Editing King John (play)

{{Short description|Play by Shakespeare}}
{{italic title}}
{{Use British English|date=August 2011}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2020}}
[[File:Herbert Beerbohm Tree (1852–1917), as King John in 'King John' by William Shakespeare Charles A. Buchel (1872–1950) Victoria and Albert Museum.jpg|thumb|''The Life and Death of King John'' (1590): The stage actor ''[[Herbert Beerbohm Tree]] (1852–1917) as the eponymous monarch. ([[Charles A. Buchel]], 1900)]]

'''''The Life and Death of King John''''' (also '''''King John'''''), by [[William Shakespeare]], is a [[history play]] about the reign of [[John, King of England]] (r. 1199–1216), the son of [[Henry&nbsp;II of England|Henry II]] and [[Eleanor of Aquitaine]], and the father of [[Henry&nbsp;III of England|Henry III]]. ''King John'' was written in the mid-1590s, but published in 1623 in the [[First Folio]] of Shakespeare's works.<ref>William Shakespeare. ''King John''. Arden Shakespeare Third Series edited by Jesse M. Lander and J.J.M. Tobin, Bloomsbury, 2018, 65–102</ref>
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== Characters ==
{{div col|colwidth=20em|rules=yes}}
* [[John, King of England|King John]] – King of England
* [[Eleanor of Aquitaine|Eleanor]]{{efn|Appears variously in the Folio of 1623 as ''Elinor'', ''Eleanor'', ''Ele.'', ''Elea.'', and ''Eli.'' Contemporary editors unanimously prefer the form ''Eleanor''.{{sfnp|Braunmuller|2008|p=117}}{{sfnp|Jowett|2005|p=426}}{{sfnp|Beaurline|1990|p=60}}{{sfnp|Honigmann|1965|p=3}}}} – the [[Queen mother]], widow of [[Henry II of England|King Henry II]]
* [[Henry III of England|Prince Henry]] – his son, later King Henry III
* [[Blanche of Castile]] – John's niece
* [[Geoffrey Fitz Peter, 1st Earl of Essex|Earl of Essex]] – an English nobleman
* [[William Longespée, 3rd Earl of Salisbury|Earl of Salisbury]] – an English nobleman
* [[William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke|Earl of Pembroke]] – an English nobleman
* [[Roger Bigod, 2nd Earl of Norfolk|Lord Bigot]] – Earl of Norfolk
* [[Peter of Wakefield|Peter of Pomfret]] – a prophet
* [[Philip of Cognac|Philip Faulconbridge]] – also known as Philip the Bastard and Sir Richard the Plantagenet; natural son of [[Richard I of England]]
* Robert Faulconbridge – his half brother; legitimate son of Sir Robert Faulconbridge
* Lady Faulconbridge – their mother; widow of Sir Robert Faulconbridge
* James Gurney – her attendant
* [[Constance, Duchess of Brittany|Lady Constance]] – widow of [[Geoffrey II, Duke of Brittany]], John's sister-in-law 
* [[Arthur I, Duke of Brittany|Prince Arthur]] – her son, King John's nephew, claimant to the English throne and eventual Duke of Brittany{{efn|The First Folio uses the spelling "Britaine", which it also uses in ''[[Cymbeline]]'' where it means "Britain".}}
* Sheriff
* Two Executioners
* English Herald
* English Messenger
* [[Philip II of France|King Philip II]] – King of France
* [[Louis VIII of France|Louis the Dauphin]]{{efn|The First Folio normally refers to him as the "Dolphin", which is a literal translation of the French title "[[Dauphin of France|Dauphin]]".}} – his son
* Viscount of [[Melun]]
* [[Walter III of Châtillon|Châtillon]] – French ambassador to England
* [[Hubert de Burgh, 1st Earl of Kent|Hubert]]{{efn|Braunmuller,{{sfnp|Braunmuller|2008|loc=p. 277, fn 2}} following Wilson, rejects his identification with Hubert de Burgh on the basis of the exchange at 4.3.87–89. 'BIGOT: Out, dunghill! Dar'st thou brave a nobleman?' 'HUBERT: Not for my life; but yet I dare defend / My innocent life against an emperor'.{{sfnp|Jowett|2005|p=446}}}} – citizen of [[Angiers]] and later a follower of King John
* Citizen of Angiers
* French Herald
* French Messenger
* Limoges, Duke of Austria (composite of [[Aimar V of Limoges]] and [[Leopold V, Duke of Austria]])<ref>William Shakespeare. ''King John''. Arden Shakespeare Third Series edited by Jesse M. Lander and J. J. M. Tobin, Bloomsbury, 2018, 165</ref>
* Cardinal [[Pandulf Verraccio|Pandolf]] – [[Papal legate|legate]] from [[Pope Innocent III]]
* Lords, soldiers, attendants etc.
{{div col end}}

