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Guy Hamel (essay date 1989)

SOURCE: Hamel, Guy. “King John and The Troublesome Raigne: A Reexamination.” In King John: New Perspectives, edited by Deborah T. Curren-Aquino, pp. 41-61. Cranbury, N.J.: Associated University Presses, 1989.

[In the following essay, Hamel approaches King John as an adaptation of the anonymous 1591 drama The Troublesome Reign of John, King of England, noting that Shakespeare altered his source material in a number of significant ways, particularly his expanded characterization of the Bastard and his improvement upon the play's poetic quality.]

The comparison of Shakespeare's King John to the anonymous The Troublesome Raigne of Iohn King of England has been done so often that one should offer some justification for doing it again.¹ My reasons are both specific and general. The immediate cause is a recent note by Sidney Thomas supporting the “orthodox”...

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1. Introduction
2. Criticism: Overviews And General Studies
   1. Guy Hamel (essay date 1989)
   2. L. A. Beaurline (essay date 1990)
   3. Geraldine Cousin (essay date 1994)
3. Criticism: Character Studies
   1. Charles Stubblefield (essay date March 1973)
   2. Sidney C. Burgoyne (essay date fall 1977)
4. Criticism: Production Reviews
   1. Ben Brantley (review date 31 January 2000)
   2. Dan Isaac (review date 11 February 2000)
   3. Ian Shuttleworth (review date 30 March 2001)
   4. Susannah Clapp (review date 1 April 2001)
   5. Alastair Macaulay (review date 20 December 2001)
   6. Craig Barrow (review date 2002)
5. Criticism: Themes
   1. John Sibly (essay date December 1966)
   2. Gunnar Boklund (essay date 1968)
   3. Philip D. Ortego (essay date June 1970)
   4. Douglas C. Wixson (essay date 1981)
   5. Kenneth Tucker (essay date 2003)
6. Further Reading
7. Copyright