
the war. Pandulph agrees to do so. As he is exiting the stage, admiration for Salisbury's "noble" spirit and promises he will be
the Bastard enters, bearing news of the French army's rewarded for his service.
disastrous incursions into English territory. The rebel lords, he
says, found Arthur dead and defected to the Dauphin's side. Pandulph arrives to report John's reconciliation with the pope.
Nonetheless, he urges John to be bold and decisive, preventing Since both England and France are at peace with the Church,
the French from securing an easy victory. John informs him of Pandulph declares, peace must now prevail between them. The
his reconciliation with Pandulph, which the Bastard scoffs at. Dauphin refuses to be made a mere tool of the papacy and
He tells John he must be prepared anyway, in case the French announces his intention to keep fighting. The Bastard appears,
are unwilling to abide by the truce. John, still demoralized, ostensibly to check on the progress of Pandulph's peace talks.
grants the Bastard command over the English army. He is unsurprised to learn of the Dauphin's unwillingness to
back down and promises England will easily drive out the
French. Refusing to hear any further talk from Pandulph or the
Analysis Bastard, the Dauphin leaves to ready his troops for the next
battle.
For those keeping score, John has now been crowned three
times: once before the start of the play, again in Act 4, Scene
2, and a final time here. Much like duct tape, the crown seems Analysis
to lose some of its "stickiness" each time it is applied. Back in
Act 4, John's re-crowning caused consternation among his After the embarrassment of Act 5, Scene 1 this scene offers a
bit of vicarious revenge. Pandulph, used to coercing obedience

on behalf of the pope, finds he cannot bully the Dauphin into

ending the war. Like King John earlier in the play, the Dauphin
Analysis
now uses sarcasm to reject the pope's authority, asking, "Am I
This scene continues to stir up doubt regarding the outcome of
Rome's slave? What penny hath Rome borne? / What men
the French invasion. If the Dauphin is to be believed in Act 5,
provided? What munition sent / To underprop this action?"
Scene 2, the French enjoy a huge advantage at this point in the
In other words, "Why should I take orders from the Pope, when war, and the losses reported by Hubert in the present scene
I'm the one paying for the war?" In fighting the war to begin are more of a setback than a defeat. John's illness and
with, the Dauphin has gone against his own better judgment by subsequent retreat further complicated the picture: will the
violating a peace treaty whose ink was barely dry. Since the king's absence demoralize the troops or free them to
war began, Pandulph has encouraged the Dauphin on (Act 3, concentrate on the task at hand?
Scene 4) by suggesting France could take over England
John's death, by the way, will later be blamed on poison, but
altogether. Now, just as the Dauphin is beginning to realize his
there is no sign of foul play at this juncture. The simplest
hope of conquering England, he is told to make peace, pack
explanation is John, already anxious and demoralized,
up, and return to France. Seen in this light, his frustration is
develops a fever while still attempting to lead his army. Then, in
understandable.
his weakened state, he is poisoned by the monks at Swinstead
In his history plays Shakespeare often portrays the Catholic before he has a chance to recuperate. John's final illness and
Church as a shadowy organization that gets others to do its manner of death is discussed in greater detail in the Insights to
dirty work. King John is no exception. This evident prejudice Act 5, Scene 7.
reflects the culture and legal regime of Elizabethan England,
where Catholicism had been outlawed since 1559 and
Anglicanism was the state religion. For an audience in 1590s Act 5, Scene 4
London, the decision to defy the pope would likely have
boosted the Dauphin's image, somewhat counteracting his
status as a Frenchman. Indeed, the Dauphin is on a very short Summary
list of Shakespearean Frenchmen who are not dandies, villains,
or cowards. Practically, however, the Dauphin's defiance also Elsewhere on the battlefield, Lord Bigot and the Earls of
means the war is not over. King John and England itself are still Salisbury and Pembroke commiserate about the strength of
under threat. the English army. Mortally wounded, the French officer Count
Melun staggers onto the stage and issues a dire warning: the
English defectors are "bought and sold" and should return to
Act 5, Scene 3 King John while they can. Otherwise, if the French win the
battle, the Dauphin plans to go back on his truce and behead
Salisbury, Pembroke, and Bigot as traitors. Grateful for the
Summary warning, the English lords help Melun exit the field.
On the battlefield King John receives bad news from Hubert

and divulges his own failing health. A messenger from the Analysis
Bastard comes to ask King John to leave the battlefield. John
decides to head for Swinstead Abbey. The messenger tries to The needle of the Anglo-French "battle meter" now tips back
cheer the king by announcing the retreat of the French and the toward England. With the leading noblemen restored to John's
interruption of their supply lines. King John, however, is too favor, England's army stands a substantially better chance of
sick to celebrate. victory.
It's worth noting when Salisbury, Pembroke, and Bigot