{{hidden|Family tree of characters in ''King John''|{{familytree/start|style=font-size:90%}}
{{tree chart | | | | | | |PLA  | | | | | | | | | | | |CAP  |
border=0|PLA=<small>''PLANTAGENET''</small>|CAP=<small>''CAPET''</small>}}
{{tree chart | | | | | | |Hn2  |-|v|-|ElA  |-|-|-|-|-|L7   |L7=[[Louis VII of France|Louis VII]]<br /><small>K.France 1137–80</small>|ElA=[[Eleanor of Aquitaine]]|Hn2=[[Henry II of England|Henry II]]<br /><small>K.England 1154–89</small>
|boxstyle_ElA=background-color: #98FB98 }}
{{tree chart| |,|-|-|-|v|-|-|-|-|^|-|-|v|-|-|-|.| | | |!| |}}
{{tree chart|Ric  | |Geo  |v|Con  | |John | |ElC  | |P2   |Ric=[[Richard I of England|Richard I]]<br /><small>K.England 1189–99</small>|Geo=[[Geoffrey II, Duke of Brittany|Geoffrey]]|Con=[[Constance, Duchess of Brittany|Lady Constance]]|John='''[[John, King of England|KING JOHN]]'''<br /><small>K.England 1199–1216</small>|P2=[[Philip II of France|Philip II]]<br /><small>K.France 1180–1223</small>|ElC=[[Eleanor of England, Queen of Castile|Eleanor<br /><small>Queen of Castile</small>]]
|boxstyle_John=background-color: #98FB98
|boxstyle_Con =background-color: #98FB98
|boxstyle_P2  =background-color: #98FB98 }}
{{tree chart| |:| | | | | |!| | | | | |!| | | |!| | | |!| |}}
{{tree chart|PhF  | | | |ArB  | | | |Hn3  | |BlC  |-|L8   |PhF=[[Philip of Cognac|Philip<br /><small>''Faulconbridge''<br />(‘''The Bastard''’)</small>]]|ArB=[[Arthur I, Duke of Brittany|Arthur]]|L8=[[Louis VIII of France|Louis VIII<br /><small>(‘''The Dauphin''’)</small>]]<br /><small>K.France 1223–26</small>|BlC=[[Blanche of Castile]]|Hn3=[[Henry III of England|Henry III<br /><small>(‘''Prince Henry''’)</small>]]<br /><small>K.England 1216–72</small>
|boxstyle_PhF=background-color: #98FB98
|boxstyle_ArB=background-color: #98FB98
|boxstyle_Hn3=background-color: #98FB98
|boxstyle_L8 =background-color: #98FB98
|boxstyle_BlC=background-color: #98FB98 }}
{{tree chart/end}}
|headerstyle=background:#ccccff|bodystyle=text-align:center}}


== Synopsis ==

King John receives an ambassador from France who demands with a threat of war that he renounce his throne in favour of his nephew, Arthur, whom the French King Philip believes to be the rightful heir to the throne under [[primogeniture]].

John adjudicates an inheritance dispute between Robert Faulconbridge and his older brother [[Philip of Cognac|Philip]], whom Robert accuses of [[illegitimacy]]. Queen [[Eleanor of Aquitaine]], the mother to King John, notes that Philip looks very similar to her late son King [[Richard the Lionheart]]. Queen Eleanor accordingly suggests that Philip renounce his claim to the Faulconbridge estates in exchange for a non-inheriting position within the [[House of Plantagenet]] and a [[knighthood]]. After mocking Robert Faulconbridge's ugliness at length, Philip enthusiastically agrees and Queen Eleanor praises Philip as possessing "the very spirit of Plantagenet". King John knights Philip as Sir Richard the Plantagenet. Afterwards, learning Philip has renounced his inheritance, Lady Faulconbridge reluctantly confirms Queen Eleanor's suspicions about her son's secret parentage to him.

