King John
This article is about the Shakespearian play. For the English monarch, see John of England.
King John is one of the so-called Shakespearean histories, plays written by William Shakespeare and based on the History of England. The play details the story of King John of England, son to Henry II of England and Eleanor of Aquitaine, younger brother to William, Count of Poitiers, Henry the Young King, Matilda, Duchess of Saxony, Richard I of England, Geoffrey, Duke of Brittany, Matilda, Duchess of Saxony and Joan Plantagenet, father to Henry III of England.
Warning: Plot details follow.
The play opens with a demand from the French King Philippe II, Auguste for King John to abdicate in favor of his nephew Arthur I, Duke of Brittany, son of his older brother Geoffrey. The five acts follow a dizzying change of alliances, Papal excommunication and subsequent acceptance, and ends finally with King John's death at the hands of a monk.
Throughout the play, a character known as "The Bastard" delivers a commentary on nobility, "commodity" and English sovereignty.
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Cast
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