defected in Act 4, King John did not lose only three men: he
lost a host of knights, soldiers, and other followers loyal to their

lords and not to John directly. The highly centralized English threatening to seize the crown. Nonetheless, the Dauphin is
monarchy familiar in Shakespeare's time did not arise until long portrayed as valiant and warlike, unlike the foppish princes of
after the events of King John. There was, as yet, no large Henry V and the credulous cowards of Henry VI, Part 1.
standing army of professional soldiers, paid by and answerable
to the monarch. Thus, when the "angry lords" reconcile with
King John, they bring with them a force capable—at least in Act 5, Scene 6
principle—of shifting the tide of the war.
Summary
Act 5, Scene 5
The scene shifts to the environs of Swinstead Abbey, where
King John lies sick. Hubert and the Bastard enter the stage
Summary separately. Standing watch on King John's behalf, Hubert
threatens to shoot the Bastard if he does not identify himself.
This final battlefield scene takes place in the French camp, After a tense exchange, the two recognize one another as
where the Dauphin is congratulating himself on an evident allies. King John, Hubert announces, has been "poisoned by a
victory over the English. A messenger arrives, announcing the monk" and is now with the rebel lords, who have been
death of Count Melun, the wreck of some French supply ships, pardoned and welcomed back. The Bastard demands to be led
and the English lords' return to their own king. Sobered by the to the king, already fearing he will arrive too late.
bad news, the Dauphin nonetheless resolves to get up early
and "try the fair adventure of tomorrow."
Analysis
Analysis The manner of King John's death has been the subject of much
speculation through the centuries. The trouble begins with the
At this point things are looking good for the English, but medieval chroniclers, who offer a variety of conflicting and
Shakespeare has already divulged all the bad news the sometimes bizarre explanations for the king's gradual decline.
messenger now reports. The French supply line disruptions The early 13th-century writer Ralph of Coggeshall, for example,
were reported in Act 5, Scene 3, and both Melun's death and attributed John's death to gluttony. His contemporary Roger of
the lords' defection were mentioned in Scene 4. Why does Wendover somewhat more colorfully blamed it on "a surfeit of
Shakespeare rehash these military developments just as the peaches and cider."
play is reaching its conclusion?
Only in the late 13th century were the monks of Swinstead
One answer lies in the perspective this scene adopts. The Abbey implicated as possible agents in John's death, as
previous two scenes dramatize the actions and reactions of Shakespeare here presents them. Yet by Shakespeare's time,
Englishmen, but Act 5, Scene 5 shows the French response to the "poisoned by a monk" hypothesis remained only one of
the same events. In doing this Shakespeare helps establish the numerous possible explanations, none of which were accepted
character of the Dauphin as energetic and youthful, in contrast as definitive. The 16th-century historian Raphael Holinshed,
to his indecisive father, King Philip. There is something to one of Shakespeare's key sources for his English history plays,
admire in the rapidity with which the Dauphin bounces back sums up the divergent reports as "doubtful, and therefore
from misfortune and in his attempts to cheer up his officers. undetermined." Modern historians are similarly skeptical of
His warrior spirit is even more remarkable given his youth, poisoning, gluttony, and other possible causes of death. They
which leads other characters to underestimate him. tend to suspect dysentery, an infectious disease whose
symptoms match those described by the chroniclers.
As readers of Shakespeare's other histories will notice, these
minor touches of heroism set the Dauphin apart from most
other Shakespearean Frenchmen. He is clearly not the "good
guy" in this play because he is ransacking English villages and

King John Study Guide Quotes 25
his comedies, too. He makes fun of French fashions,