[[File:Nast drawing of King John.jpg|thumb|A 19th century drawing by [[Thomas Nast]]]]
As part of his efforts to back [[regime change]] in the [[Angevin Empire]], King Philip and his forces besiege the Angevin walled city of [[Angers]], threatening to put them to the sack unless the citizens accept Prince Arthur as their King. Philip is supported by the Duke of Austria, who is alleged to have killed Richard the Lionheart. The English Army arrives. Queen Eleanor then trades insults with Constance, Arthur's mother. Kings Philip and John argue their claims in front of Angers' citizens, but to no avail: their representative says that they will support the rightful king, whoever that turns out to be upon the battlefield.

The French and English armies clash, but no clear victor emerges. Each army dispatches a herald claiming victory, but Angers' citizens continue to refuse to recognize either claimant because neither army has proven victorious.

Philip the Bastard proposes that the armies of England and France unite against Angers. The citizens suggest an alternative proposal: that Philip's son, Louis the Lion, marry John's niece Blanche of Castile. The proposal would give John a stronger claim to the throne while Louis would gain territory for France. Though a furious Constance denounces King Philip for abandoning the claims of Prince Arthur, Louis and Blanche are married offstage.

Cardinal Pandolf arrives from [[Pope Innocent III]] bearing a formal accusation. As the latest salvo of the [[Investiture Controversy]], King John is blocking the Pope's chosen Archbishop, [[Stephen Langton]], from the [[Diocese of Canterbury]] and has further imposed [[Caesaropapism]] upon the [[Catholic Church in England]]. John defies the [[Holy See]] and vows that "No Italian priest shall tithe or toll in our dominions", whereupon the Cardinal declares him [[excommunication|excommunicated]] and invokes the [[Papal deposing power]] to remove him as King. Pandolf demands that the French king renounce the new treaty, though Philip is hesitant, having just established familial ties to King John. Cardinal Pandolf points out that Philip's links to the Vatican are older and firmer.

Battle breaks out; the Duke of Austria is slain and beheaded by the Bastard in revenge for his father's death; and both Angers and Prince Arthur are captured by John's army. Queen Eleanor is left in charge of the [[Angevin Empire]] in France, while the Bastard is sent to [[extortion|extort]] funds from English monasteries. John secretly orders Hubert to kill Arthur. Pandolf informs Louis that he now has as strong a claim to the English throne as Arthur or John, and Louis agrees to invade England.

[[File:'King John', Act IV, Scene 1, Hubert and Arthur (from the Boydell series) James Northcote (1746–1831) Royal Shakespeare Theatre.jpg|thumb|left|''"King John", Act IV, Scene 1, Hubert and Arthur'' (from the Boydell series), [[James Northcote]] (1789)]]
Hubert is reluctant to blind and kill Prince Arthur and spares him in secret. The [[English nobility]] demand Arthur's release. John agrees, but Hubert then tells him that Arthur is dead. The nobles, believing the Prince was murdered by his own uncle, defect to Louis' side. Equally upsetting, and more heartbreaking to John, is the news of his mother's death, along with that of Lady Constance. The Bastard reports that the monasteries are unhappy about John's attempt to steal their lands and 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.

[[File:Edward Penny (1714-1791) - The Gossiping Blacksmith - T00643 - Tate.jpg|thumb|''The Gossiping Blacksmith'', [[Edward Penny]] (1769)]]
Arthur dies after jumping from a castle wall during an escape attempt. The nobles find his body, believe he was murdered by John, and refuse to believe Hubert's entreaties. A defeated John surrenders his crown to Pandolf, who reverses John's excommunication and gives the crown back in return for the restored independence of the English Church from control by the State. John orders the Bastard, one of his few remaining loyal subjects, to lead the English army against the invading forces from France.

While the English nobility swears allegiance to Louis, Pandolf arrives and explains that John has renounced his claims of supreme authority over the English Church, but Prince Louis vows to continue his invasion anyway and seize the Crown of England for himself. Pandulf excommunicates the Prince and the Bastard arrives with an English army and also threatens Louis, but to no avail. The [[First Barons' War]] breaks out with substantial losses on each side, including Louis' reinforcements, who are shipwrecked and 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 in a [[political purge]] after his victory.

