King John (Shakespeare)
Short summary
England and France, early 13th century. France demanded that King John surrender the English throne to his nephew Arthur, claiming John had usurped it.
John refused and war began. During the conflict, an illegitimate son of the late King Richard joined John's forces.
The war ended when John arranged a marriage between his niece and the French prince, giving French territories as dowry. This betrayed Arthur's cause. The Pope's legate excommunicated John for refusing to accept the Pope's choice of archbishop. Under pressure, France broke the peace treaty and resumed war. John captured Arthur and secretly ordered his death. When executioners came to blind the boy, Arthur pleaded desperately:
O, save me, Hubert, save me! my eyes are out
Even with the fierce looks of these bloody men.
...Alas, what need you be so boisterous-rough?
I will not struggle, I will stand stone-still.
The executioner spared Arthur, but the boy died trying to escape. English nobles, believing John murdered Arthur, defected to France. John submitted to the Pope to gain support. The French prince invaded England with the rebel nobles. John fell ill and was poisoned by a monk. As he lay dying, news came that the French supply ships had wrecked and the nobles had returned to John's side after learning the French planned to execute them. John died, and his son Henry became king with the nobles' support.
Detailed summary by acts and scenes
Titles for acts and scenes are editorial.
Act 1. King Johns defiance of France
Scene 1. French demands, the Bastards story, and preparations for war
In the palace, an ambassador arrived from France with a message for the English king.
The ambassador declared that the French king demanded England surrender its territories to young Arthur, the son of the deceased Geoffrey, claiming Arthur held the rightful claim to the throne and all English lands including Ireland, Poitiers, Anjou, Touraine, and Maine. When asked what would follow if England refused, the ambassador warned of fierce and bloody war. The king responded defiantly, promising to meet France with equal force, declaring war for war and blood for blood. He sent the ambassador back with his defiance, vowing to arrive in France before news of his response could reach there, with cannon fire announcing his presence.
The king's mother warned that this conflict had been stirred by Arthur's ambitious mother, who would not cease until she had kindled France and all the world against them.
She noted that this war might have been prevented with easy arguments of love, but now two kingdoms must arbitrate with fearful bloody issue. The king asserted their strong possession and right, but his mother whispered that their possession was stronger than their right, a secret only heaven, she, and the king would know.
A sheriff then brought forward two brothers with a strange controversy. The younger brother, born in Northamptonshire, claimed to be the eldest son of Robert Faulconbridge, a soldier knighted by Richard the Lionheart.
The older brother claimed to be the true heir. The younger brother explained that while they shared one mother, he doubted they shared one father, though he left that judgment to heaven and his mother. The older brother sought to claim the inheritance by alleging his brother was a bastard, conceived while their father was away on embassy to Germany, employed by the late king. The younger brother's resemblance to Richard the Lionheart was noted by both the king and his mother. After hearing the case, the king ruled that the younger brother was legitimate by law, since he was born in wedlock, regardless of the father's true identity. The mother's potential infidelity was her fault alone, and the inheritance belonged to the legitimate son. The queen then offered the younger brother a choice: remain a Faulconbridge with land, or become the acknowledged son of the Lionheart with no land but noble lineage. He chose honor over land, giving up his inheritance to follow the queen to France. The king knighted him as Sir Richard Plantagenet. After the others departed, the newly knighted bastard reflected cynically on his new status and the corrupting influence of self-interest, which he called Commodity.
Mad world! mad kings! mad composition! ... That smooth-faced gentleman, tickling Commodity,
Commodity, the bias of the world,...This sway of motion, this Commodity,
Makes it take head from all indifferency...
His mother arrived seeking her other son, and the Bastard sent away his servant to speak with her privately. She confirmed that King Richard was indeed his father, explaining that she had been seduced by the king's persistent suit. The Bastard thanked her warmly for giving him such a noble father, declaring he would defend her honor against anyone who questioned it.
Act 2. The siege of Angiers and the political marriage
Scene 1. The battle at Angiers and the arranged marriage between Lewis and Blanch
Before the walls of Angiers in France, the French king's forces met with the Duke of Austria and young Arthur. The French prince welcomed Austria, noting he had come to support Arthur's claim against the usurping English king.
Arthur thanked Austria for his support, and his mother expressed gratitude for the help in securing her son's rights.
Austria pledged not to return home until Arthur gained his rights in France and England. Before they could begin their siege, the ambassador returned from England with news that the English king himself was approaching with a powerful army, accompanied by his mother, his niece Blanch of Spain, and the bastard son of the late king. The English forces arrived shortly after, and both kings addressed the citizens of Angiers, each claiming to be the rightful sovereign and demanding entry to the city. The citizens declared they would remain loyal to the true king of England, but would not open their gates until it was proven which claimant held the rightful title. Both armies fought fiercely, but the battle ended inconclusively, with heralds from each side claiming victory. The citizens remained unmoved, stating they saw both armies as equal and would hold the town for neither until one proved definitively superior. The Bastard then proposed that both kings unite temporarily to destroy the stubborn city, then resume their conflict afterward. Both kings agreed to this plan, but before they could act, a citizen proposed an alternative solution. He suggested that the French prince marry Blanch of Spain, King John's niece, which would unite the kingdoms and end the conflict.