Act 5, Scene 7 mannerisms, and language while endowing his French
characters with a reverence for England's fighting spirit. Henry
V, perhaps the most famous Shakespeare history play,
Summary presents the French as incompetent fools who care more
about their horses than about warfare.
In the orchard of Swinstead Abbey, Prince Henry reports some
grim news to Lord Bigot and the Earl of Salisbury. King John, However, in the early 13th century—the time of King
he says, is near death and becoming delirious. The Earl of John—concepts of nationality were far less clear. Many
Pembroke comes out of the abbey and asks whether the king members of the nobility had close familial ties to both England
might be moved into the open air to ease his suffering. Prince and France. Many more, especially on the Continent, had only
Henry assents, and Bigot exits to carry out the order. weak allegiances to either the French or the English monarch.
England itself had been conquered only a century and a half
Henry now asks about his father's condition. Pembroke says earlier by William, a Norman ruler who ousted the Anglo-
the king is in better spirits and is even singing a little. Prince Saxons and installed a Continental elite. King John and his
Henry chalks this up to the delirium. Salisbury attempts to court would not even have spoken English, the language of the
comfort Henry with the thought he will be able to "set a form common people and seldom used by the ruling class. An avid
upon that indigest / Which [John] hath left so shapeless and so reader of history, Shakespeare was likely well aware of this
rude." Henry, in other words, will be able to restore order to fact. Thus, the "England" and "France" portrayed in King John
England once he ascends the throne. John is brought forth in are far different from the early modern nation-states of
obvious agony and seems to ask to be put out of his misery. Shakespeare's day.
The Bastard enters and is shocked to see the king in his
weakened state. When John asks about the progress of the In sidestepping complicated issues of national identity,
war, the Bastard tells him of recent English losses and an however, King John does not merely "dumb down" European
impending French advance. King John dies instantly. history. Rather Shakespeare uses a simplified, modernized
version of nationhood to make his play relevant to his
As Prince Henry and the Bastard fret about how to meet the contemporaries. If the play is read against the backdrop of
Dauphin's army, Salisbury reports an offer of peace from the actual medieval history, the Bastard's moralizing speech at the
French. Cardinal Pandulph, he says, is within the abbey and has end seems phony, even ridiculous. To what "self" could
been authorized by the Dauphin to declare an end to the war. England remain true when it was ruled by the French-speaking
The three English lords offer to ratify the peace treaty, first direct descendants of a Norman conqueror? The idea of
swearing their loyalty to Prince Henry. As they leave the stage, national unity is more directly relevant to Shakespeare's own
the Bastard offers a patriotic speech about English strength time, when a well-defined, highly centralized monarchy faced
and unity. "Naught shall make us rue," he concludes, "If England both foreign and domestic threats.
to itself do rest but true."
Analysis g Quotes
Throughout King John Shakespeare has been reworking
"Sweet, sweet, sweet poison for
history to emphasize the distinction between France and
England, Frenchmen and Englishmen. In the time of Queen the age's tooth."
Elizabeth such a distinction was certainly thought to exist and
even taken for granted. Elizabeth herself appealed to English — The Bastard, Act 1, Scene 1
nationalism in rousing wartime speeches to her soldiers,
cultivating a kind of "English exceptionalism." Shakespeare,
meanwhile, underscored the cultural differences between Soon after being knighted and welcomed into the royal family,
England and France in many of his history plays—and a few of the Bastard reflects on the social world he has entered. In

English high society, he recognizes the "sweet poison" of

false blood joined? Gone to be
flattery and indirection is more appreciated than blunt honesty.
He optimistically—or perhaps dishonestly—decides not to be friends?"
deceitful himself, a promise that later scenes will call into
question. Nonetheless, the Bastard recognizes the value of — Constance, Act 3, Scene 1
"learning" the poisonous language of the court.
The peace treaty of Act 2 is welcome news to most of the

play's characters. Not so for Constance, who hoped to use the
"Give grandam kingdom, and it war between France and England as a means of securing her
grandam will / Give it a plum, a son's claim to the throne. Constance now reacts to the
announcement with a bitter, histrionic outburst. Such rhetorical
cherry, and a fig." displays will define Constance throughout her remaining
scenes.
— Constance, Act 2, Scene 1
In the second of these two lines, Constance accuses the
leaders of both England and France of being "false." England,
Here Constance mocks Queen Eleanor's attempts to win
in her view, is "false" in it embraces a "false" (illegitimate) ruler
Arthur's submission. Grandam is an informal term for
rather than her son. France, meanwhile, has been "false"
"grandmother," similar in tone to "granny" or "nana." Thus
(disloyal) to Constance, who was relying on the French king's
Constance is demeaning Eleanor through the use of imitative
support to win the throne for Arthur. With these two forms of
baby talk.
"falsehood" united in marriage, Constance seems to have no
hope of becoming the mother of a king.
Plums, cherries, and figs are typical treats a grandparent might
give a small child. Fig is also a proverbial term for something
trifling or worthless. Constance uses these fruits to ridicule
John and Eleanor's offers of land and titles: nothing they can "The fat ribs of peace / Must by
give Arthur compares to the English crown.
the hungry now be fed upon."
"Since kings break faith upon — King John, Act 3, Scene 3
Commodity, / Gain, be my lord, for