John is poisoned offstage by a monk, whose loyalties and motivations are left unexplained. His nobles gather around him as he dies. The Bastard plans a second assault on Louis' forces, until he learns that Cardinal Pandolf has ended the invasion by forcing Louis to sign the [[Treaty of Lambeth]]. Starting with his cousin, Philip the Bastard, the [[English nobility]] all swear allegiance to John's son [[Henry III of England|Prince Henry]], who decrees that his father shall be buried in [[Worcester, England|Worcester]], as he himself had wished. Before the curtain falls, Philip the Bastard reflects:
:"O, let us pay the time but needful woe,
:Since it hath been beforehand with our griefs.
:This England never did and never shall,
:Lie at the proud foot of a conqueror,
:But when it first did help to wound itself. 
:Now these her princes are come home again,
:Come the three corners of the world in arms, 
:And we shall shock them. Nought shall make us rue,
:If England to itself do rest but true."

== Sources ==

[[File:First Folio, Shakespeare - 0322.jpg|right|thumb|The first page of ''King John'' from the [[First Folio]] of Shakespeare's plays, published in 1623]]

''King John'' is closely related to an anonymous history play, ''[[The Troublesome Reign of King John]]'' (c. 1589), the "masterly construction"{{sfnp|Tillyard|1956|p=216}} the infelicitous expression of which led [[Peter Alexander (Shakespearean scholar)|Peter Alexander]] to argue that Shakespeare's was the earlier play.{{refn|Alexander (1929),{{sfnp|Alexander|1929|pp=201 ff}} cited in Honigmann (1983){{sfnp|Honigmann|1983|p=56}} and in Alexander (1961).{{sfnp|Alexander|1961|p=85}} }} [[E. A. J. Honigmann]] elaborated these arguments, both in his preface to the second [[Arden Shakespeare|Arden edition]] of ''King John'',{{sfnp|Honigmann|1965|pp=xviii ff.}} and in his 1982 monograph on Shakespeare's influence on his contemporaries.{{sfnp|Honigmann|1983|pp=56–90}} The majority view, however, first advanced in a rebuttal of Honigmann's views by [[Kenneth Muir (scholar)|Kenneth Muir]],{{sfnp|Muir|1977|pp=78–85}} holds that the ''Troublesome Reign'' antedates ''King John'' by a period of several years; and that the skilful plotting of the ''Troublesome Reign'' is neither unparalleled in the period, nor proof of Shakespeare's involvement.{{sfnp|Braunmuller|2008|p=12}}

Shakespeare derived from ''[[Holinshed's Chronicles]]'' certain verbal collocations and points of action.{{efn|Although the author of the ''Troublesome Reign'' also drew upon Holinshed's work, the appearance in ''King John'' of material derived from Holinshed but unexampled in the other play suggests both authors independently consulted the ''Chronicles''.{{sfnp|Honigmann|1965|p=xiii}}}} Honigmann discerned in the play the influence of [[John Foxe]]'s ''[[Acts and Monuments]]'', [[Matthew Paris]]' ''Historia Maior'', and the Latin ''Wakefield Chronicle'',{{sfnp|Honigmann|1965|pp=xiii–xviii}} but Muir demonstrated that this apparent influence could be explained by the priority of the ''Troublesome Reign'', which contains similar or identical matter.{{efn|With the exception of Eleanor's dying on 1 April, which Muir argues was derived not from the ''Wakefield Chronicle'', as Honigmann had argued, but from the conjunction of Eleanor's death and a description of an inauspicious celestial omen on 1 April on a particular page of Holinshed.{{sfnp|Muir|1977|p=82}}}}

== Date and text ==

The date of composition is unknown, but must lie somewhere between 1587, the year of publication of the second, revised edition of ''Holinshed's Chronicles'', upon which Shakespeare drew for this and other plays, and 1598, when ''King John'' was mentioned among Shakespeare's plays in the ''[[Palladis Tamia]]'' of [[Francis Meres]].{{sfnp|Braunmuller|2008|p=2}} The editors of the Oxford Shakespeare conclude from the play's incidence of rare vocabulary,{{sfnp|Wells|1987|p=100}} use of colloquialisms in verse,{{sfnp|Wells|1987|p=101}} pause patterns,{{sfnp|Wells|1987|p=107}} and infrequent rhyming that the play was composed in 1596, after ''[[Richard II (play)|Richard II]]'' but before ''[[Henry IV, Part I]]''.{{sfnp|Wells|1987|p=119}}

''King John'' was first printed in 1623 as part of the [[First Folio]]. A play titled ''The Troublesome Reign of King John'' attributed to Shakespeare first printed in 1591 exists, but modern scholars dismiss the attribution as extremely unlikely to be legitimate.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Shakespeare|first1=William|last2=Rasmussen|first2=Eric|last3=Bate|first3=Jonathan|title=King John & Henry VIII|date=April 10, 2012|publisher=Random House Publishing Group|isbn=978-0812969399|pages=416}}</ref>

''King John'' is one of only two plays by Shakespeare that are entirely written in verse, the other being ''Richard II''.