The proposal pleased both kings. The English king offered substantial territories as dowry, including Anjou, Touraine, Maine, and Poitiers, along with thirty thousand marks of English coin. The prince and Blanch agreed to the match, and the marriage was arranged to be solemnized at Saint Mary's chapel. The French king noted that Arthur's mother was absent and would be displeased by this turn of events. After the royal parties departed, the Bastard remained alone, reflecting cynically on how quickly the kings had abandoned their principles for political advantage, all swayed by that smooth-faced gentleman called Commodity, or self-interest.
Act 3. The Papal legates intervention and renewed conflict
Scene 1. Constances grief, Pandulphs curse, and the breaking of the peace
Arthur's mother was devastated when she learned of the peace and marriage arrangement. She refused to believe the news at first, then bitterly lamented that false blood had joined with false blood, and that France had become friends with England, abandoning Arthur's cause. The French king tried to console her, declaring the day would be kept as a festival in France. She cursed the day instead, calling it wicked rather than holy, a day of shame, oppression, and perjury. She accused the French king of breaking his oath and strengthening England with his arms rather than opposing it. Austria attempted to calm her, but she turned on him furiously, calling him a coward and slave who only fought when fortune favored him, and telling him to remove the lion's hide he wore and replace it with a calf's skin. The Bastard mockingly echoed her words. At that moment, a papal legate arrived.
The cardinal demanded to know why the English king had refused to accept Stephen Langton as Archbishop of Canterbury, defying the Pope's authority. The king responded defiantly, declaring that no Italian priest would collect tithes in his dominions, and that he alone held supreme authority under heaven in his realm. The cardinal pronounced him cursed and excommunicate, declaring that anyone who revolted from him would be blessed, and anyone who took his hateful life would be canonized as a saint. Arthur's mother welcomed this curse, asking the cardinal to add her own curses to his. The cardinal then commanded the French king to break his alliance with the heretic English king or face a curse himself. The French king was torn between his new oath of peace and his allegiance to the Church. His son urged him to choose the easier path and forego England's friendship rather than face Rome's heavy curse. The new bride Blanch pleaded with her husband not to fight against her uncle. Arthur's mother countered by urging the prince to keep his honor. After much anguished deliberation, the French king finally yielded to the papal pressure and declared he would fall away from England. The English king raged that France would rue this decision within the hour. Blanch lamented her impossible position, caught between both armies.
I am with both: each army hath a hand;
And in their rage, I having hold of both,
They swirl asunder and dismember me.
Husband, I cannot pray that thou mayst win;
Uncle, I needs must pray that thou mayst lose...
The English king sent the Bastard to gather their forces, declaring that nothing but blood could allay his rage. Both sides prepared for renewed war.
Scene 2. Austrias death in battle
On the battlefield, the Bastard entered carrying Austria's severed head, declaring the day had grown wondrous hot. The English king arrived with Arthur and a nobleman, ordering the nobleman to keep the boy safe while reporting that the queen mother had been assailed but rescued. The king urged haste to complete their victory.
Scene 3. King John orders Arthurs death
After the battle, the English king made arrangements for his mother to remain behind under strong guard. He told Arthur that his grandmother loved him and his uncle would be as dear to him as his father was. Arthur replied sadly that this would make his mother die with grief. The king sent the Bastard ahead to England to shake down the hoarding abbots and set imprisoned angels at liberty, using the commission to its utmost force. After the Bastard departed, the king drew aside a trusted nobleman.
The king spoke cryptically to him about Arthur, calling the boy a serpent in his way who lay before him wherever he trod. When the nobleman confirmed he would keep Arthur from offending the king, the king said simply: Death. The nobleman understood and promised the boy would not live. The king was satisfied.
Scene 4. Constances despair and Pandulphs schemes
The French king lamented their defeat, noting that Angiers was lost, Arthur taken prisoner, and dear friends slain. Arthur's mother appeared, and the king urged her to go away with him. She refused all comfort except death itself, calling it amiable and lovely. She declared she was not mad, though she wished she were, for then she might forget her grief. She spoke of her son's beauty and grace, fearing she would not recognize him in heaven after sorrow had eaten away at him. The French king tried to console her, but she departed in anguish. The prince despaired that life had become tedious. The cardinal then spoke prophetically to the prince, explaining that the English king's seizure of Arthur would lead to the boy's death, for the king could not rest easy while Arthur lived. He predicted that when Arthur died, the English people would revolt against the king in horror, and the prince could then claim England through his wife's right. He urged the prince to go with him to the king to discuss invading England, for strong reasons would make strong actions.