With these words King John justifies his decision to extort
I will worship thee!" money from the monasteries to fund his ongoing war with
France. England's people, he argues, must sacrifice some of
— The Bastard, Act 2, Scene 1 the comfort and plenty they enjoy in peacetime if the war is to
be a success. The clergy are not exempt.
In his Act 2 soliloquy the Bastard complains of a complete lack
The imagery of fatness and hunger is, on the surface,
of integrity on the part of the kings and noblemen.
innocuous enough. Peacetime is proverbially a "fat" time of
"Commodity," he says—a term usually taken to mean
abundance, whereas wartime is a "lean" time of rationing and
expediency or self-interest—is the only value they hold dear.
thrift. However, in taking aim specifically at the "fat ribs" of the
Since the kings are willing to break oaths to serve their own
monks, John reveals at least a small amount of anticlerical
selfish interests, the Bastard sees no reason not do so himself.
prejudice. His treatment of the monasteries as revenue
sources was, historically, one reason the chroniclers (including
many monks) viewed him negatively. Within the play John's
"Gone to be married? Gone to attempts to "trim the fat" from the monasteries help explain
swear a peace? / False blood to why a monk eventually saw fit to poison him.

"I am not mad. This hair I tear is with a threat'ning eye."

mine; / My name is Constance; I
— Pandulph, Act 3, Scene 4
was Geoffrey's wife; / Young
Arthur is my son, and he is lost." This snappy aphorism comes in the middle of a larger pep talk
Pandulph is administering to the Dauphin. He is, essentially,
— Constance, Act 3, Scene 4 trying to get the Dauphin to reframe France's losses as the
prelude to an eventual victory. Pandulph is not, however,
cheering the despondent Dauphin because of selfless
Up to this point Constance has been presented in an
compassion. Rather he fervently wishes for France to win the
ambivalent light at best. She is understandably zealous in
war and conquer England. From the Church's point of view, a
defense of her son's right to rule. Yet she seems to ignore the
French victory means uprooting the rebellious King John while
emotional toll the battle for the throne is taking on Arthur. At
increasing the influence of the obedient King Philip.
her worst in Act 2, Constance seems like those modern
parents who place their children's "careers" in sports or
academics above the child's well being.
"Will you put out mine eyes— /
Now, however, Arthur is captured, and Constance reveals a
These eyes that never did nor
softer, more sympathetic side. The depths of her desperation
in this scene show the audience how deeply Constance does never shall / So much as frown on
care about her son. At the same time, she warns onlookers not
you?"
to assume she has been unhinged with grief. Quite the
contrary: given the sad reality she must now reckon with, going
"mad" would be welcome relief. — Arthur, Act 4, Scene 1
Most of this scene consists of a long and sentimental

"Grief fills the room up of my exchange between Arthur, about to be tortured, and Hubert,
the reluctant torturer. In the process Shakespeare sharpens
absent child, / Lies in his bed, the distinction between innocent Arthur and corrupt John and
walks up and down with me." his henchmen. These lines capture that contrast.
Arthur, a mere boy, has not resisted captivity but has meekly
— Constance, Act 3, Scene 4 complied with his jailers' demands. More than that he has
actively befriended Hubert out of compassion for the man's
Later in this same scene, Constance realizes her grief is still own suffering. Now, hoping to spare himself from torture and
not being taken seriously. She has already been called insane death, Arthur reminds Hubert of these facts. His plea—at first
for her reaction to the news of Arthur's capture. Now, some 50 ignored—is eventually heard, and Hubert relents.
lines later, King Philip and Cardinal Pandulph are essentially
asking her to "get over it." Constance responds by trying,
vainly, to get the men to understand her point of view. The loss "To gild refinèd gold, to paint the
of her son has left a huge void in her life, which grief proceeds
to fill for the time being.
lily /... Is wasteful and ridiculous
excess."
"When Fortune means to men — Earl of Salisbury, Act 4, Scene 2
most good, / She looks upon them

