King John (Masterplots, Revised Second Edition)
At a glance:
- Author: William Shakespeare
- First Published: 1623
- Type of Work: Drama
- Type of Plot: Historical
- Time of Work: Early thirteenth century
- Setting: England and France
- Principal Characters: John, Prince Henry, Arthur of Bretagne, William Mareshall, Geffrey Fitz-Peter, William Longsword, Hubert de Burgh, Robert Faulconbridge, Philip Faulconbridge, Cardinal Pandulph, Lewis, Elinor, Constance, Blanch of Castile
- Genres: Drama, History play
- Subjects: Family or family life, Power, personal or social, France or French people, England or English people, Kings, queens, or royalty, Catholics or Catholic Church, Middle Ages, Thirteenth century
- Locales: France, England
The Story:
King John sat on the throne of England without right, for the succession should have passed to Arthur of Bretagne, the fourteen-year-old son of King John’s older brother. John and Elinor, his mother, prepared to defend England against the forces of Austria and France, after Constance of Bretagne had enlisted the aid of those countries to gain the throne for her son Arthur.
As John and Elinor made ready for battle, Philip Faulconbridge, the natural son of Richard the Lion-Hearted by Lady Faulconbridge, was recruited by Elinor to serve John’s cause in the...
[The entire page is 1866 words long]
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