== Performance history ==

[[File:Robert Mantell as King John.jpg|thumb|left|A photograph of [[Robert B. Mantell]] as King John]]
The earliest documented performance dates from 1737, when [[John Rich (producer)|John Rich]] staged a production at the [[Theatre Royal, Drury Lane]]. In 1745, the year of the [[Jacobite rising of 1745|Jacobite rebellion]], competing productions were staged by [[Colley Cibber]] at [[Royal Opera House|Covent Garden]] and [[David Garrick]] at Drury Lane. [[Charles Kemble]]'s 1823 production made a serious effort at historical accuracy, 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 theatres|Broadway]]) and [[Peter Brook]]'s 1945 staging, featuring [[Paul Scofield]] as the Bastard.

In the [[Victorian age|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.{{sfnp|Dickson|2009|p=173}} It has been staged four times on Broadway, the last time in 1915.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ibdb.com/show.php?id=5063|title=King John – Broadway Show |first=The Broadway|last=League|website=www.ibdb.com|access-date=21 March 2018}}</ref> It has also been staged five times from 1953 to 2014 at the [[Stratford Shakespeare Festival]].<ref>[[Stratford Shakespeare Festival production history]]</ref>[[File:Shakespeare's King John at Drury Lane Theatre.jpg|thumb|390px|The death of King John, in an 1865 production of the play at the [[Theatre Royal, Drury Lane|Drury Lane Theatre]], London]]

[[Herbert Beerbohm Tree]] made a [[silent film]] version in 1899 entitled ''[[King John (1899 film)|King John]]''. It is a short film consisting of the King's death throes in Act&nbsp;V, Scene&nbsp;vii and is the earliest surviving film adaptation of a Shakespearean play. ''King John'' has been produced for television twice: in 1951 with [[Donald Wolfit]] and in 1984 with [[Leonard Rossiter]] as part of the [[BBC Television Shakespeare]] series of adaptations.{{sfnp|Holderness|2002|p=23}}

[[George Orwell]] specifically praised the play in 1942 for its view of politics: "When I had read it as a boy it seemed to me archaic, something dug out of a history book and not having anything to do with our own time. Well, when I saw it acted, what with its intrigues and doublecrossings, [[non-aggression pact]]s, [[quislings]], people changing sides in the middle of a battle, and what-not, it seemed to me extraordinarily up to date."

=== Selected recent revivals ===
The [[Royal Shakespeare Company]] based in Stratford-upon-Avon presented three productions of ''King John'': in 2006 directed by Josie Rourke as part of their Complete Works Festival,<ref>{{cite news|last1=Billington|first1=Michael|title=King John Swan, Stratford-upon-Avon|url=https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2006/aug/04/theatre.rsc|newspaper=The Guardian|date=4 August 2006}}</ref> in 2012 directed by Maria Aberg who cast a woman, Pippa Nixon, in the role of the Bastard,<ref>{{cite news|last1=Costa|first1=Maddy|title=RSC's King John throws women into battle Shakespeare lived in a man's world – but the RSC is recasting his 'battle play' King John with women in the thick of the action|url=https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2012/apr/16/rsc-king-john-women|newspaper=The Guardian|date=16 April 2012}}</ref> and in 2020, directed by [[Eleanor Rhode]] and with a woman, Rosie Sheehy, cast in the role of King John. The company's 1974–5 production was heavily rewritten by director [[John Barton (director)|John Barton]], who included material from ''[[The Troublesome Reign of King John]]'', [[John Bale]]{{'s}} ''[[King Johan]]'' (thought to be Shakespeare's own sources) and other works.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Cousin|first1=Geraldine|title=King John|date=1994|publisher=Manchester University Press|location=Manchester, England|isbn=0719027535|pages=64 et sec}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |title=King John: new perspectives |date=1989 |publisher=University of Delaware Press |isbn=0874133378 |editor-last=Curren-Aquino |editor-first=Deborah T. |location=Newark |pages=191}}</ref>