This speech is the source of the misquoted expression to gild

"The day shall not be up so soon
the lily, meaning "to do something extravagant and excessive."
The examples Salisbury uses are, arguably, even more over- as I / To try the fair adventure of
the-top: to "gild refinèd gold" is literally to cover gold with more
tomorrow."
gold.
The excessive "gilding" to which Salisbury refers is King John's — Dauphin, Act 5, Scene 5
insistence on being crowned twice. John, apparently, feels
more secure having his kingship confirmed by a second
Late in the war the Dauphin encounters a series of setbacks
coronation ceremony. Salisbury, however, rightly discerns such
that threaten to halt his invasion of England. Unlike King John,
an excessive gesture will have the opposite effect. The
however, who is easily shaken by bad news, the Dauphin is
English, he worries, will be reluctant to trust a leader who
resilient in the face of disappointment. He curses his luck for a
demands to be "re-crowned," as if the first coronation were not
few lines and then resolves to be up before dawn and resume
legitimate.
his assault as best he can.
"Do not seek to stuff / My head "Be of good comfort, prince, for
with more ill news, for it is full." you are born / To set a form upon
— King John, Act 4, Scene 2 that indigest / Which [John] hath
left so shapeless and so rude."
At this point King John's earls have abandoned him. He has
learned of his mother's death and the approach of the French — Earl of Salisbury, Act 5, Scene 7
army. Now John gives rein to the dangerous but very human
impulse to ignore bad news. When the Bastard tries to give
As King John breathes his last, the Earl of Salisbury looks to
John his report from the home front, John buries his head in
Henry, the crown prince, to rebuild the kingdom. Henry,
the sand, preferring ignorance to harsh truths. This, as the
Salisbury acknowledges, has his work cut out for him. England
Bastard recognizes, is not the way to win a war.
has been left "shapeless" and "rude" by the combination of a
French invasion and civil war. Nonetheless, Salisbury
expresses a hope Henry will "set a form" upon the chaos,
"How easy dost thou take all restoring both political order and territorial sovereignty. History
England up!" did not bear out this hope: Henry's reign proved almost as
troubled and turbulent as John's.
— The Bastard, Act 4, Scene 3
"Naught shall make us rue, / If

This gloomy remark follows the discovery of Arthur's corpse at
the foot of the castle wall. At first the comment seems England to itself do rest but true."
treasonous: if the Bastard is loyal to John, then surely his rival
Arthur does not count as "all [of] England." In the remainder of — The Bastard, Act 5, Scene 7
his speech, however, the Bastard clarifies his remarks. Arthur's
demise represents the downfall of England not because Arthur
This upbeat sentiment hardly seems to fit a play in which
is king but because "the life, the right, and truth" of England are
England has lost most of its lands in France, had its monarch
irrecoverably lost. The boy's death, whether accidental or not,
poisoned, and barely survived a rebellion. The Bastard's closing
ruins John's prospect of reconciling with his nobles and
cheer for England is more readily understood as an
resisting French encroachment.

King John Study Guide Symbols 29
anachronistic shout-out to Elizabethan audiences. England, the represented by Cardinal Pandulph, only to receive it back
Bastard here insists, must stick together despite the crises of immediately. The trouble is it's not really John's crown at this
its own time. In Elizabeth's day this meant rebellions, religious point—he's leasing it from the pope, whom he has just
dissension, and threatened invasions from Spain. There was acknowledged as his master. This is, at least in principle, a
plenty to "make [England] rue" in the 13th century, but this serious weakening of the English monarchy, undermining the
speech holds forth the promise that the 17th century may be Bastard's later lines about England's never being conquered.
different. John certainly seems embarrassed, as he hastily tries to
change the subject the moment he has his crown back.
Cardinal Pandulph, however, lingers on the topic of John's
"oath of service to the Pope," as if to rub in the humiliation.
l Symbols Ascension Day 1213 proves, in a bit of verbal irony, to be the
date of John's descent from sovereign to vassal.
The Crown
The Lion's Hide
King John begins with a dispute over the English crown and
ends with the passing of that crown to the next generation. Another noteworthy symbol appears in Act 2, when the Duke
Throughout the play King John attempts to invoke his of Austria appears with a lion's hide draped over his armor. The
headgear as a sign of his authority. In Act 2, when attempting lion is, among other things, the symbol of Richard the
to reason with the citizens of Angiers, he demands to know, Lionheart, John's immediate predecessor and one of England's
"Doth not the crown of England prove the King?" In other most famous warrior-kings. In Act 1, before Austria even enters
words, the crown is for John a self-evident sign of his right to the picture, Richard's "fury and unmatchèd force" are identified
rule. If you're wearing it, you're the monarch. with the might of the lion. The Bastard even jokes about the
connection between lions' hearts and other hearts Richard
At two subsequent points in the play, the crown is removed
might win. Against Richard he says, "The aweless lion could not
from John's head and placed back on it. By John's own
wage the fight / Nor keep his princely heart from Richard's
reasoning, these are precarious moments for his standing as a
hand. / He that perforce robs lions of their hearts / May easily
ruler. If "the crown of England prove[s] the King," then anyone
win a woman's."
capable of removing John's crown is in a sense capable of un-
kinging him. The first such moment occurs in Act 4, Scene 2 Thus by the time the Duke of Austria, draped in a lion's skin,
when John returns from France and insists on being re- comes onstage, the symbol's broader significance is well
crowned. Although the re-coronation takes place offstage, the established. Lions represent courage, martial prowess, and
English nobility continue to comment on the act and its virility—qualities Austria never displays in the slightest measure
symbolic significance. "You were crowned before," complains onstage. Moreover, in wearing the lion's hide, Austria is
the Earl of Pembroke, and "that high royalty was ne'er plucked flaunting his own victory over Richard the Lionheart, whom,
off." Salisbury likewise laments John's need "to be possessed William Shakespeare implies, he killed in battle. This is a
with double pomp." In itself, a re-coronation ceremony was departure from historical fact: Richard was imprisoned by
nothing new by the time of King John (see Insights to Act 4, Austria during the 1190s but died years later in an unrelated
Scene 2). The earls, however, correctly read it as a sign of battle.
insecurity. Later in the scene the soothsayer Peter of Pomfret
predicts—again, correctly—John will "deliver up [his] crown" Nonetheless, Austria claims and receives credit for the
before noon on Ascension Day. John jails Peter and sentences deed—at least from the French. The English faction is less
him to death for his troubles. willing to validate Austria's reputation as a war hero. Instead
they mock him with a series of insults reimagining him not as a
At the beginning of Act 5, John loses and regains his crown lion but as a timid prey animal. The Bastard calls Austria "the
once more. This time he yields it willingly to the pope,

