CRITICISM

Beaurline, L. A. An introduction to King John, edited by L. A. Beaurline, pp. 1-57. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1990.

Examines the styles of speech used in King John as well as the play's symmetrical structure and political themes.

Braunmuller, A. R. An introduction to The Life and Death of King John, edited by A. R. Braunmuller, pp. 1-93. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1989.

Discusses King John in light of the political history of England between the twelfth and sixteenth centuries.

Brownlow, F. W. “The Life and Death of King John.” In Two Shakespearean Sequences: Henry VI to Richard II and Pericles to Timon of Athens, pp. 78-94. Pittsburgh: University of Pittsburgh Press, 1977.

Explores Shakespeare's portrayal of King John.

Champion, Larry S. “The ‘Un-end’ of King John: Shakespeare's Demystification of Closure.” In King John: New Perspectives, edited by Deborah T. Curren-Aquino, pp. 173-85. Cranbury, NJ: Associated University Presses, 1989.

Discusses the unusual ending of King John, and Shakespeare's call for a new historiography.

Dusinberre, Juliet. “King John and Embarrassing Women.” Shakespeare Survey Annual 42 (1989): 37-52.

Examines the role of women in King John.

Morey, James H. “The Death of King John in Shakespeare and Bale.” Shakespeare Quarterly 45, No. 3 (Fall 1994): 327-31.

Considers the similarities between King John and John Bale's King Johan.

Smallwood, Robert L. An introduction to The New Penguin Shakespeare: King John. In King John and Henry VIII: Critical Essays, edited by Frances A. Shirley, pp. 175-205. New York: Garland Publishing, 1988.

Analyzes the meaning of the epilogue in the context of British political history.

Sterling, Eric. “Shakespeare's King John and the Dangers of Commodity.” In The Movement Towards Subversion: The English History Play from Skelton to Shakespeare, pp. 39-55. New York: University Press of America, 1996.

Compares King John with The Troublesome Raigne, and argues that Shakespeare advocated loyalty to England.

Stubblefield, Charles. “Some Thoughts about King John.” CEA Critic 35, No. 3 (1973): 25-8.

Identifies the central issues of King John.