The Oregon Shakespeare Festival has staged the play several times, most recently in 2022 in a production with a cast of women and non-binary actors.<ref>{{Cite web |title=King John |url=http://www.osfashland.org/en/productions/2022-plays/king-john |accessdate=2023-02-21 |work=Oregon Shakespeare Festival}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Ortega |first=Darleen |date=2022-09-21 |title=Oregon Shakespeare Festival: King John and Confederates |url=http://portlandobserver.com/news/2022/sep/21/oregon-shakespeare-festival/ |accessdate=2023-02-21 |work=The Portland Observer}}</ref>

The [[Chicago Shakespeare Theater]] on [[Navy Pier]] presented the play in its 1990-1991 season and again in 2003-2004.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Chicago Shakespeare Theater: Production History |url=https://www.chicagoshakes.com/about_us/production_history |access-date=2022-06-13 |website=www.chicagoshakes.com}}</ref>
[[File:King John Worcester Repertory Company 2016.jpg|thumb|440x440px|Phil Leach as King John in the 2016 [[Worcester Repertory Company]] production directed by [[Ben Humphrey]], facing the real [[John of England|King John]]'s tomb in [[Worcester Cathedral]].]]
In 2008, the [[Hudson Shakespeare Company]] of New Jersey produced ''King John'' as part of their annual [[Shakespeare in the Park]]s series. Director Tony White set the action in the medieval era but used a multi-ethnic and gender swapping cast.<ref>{{cite news|title=THIS SUMMER ALL THE WORLD"S A STAGE Bard on the Boulevard Continues with 'King John'|url=http://www.hudsonshakespeare.org/Articles/2008articles/kingjohncranfordchronicle.html|publisher=Cranford Chronicle|date=4 July 2008}}</ref>

New York's Theater for a New Audience presented a "remarkable" [[Theatre in the round|in-the-round]] production in 2000, emphasising Faulconbridge's introduction to court [[realpolitik]] to develop the audience's own awareness of the characters' motives. The director was [[Karin Coonrod]].<ref>{{cite news|last1=Brantley|first1=Ben|title=King John|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=21 January 2000}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|editor1-last=Bevington|editor1-first=David|editor2-last=Kastan|editor2-first=David|title=Shakespeare: King John and Henry VIII|date=June 2013|publisher=Random House|location=New York|chapter=King John on stage}}</ref>

In 2012, [[Bard on the Beach]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bardonthebeach.org|title=Home|website=Bard on the Beach|access-date=21 March 2018}}</ref> in Vancouver, British Columbia put on a production. It was also performed as part of the 2013 season at the [[Utah Shakespeare Festival]], recipient of America's Outstanding Regional Theatre Tony Award (2000), presented by the [[American Theatre Wing]] and the [[League of American Theatres and Producers]].

The play was presented at [[Shakespeare's Globe]], directed by [[James Dacre]], as part of the summer season 2015 in the 800th anniversary year of [[Magna Carta]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Cavendish |first=Dominic |date=7 June 2015 |title=King John, Shakespeare's Globe, review: 'could hardly be more timely'|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/theatre/theatre-reviews/11658067/King-John-Shakespeares-Globe-review-could-hardly-be-more-timely.html |newspaper=The Telegraph |access-date=2015-06-24 }}</ref> A co-production with [[Royal & Derngate]], this production also played in [[Salisbury Cathedral]], [[Temple Church]] and [[The Holy Sepulchre, Northampton]].

The [[Rose Theatre Kingston|Rose Theatre]], [[Kingston upon Thames]], Surrey hosted [[Sir Trevor Nunn]]'s direction of the play during May and June 2016, in the quatercentenary year of Shakespeare's death and the 800th anniversary year of King John's death.