King John Study Guide Themes 30
hare ... Whose valor plucks dead lions by the beard" and himself and his kingdom. Rather the immediate point of the
threatens to "set an ox head to [his] lion's hide." When Austria speech is both kings are hypocrites, pretending to serve higher
tells the Bastard to be quiet, he instead jeers, "O tremble, for ideals when really they answer only to "commodity." If Philip
you hear the lion roar." were truly bound by "conscience," "zeal," and "charity," he
would not stop fighting simply because John offers to return
In Act 3, Scene 1—Austria's last moments alive some territories to France. Similarly if John were truly
onstage—Constance joins in the lion jokes, angered by idealistically insistent on his right to rule, he would not sacrifice
Austria's abandonment of her cause. "Thou wear a lion's hide!" his Continental territories in the first place. He would not offer
she gibes. "Doff it for shame, / And hang a calfskin on those to make "Anjou and fair Touraine, Maine, Poitiers" part of his
recreant limbs." Austria is incensed by this remark but, true to niece's dowry in her marriage to the Dauphin.
form, does nothing to avenge himself for the insult, even when
the Bastard repeats it. Here, as elsewhere, Austria's The broader point of the Bastard's speech is the whole "mad
abundance of bold words and lack of action seem to reveal a world" works this way, hiding motives of self-interest behind
coward under the lion's skin. the rhetoric of virtue and obligation. Thus the Bastard has no
compunction about joining the game and chasing "commodity"
himself: "Since kings break faith upon Commodity, / Gain, be
my lord, for I will worship thee!"
m Themes
Taken as a whole, however, the events of the play neither
confirm nor falsify this worldview. Some characters—not only
Kings John and Philip, but Cardinal Pandulph as well—happily
Commodity play the "commodity" game. Their speeches are peppered with
allusions to rights, justice, law, and order, as can be seen when
the kings address the Angevin citizens in Act 2, Scene 1. Each
King John's best-known speech occurs in Act 2, Scene 1 where insists on his status as the wronged party and, therefore, has a
the Bastard—a leading English commander—inveighs against right to revenge. Pandulph offers his own version of this
"that smooth-faced gentleman, tickling Commodity." He half- performance when he uses Christian piety as a justification for
laughs, half-chides as he notes King Philip's pious reasons for waging war and breaking oaths in Act 3. Puffed up with pride
going to war, as contrasted with his pragmatic reasons for as a "prince of the Church," he seems to enjoy playing puppet
later seeking peace. Philip, the Bastard says, had his armor master with the secular monarchs. Moreover, he naturally
buckled on by "conscience" and was led to the field of battle prefers these monarchs to be docile and malleable, rather than
by "zeal" and "charity"—meaning his selfless desire to see having agendas of their own. Because he claims to speak on
Arthur crowned. But all this holiness was cast aside when behalf of a higher power, Pandulph has an excellent vantage
Philip began listening to "commodity," "that ... purpose-changer, point from which to disguise his pursuit of "commodity."
that sly devil." Suddenly Philip found it more convenient to let

