King JohnSimon and Schuster, 2011 M08 23 - 352 pages Like most of Shakespeare’s history plays, King John presents a struggle for the English crown. The struggle this time, however, is strikingly cold-blooded and brutal. John, the younger brother of the late Richard I, is the king, and a savage one. His opponent is a boy, his nephew Arthur, supported by the King of France and the Duke of Austria. After Arthur falls into John’s hands, John plots to torture him. Arthur’s capture gives Louis, the Dauphin of France, the opportunity to lay claim to John’s crown. John’s nobles support Louis, but he schemes to betray them. The play finds its hero in another figure: the Bastard, Sir Richard Plantagenet, an illegitimate son of Richard I. Although he has an appetite for war, he also has a strong conscience and speaks with trenchant irony. The authoritative edition of King John from The Folger Shakespeare Library, the trusted and widely used Shakespeare series for students and general readers, includes: -The exact text of the printed book for easy cross-reference -Hundreds of hypertext links for instant navigation -Freshly edited text based on the best early printed version of the play -Full explanatory notes conveniently placed on pages facing the text of the play -Scene-by-scene plot summaries -A key to the play’s famous lines and phrases -An introduction to reading Shakespeare’s language -An essay by a leading Shakespeare scholar providing a modern perspective on the play -Fresh images from the Folger Shakespeare Library’s vast holdings of rare books -An annotated guide to further reading Essay by Deborah T. Curren-Aquino The Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, DC, is home to the world’s largest collection of Shakespeare’s printed works, and a magnet for Shakespeare scholars from around the globe. In addition to exhibitions open to the public throughout the year, the Folger offers a full calendar of performances and programs. For more information, visit Folger.edu. |
Contents
Editors Preface | ix |
King John | xiii |
King John | xiv |
Shakespeares Life | xxvi |
Shakespeares Theater | xxxvi |
The Publication of Shakespeares Plays | xlvi |
An Introduction to This Text | l |
Text of the Play with Commentary | 1 |
ACT 4 Scene 2 | 135 |
ACT 4 Scene 3 | 155 |
ACT 5 Scene 1 | 171 |
ACT 5 Scene 2 | 177 |
ACT 5 Scene 3 | 189 |
ACT 5 Scene 5 | 195 |
ACT 5 Scene 6 | 197 |
ACT 5 Scene 7 | 201 |
ACT 1 Scene 1 | 7 |
ACT 2 Scene 1 | 31 |
ACT 3 Scene 1 | 77 |
ACT 3 Scene 2 | 101 |
ACT 3 Scene 3 | 103 |
ACT 3 Scene 4 | 109 |
ACT 4 Scene 1 | 125 |
Longer Notes | 211 |
Textual Notes | 223 |
Historical Background | 231 |
A Modern Perspective | 237 |
Further Reading | 273 |
Key to Famous Lines and Phrases | 295 |
Common terms and phrases
action actors Angiers arms Arthur Austria authority Bastard bear become beginning Blanche blood body breath called character child Church Constance continued crown Dauphin dead death direction doth edition Elizabethan England English Enter example exit eyes face fair faith father Faulconbridge fear Folio follow foot forces Fortune France French give hand hath head hear heart heaven Henry hold honor Hubert John's King John KING PHILIP Lady land language lion live London look lord Louis majesty meaning mother natural never nobles Pandulph peace PEMBROKE performed perhaps play present Press Prince printed QUEEN ELEANOR reference Richard Robert royal SALISBURY scene Shake Shakespeare's speak speech stage stand suggests tell theater thee thou true University voice wordplay young