The [[Worcester Repertory Company]] staged a production of the play (directed by [[Ben Humphrey]]) in 2016 around the tomb of King John in [[Worcester Cathedral]] on the 800th anniversary of the king's death.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=http://www.worcesternews.co.uk/news/14783205.King_John_will_be_present_for_Shakespeare_in_the_cathedral/|title=King John will be present for Shakespeare in the cathedral|website=Worcester News|date=5 October 2016 |language=en|access-date=2018-05-04}}</ref> King John was played by Phil Leach.<ref name=":0" />{{Failed verification|date=July 2019}}

== See also ==
* [[Blank verse]]
* [[Illegitimacy in fiction]]
* [[wikt:gild the lily|Gild the lily]]

== Notes ==
{{notelist}}

== Citations ==
{{reflist|25em}}

== Sources ==
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}}
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}}
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* {{cite book
 | last1     = McMillin | first1 = Scott
 | last2     = MacLean  | first2 = Sally-Beth
 | orig-year = 1998     | year = 1999
 | title     = The Queen's Men and Their Plays
 | publisher = Cambridge University Press
 | isbn      = 0-521-59427-8
 | ref       = {{sfnref|McMillin|1999}}
}}
* {{cite book|last=Muir|first=Kenneth|title=The Sources of Shakespeare's Plays|year=1977|publisher=Methuen & Co Ltd|location=London|isbn=0-416-56270-1}}
* {{cite book
 | last         = Shakespeare  | first = William
 | orig-year    = 1954         | year = 1965
 | editor1-last = Honigmann    | editor1-first = E.A.J.
 | title        = King John
 | publisher    = Methuen & Co. Ltd.
 | location     = Welwyn Garden City
 | ref={{sfnref|Honigmann|1965}}
}}
* {{cite book
 | last         = Shakespeare | first         = William
 | year         = 1990
 | editor1-last = Beaurline   | editor1-first = L.A.
 | title        = King John (The New Cambridge Shakespeare)
 | publisher    = Cambridge University Press
 | isbn         =  978-0-521-29387-7
 | ref = {{sfnref|Beaurline|1990}}
}}
* {{cite book
 | last          = Shakespeare  | first = William
 | orig-year     = 1989         | year = 2008
 | editor1-last  = Braunmuller  | editor1-first = A. R.
 | title         = The life and death of King John
 | series        = Oxford World's Classics
 | location      = New York, NY
 | publisher     = Oxford University Press
 | isbn          = 978-0-19-953714-3
 | url           = https://books.google.com/books?id=rsIrHTdy_kQC
 | ref = {{sfnref|Braunmuller|2008}}
}}
* {{cite book
 |last=Tillyard   |first=E.M.W.
 |orig-year=1944  |year=1956
 |title=Shakespeare's History Plays
 |location=London, UK
 |publisher=Chatto & Windus
}}
* {{cite book
 | last1     = Wells       | first1 = Stanley
 | last2     = Taylor      | first2 = Gary
 | last3     = Jowett      | first3 = John
 | last4     = Montgomery  | first4 = William
 | year      = 1987
 | title     = William Shakespeare: a textual companion
 | location  = New York, NY
 | publisher = Oxford University Press
 | isbn      = 0-19-812914-9
 | ref       = {{sfnref|Wells|1987}}
 | url       = https://archive.org/details/williamshakespea0000well
 | url-access= registration
}}

== External links ==
{{Sister project links |display=''King John'' |wikt=no |commons=Category:King John (play) |b=no |n=no |q=King John |s=The Life and Death of King John |v=no}}
* {{StandardEbooks|Standard Ebooks URL=https://standardebooks.org/ebooks/william-shakespeare/king-john}}
* {{gutenberg|no=1511|name= King John}}
* [http://shakespeare.mit.edu/john/full.html Complete Text of ''King John'' at MIT]
* [http://william-shakespeare.classic-literature.co.uk/the-life-and-death-of-king-john/ ''The life and death of King John''] – HTML version of this title.
* {{librivox book | title=King John | author=William Shakespeare}}

{{Shakespeare}}
{{King John}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:King John, Life And Death Of}}
[[Category:1598 plays]]
[[Category:British plays adapted into films]]
[[Category:Cultural depictions of English monarchs]]
[[Category:English Renaissance plays]]
[[Category:Plays set in the 12th century]]
[[Category:Plays set in the 13th century]]
[[Category:Cultural depictions of John, King of England]]
[[Category:Biographical plays about English royalty]]
[[Category:Plays set in England]]
[[Category:Shakespearean histories]]
[[Category:Cultural depictions of Eleanor of Aquitaine]]
[[Category:Cultural depictions of Henry III of England]]
[[Category:Cultural depictions of Louis VIII of France]]
[[Category:Plays about kings]]