Other characters, however, are more idealistic than the
John keep the crown, if only France could regain its lands on
Bastard expects people to be. The "angry lords"—Salisbury,
the Continent. John is just as bad in the Bastard's view, having
Pembroke, and Bigot—may, historically, have sought political
"willingly departed with a part" of his kingdom "to stop Arthur's
power in their rebellion against John. William Shakespeare,
title in the whole."
however, portrays them as among the few characters truly
The word commodity has multiple meanings, but critics interested in justice. They vow revenge for Arthur, abandoning
generally take its use in King John to denote "self-interest" or their cause only when it becomes clear the French are using
"expediency." The Bastard pretends to be astounded by the them. Earlier in the play, Arthur disavows any notion of
two kings' decision to lay aside their principles and negotiate, "commodity," and he does so even more convincingly than the
but he is not really surprised. The Bastard does not actually adult characters. In Act 2, Scene 1 the young duke believably
believe Philip to be a selfless crusader, defending Arthur out of insists he is "not worth this coil that's made for [him]." Not
a sense of moral obligation. Nor does he see his uncle John as wanting "coil" (meaning "quarrel"), he wants peace, safety, and
a noble-hearted warrior-king, interested only in justice for parental love and guidance—not a crown or a kingdom.

King John Study Guide Themes 31
alongside their respective sons, but their ambitions are

Control portrayed even less flatteringly. Eleanor comes across as a
domineering queen mother, apt to tell her son "I told you so."
Constance is, at times, almost like a 13th-century royal
King John portrays a political battle royal in which several "pageant mom," constantly thrusting her unwilling child into the
distinct factions vie for control—of France, of England, and of limelight. Yet even though Eleanor and Constance are depicted
one another. From Act 1 onward, two opposing groups—one unfavorably in the play, their desperation to control England is
led by King John and one led by King Philip of France—seek to understandable. As the widows of English royalty, they wield
secure a claim to the English crown. Each faction includes a power only indirectly. They have no armies of their own and are
supporting cast of royal family members and noble retainers, dependent on the success of sons—one a weak monarch, the
who, at least at the beginning, back their respective monarchs other a mere child. As John goes, so goes Eleanor: if he loses
in the struggle for power. John is initially supported by his the crown, she becomes a nobody, politically marginalized at
mother, Eleanor, and a group of English noblemen. Philip, best and in danger of assassination at worst. Similarly
claiming his actions are on behalf of the young Arthur, John's Constance's political future hangs on Arthur's ability to seize
rival for the English throne, is supported by Constance, who the throne whether he wants to or not. In the warlike world of
wants to see her son crowned king, and by his ally the Duke of medieval Europe, being a queen mother is far preferable to
Austria. The third team to enter the field (in Act 3) is the fending for oneself.
Church, headed by the pope and represented onstage by
papal legate Pandulph. As an institution, the Church has its
own interests to protect and demands total submission from
the two secular monarchs. Later in the play the English Loyalty
noblemen, holding different ranks but known collectively as the
"lords," emerge as a fourth distinct faction. They begin the play
loyal to John but defect when he makes the tyrannical decision King John also dramatizes the conflict among three kinds of
to assassinate Arthur in Act 4. loyalty: loyalty to others, loyalty to principles, and loyalty to
one's self-interest. Both kings, as the Bastard shrewdly
None of these factions ends up enjoying real control over
observes in Act 2, pretend to be unswervingly devoted to the
England. The English—both the royals and the lords who serve
ideal of justice. Additionally, King Philip pledges his loyalty to
them—are left with a country that is "shapeless" and "rude"
Arthur and his cause, ostensibly for charitable reasons.
(unformed and raw). Bringing order to the land after the French
However, both kings are loyal only to their own interests: John
invasion and the subsequent civil war will be the life's work of
wants to keep the crown, and Philip wants to recover France's
King Henry III (1207–72), who appears in the final scene (Act 5,
lost provinces. The Bastard wryly notes the discrepancy in his
Scene 7) as the young Prince Henry. As Shakespeare's original
"commodity" speech at the end of Act 2, Scene 1.
audiences likely knew, Henry will hardly leave the country
better than he found it. The French, meanwhile, fare little In Act 3, Scene 1 Constance, however, is much less nonchalant
better. The terms of their peace, concluded offstage at the in complaining about the faithlessness of kings: "France is a
play's end, will restore parts of the Continent to French control, bawd to Fortune and King John, / That strumpet Fortune, that
but England will remain intact. Thus the Dauphin's fleets and usurping John.— / Tell me, thou fellow, is not France
armies grant him some bargaining power but hardly the second forsworn?" It's hard to argue with Constance's reasoning here.
crown he hoped for. The Church may seem the real winner France, or King Philip, has indeed "forsworn" himself by
here, having gained indirect control of the English throne. The breaking his promise to help Arthur. He has shown himself
throne, however, is only as good as its occupant. Henry III's more loyal to "Fortune," or convenience and personal gain, than
submission to the pope will be of little use if he cannot govern to those he pledged to aid. His alliance with King John is, like
his own kingdom. The chaos and rebellion will continue the business transacted by a "bawd," or pimp, a temporary
throughout the 13th century, a fact that casts a grim light on arrangement—not a long-term commitment. In Act 5, Scene 1
the power struggles of King John. John's obedience to the pope—his standing as a "gentle
convertite"—is similarly a matter of convenience. He submits
Queen Eleanor and Constance both vie for political power

