King John | Salisbury (Earl of Salisbury)
One of the highest ranking English noblemen in the play, the Earl of Salisbury often seems to waver between honor and self-interest. His behavior and his motives are complex. If the king is guilty of an outrageous murder, Salisbury and the others would seem to have a worthy reason to refuse to follow the king any longer. But English nobles joining forces with an invader who threatens English sovereignty and national unity is treachery. And striking a bargain that will yield personal gain makes the justice of the rebels' motives questionable.
Salisbury appears only briefly in the...
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