The Life and Death of King John





The Life and Death of King John, a history play by William Shakespeare, dramatises the reign of John, King of England (ruled 1199–1216), son of Henry II of England and Eleanor of Aquitaine and father of Henry III of England. It is believed to have been written in the mid-1590s but was not published until it appeared in the First Folio in 1623.

Date and text
Stanley Wells and Gary Taylor, editors of the Oxford edition of The Complete Works, date the play to 1595 or 1596. The play was in existence by 1598, as it is mentioned by Francis Meres in his list of Shakespearean plays published in that year, Palladis Tamia. It was first published in the First Folio in 1623. No early performances, however, are recorded. The earliest known performance took place in 1737, when John Rich staged a production at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. In 1745, the year of the Jacobite rebellion, competing productions were staged by Colley Cibber at Covent Garden and David Garrick at Drury Lane. Charles Kemble's 1823 production made a serious effort at historical accuracy. Since that time, King John has been one of Shakespeare's least-performed plays.

Performance history
Numerous 17th century references to King John testify to the play's popularity, but the first recorded performance did not take place until 1737. David Garrick staged the first successful revival in 1745. Charles Kemble staged a production in 1823, notable for inaugurating the 19th century tradition of striving for historical accuracy in Shakespearean production. Other successful productions of the play were staged by William Charles Macready (1842) and Charles Kean (1846). Twentieth century revivals include Robert B. Mantell's 1915 production (the last production to be staged on Broadway) and Peter Brook's 1945 staging, featuring Paul Scofield as the Bastard.

In the Victorian era, King John was one of Shakespeare's most frequently staged plays, in part because its spectacle and pageantry were congenial to Victorian audiences. King John, however, has decreased in popularity: it is now one of Shakespeare's least-known plays and stagings of it are very rare. It has been staged four times on Broadway, the last time in 1915. It has also been staged four times from 1953 to 2010 at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival.

Herbert Beerbohm Tree made a silent film version in 1899 entitled King John. It is a short film consisting of the King's death throes in Act V, Scene vii and is the earliest surviving film adaptation of a Shakespearean play. King John has been made for television twice: in 1951 with Donald Wolfit and in 1984 with Leonard Rossiter.

Characters

 * King John
 * Prince Henry, son to the King (who succeeds as Henry III)
 * Arthur I, nephew to the King
 * Earl of Pembroke
 * Earl of Essex
 * Lord Bigot
 * Hubert de Burgh
 * Robert Faulconbridge, son of Sir Robert Faulconbridge
 * Philip the Bastard, his half-brother (also called Richard)
 * James Gurney, servant to Lady Faulconbridge
 * Peter of Pomfret, a prophet


 * Philip, King of France
 * Lewis, the Dauphin
 * Lymoges, Duke of Austria
 * Cardinal Pandulph (or Pandolph), the legate of Pope Innocent III
 * Melune, a French Lord
 * Chatillion, ambassador from France to King John
 * Queen Elinor, widow of Henry II, mother to King John
 * Constance, widow of Geffrey (John's elder brother) and mother to Arthur
 * Blanche of Spain, daughter to King of Castile, niece to King John
 * Lady Faulconbridge, widow of Sir Robert Faulconbridge
 * Lords, heralds, etc.

Synopsis
King John is visited by an emissary from France, demanding that he hand his throne over to his nephew Arthur, whom the French King Philip believes is the rightful heir to the throne. If John refuses to abdicate, war is threatened.

John oversees a land dispute between Robert Faulconbridge and his older brother Philip (known as "the Bastard"), during which it becomes apparent that Philip is the illegitimate son of King Richard I. Queen Elinor, mother to both Richard and John, recognises the family resemblance and suggests that he renounce his claim to the Faulconbridge land in exchange for a knighthood. John knights the Bastard under the name Richard.

In France, King Philip and his forces besiege the English-ruled town of Angiers, threatening attack unless its citizens support Arthur. Philip is in turn supported by Austria, who is believed to have killed King Richard. The English contingent arrives, and Elinor and Arthur's mother Constance trade insults. Kings Philip and John stake their claims in front of Angiers' citizens, but to no avail – their representative says that they will support the rightful king, without committing themselves as to who that might be.

The Bastard proposes that both England and France unite to quell the rebellious citizens of Angiers, at which point they propose an alternative: Philip's son, Louis the Dauphin, should marry John's niece Blanche, a scheme that gives John a stronger claim to the throne, while Louis gains territory for France. Though a furious Constance accuses Philip of abandoning Arthur in favour of this new scheme, Louis and Blanche are married.

Cardinal Pandulph arrives from Rome bearing a formal accusation that John has disobeyed the pope and appointed an archbishop contrary to his desires. John refuses to recant, whereupon he is excommunicated. Pandulph pledges his support for Louis, though Philip is hesitant, as he has just established family ties with John. Pandulph brings him round by pointing out that his links to the church are older and firmer.

War breaks out, Austria is beheaded by the Bastard (in revenge for his father's death), and both Angiers and Arthur are captured by the English. Elinor is left in charge of English possessions in France, while the Bastard is sent to collect funds from English monasteries. John orders Hubert de Burgh to kill Arthur. Pandulph points out to Louis that he now has as strong a claim to the English throne as Arthur (and indeed John), and Louis agrees to invade England.

Hubert finds himself unable to kill Arthur. John's nobles urge Arthur's release. John agrees, but is wrong-footed by Hubert's announcement that Arthur is dead. The nobles believe he was murdered, and defect to Louis' side. The Bastard reports that the monasteries are unhappy about John's attempt to seize their gold. Hubert has a furious argument with John, during which he reveals that Arthur is still alive. John, delighted, sends him to report the news to the nobles.

Arthur is killed after falling from a castle wall. The nobles believe he was murdered by John, and refuse to believe Hubert's entreaties. John attempts to make a deal with Pandulph, swearing allegiance to the Pope in exchange for Pandulph negotiating with the French on his behalf. John orders the Bastard, one of his few remaining loyal subjects, to lead the English army against France.

While John's former noblemen swear allegiance to Louis, Pandulph explains John's scheme, but Louis refuses to be taken in by it. The Bastard arrives with the English army and threatens Louis, but to no avail. War breaks out with substantial losses on each side, including Louis' reinforcements, who are drowned during the sea crossing. Many English nobles return to John's side after a dying French nobleman, Melun, warns them that Louis plans to kill them after his victory.

John is poisoned by a disgruntled monk. His nobles gather around him as he dies. The Bastard plans the final assault on Louis' forces, until he is told that Pandulph has arrived with a peace treaty. The English nobles swear allegiance to John's son Prince Henry, and the Bastard reflects that this episode has taught that internal bickering could be as perilous to England's fortunes as foreign invasion.