King John Study Guide Suggested Reading 32
because he wants an end to the war, not because of Christian Propaganda." Sixteenth Century Journal, vol. 11, no. 4, Winter
piety or personal loyalty to the pontiff. 1980, pp. 23–32.
Perhaps the purest of this impure lot are the "angry lords" who Werner, Sarah. King John. Folger Shakespeare Library, 15 Feb.
defect from King John in Act 4, Scene 2. The Earls of 2015.
Pembroke and Salisbury, along with their associate Lord Bigot,
rebel against King John but not out of an obvious desire for
political advantage. Rather they leave the royal court and join
the French because they can no longer tolerate John's
tyrannical behavior. In doing so they travel in the opposite
direction from the play's monarchs, sacrificing personal
allegiance for loyalty to a moral code. It may or may not be
more practical for them to remain in John's court. It's certainly
less risky in the short run: when they defect, they have no
assurance France will receive them as allies. Nonetheless, the
three men are principled enough to see the murder of
innocents as unacceptable. Salisbury expresses this idea most
forcefully in Act 4, Scene 3 as he claims, "We will not line
[John's] thin bestainèd cloak / With our pure honors, nor
attend the foot / That leaves the print of blood where'er it
walks." To keep one's honor "pure" one cannot associate with
assassins and tyrants, no matter what they might offer in
exchange.
Ultimately John's downfall might be said to come from

presuming too much of the personal loyalty of his people. He is
himself loyal only to his self-interest—not to the pope, not to
King Philip, and certainly not to his own subjects. He realizes
too late others as well care only for their own advantage, or—in
a few exceptional cases—for maintaining their honor and
integrity. In neither case do they have any special devotion to
him as a person or a ruler. Although King John is generally
classed as a history, this belated recognition lends a tragic
touch to the play's ending.
e Suggested Reading
"About the Play | King John." Royal Shakespeare Company, n.d.
Delahoyde, Michael. "The Troublesome Raigne of John."

Washington State U, n.d.
"King John." Internet Shakespeare Editions, edited by Michael

Best, U of Victoria, n.d.
Levin, Carole. "A Good Prince: King John and Early Tudor
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King John: What's Inside in Context

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King John

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What's Inside d In Context

j Book Basics ................................................................................................. 1

YEARS WRITTEN Shakespeare's negative portrayal of King John is largely

Throughout Shakespeare's other dramatizations of medieval

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Most other modern productions have situated themselves

Unlike many Shakespeare plays performed in the 18th century,

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Throughout his career Shakespeare and his fellow actors were

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The Bastard Constance

Other Major Character

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Full Character List The Duke of Austria, known in some

The Earl of Essex is one of King

A group of executioners appear in

Son of a deceased knight, Robert

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James Gurney is Lady The sheriff appears in the first scene

An English herald appears in Act 2 to k Plot Summary

Peter of Pomfret is a soothsayer who Act 2

Because both claim victory, the matter seems to be at a

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poisoning by a monk. Henry, the English crown prince, grieves

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Rising Action Falling Action

4. During renewed fighting, Arthur is captured.

5. French forces invade England.

8. Arthur attempts to escape and dies in a fall.

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King John refuses to acknowledge Arthur's right to rule

English and French armies prepare to besiege Angiers.

In Angiers war with France is narrowly averted by a royal

Not long after

Pandulph excommunicates the insolent King John on the

Pandulph urges Philip to break the treaty and continue

Fighting resumes between England and France.

During the war

English forces capture Arthur, whom Hubert brings back

King John secretly orders Arthur's assassination.

French forces prepare to invade England.

Ordered to kill Arthur, Hubert cannot bring himself to do

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John has himself re-crowned to the dismay of his

A group of "angry lords" defect from King John to

John sends Hubert and the Bastard to make peace with

Allowed to escape, Arthur dies in a suspicious-looking

John makes peace with the pope.

The Dauphin defies the pope by continuing to wage war.

King John falls ill and retires to Swinstead Abbey.

Poisoned by a monk, John dies at Swinstead after an

The English nobility depart to seek peace with France.

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[her] husband's bed." She repents this "transgression," but the

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The two parties step aside to consider the proposal. Eleanor

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