Act 4. Arthurs fate and the nobles revolt
Scene 1. Hubert spares Arthurs eyes
In a castle room, the nobleman prepared to carry out the king's order. He had heated irons ready and executioners waiting behind a curtain. When Arthur entered cheerfully, greeting him warmly, the nobleman was moved by the boy's innocent affection. Arthur spoke of how much he loved the nobleman and wished to care for him when he was sick. When the nobleman showed him the warrant to burn out his eyes, Arthur pleaded desperately, reminding him of past kindnesses and begging him not to proceed. The boy's eloquent appeals touched the nobleman's heart. When the executioners emerged, Arthur begged to be left alone with the nobleman, promising to sit still as a lamb. The nobleman dismissed the executioners and told Arthur he would not harm him, though he must pretend the boy was dead to satisfy the king. Arthur thanked heaven for his mercy.
Scene 2. The nobles suspicions, Arthurs reported death, and troubling news
The king held a second coronation ceremony, but his nobles questioned the need for this redundant display. They argued it was wasteful excess to gild refined gold or paint the lily.
To gild refined gold, to paint the lily,
To throw a perfume on the violet,
To smooth the ice, or add another hue
Unto the rainbow...is wasteful and ridiculous excess.
The nobles then requested Arthur's release from imprisonment, arguing that his restraint caused dangerous murmuring among the people. The king agreed to release Arthur to their direction, but when the nobleman entered, the nobles suspected from his troubled aspect that he had carried out a wicked deed. The king then announced that Arthur had died during the night. The nobles reacted with horror and suspicion, clearly believing it was foul murder. They departed angrily, vowing to find Arthur's grave. The king repented, realizing there was no sure foundation set on blood. A messenger then brought devastating news: a powerful French army had landed in England, the king's mother had died on the first of April, and Arthur's mother had died in a frenzy three days before. The Bastard arrived with a prophet who had predicted the king would yield up his crown by noon on Ascension Day. The king ordered the prophet imprisoned and to be hanged on that day if the prophecy failed. The Bastard reported that the French had invaded, and that he had encountered nobles with eyes red as fire, going to seek Arthur's grave. The king sent him to win back the nobles' loyalty.
Scene 3. Arthurs fatal fall and the nobles defection
Arthur appeared on the castle walls, disguised as a ship-boy. He decided to leap down despite the height, hoping to escape and find a thousand ways to get away. He jumped, but was killed by the fall, crying out that his uncle's spirit was in the stones. The nobles arrived and discovered his body. They were horrified by the sight, calling it the bloodiest shame and wildest savagery. They vowed revenge, believing it was the work of the nobleman acting on the king's orders. The nobleman arrived and tried to tell them Arthur was alive, but they refused to believe him and threatened him with violence. The Bastard intervened to keep the peace. The nobleman insisted he had left Arthur alive and well, and that he loved the boy. The nobles departed to join the French forces, and the Bastard questioned the nobleman intensely about Arthur's death. The nobleman swore he was innocent and had left Arthur well. The Bastard, seeing the body, lamented that from this morsel of dead royalty, all of England's right and truth had fled to heaven, leaving the realm to be torn apart by proud-swelling state and dogged war.
Act 5. French invasion and King Johns death
Scene 1. King John submits to the Pope
The king yielded his crown to the papal legate, who returned it to him as a symbol of his submission to papal authority. The king asked the legate to use his power to stop the French invasion, noting that his counties revolted and his people swore allegiance to foreign royalty. The legate promised to make peace, reminding the king of his oath of service to the Pope. The Bastard arrived with dire news: all Kent had yielded except Dover castle, London had received the French prince as a kind host, the nobles had gone to serve the enemy, and wild amazement hurried through the land. The king asked if the nobles would return now that Arthur was known to be alive, but the Bastard reported they had found Arthur dead in the streets. The Bastard urged the king to show boldness and aspiring confidence rather than fear, to meet displeasure before it reached his doors. The king revealed he had made peace with the papal legate, who promised to dismiss the French forces. The Bastard criticized this inglorious league, arguing they should not send fair-play orders and make base truce to arms invasive. The king gave him ordering of the present time.
Scene 2. Lewis rejects peace and defies Pandulph
At the French camp, the prince met with the English nobles who had joined his cause. One noble expressed grief at having to fight against his own country, lamenting that English sons had to march upon their mother country's gentle bosom. The prince praised his noble temper and promised him rich rewards. The papal legate arrived and announced that the English king had reconciled with Rome, urging the prince to wind up his threatening colors and tame the savage spirit of war. The prince refused, declaring he was too high-born to be a mere instrument, and that the legate's breath had first kindled the war. He insisted he would not back down now that the conflict was well advanced, especially since he claimed England through his marriage and had half-conquered it already. The Bastard arrived as an ambassador and delivered a defiant message from the English king, mocking the French forces as pygmy arms and unhaired sauciness. He warned that the gallant English monarch was prepared like an eagle over his nest, ready to destroy the degenerate revolts. The prince dismissed his brave words, and both sides prepared for battle.
Scene 3. King Johns fever worsens
On the battlefield, the king asked how the day went. The nobleman reported it went badly. The king complained that a fever that had long troubled him now lay heavy upon him, making his heart sick. A messenger brought good news: the great French supply fleet had wrecked three nights ago on Goodwin Sands, and the French fought coldly. But the king could not welcome this good news, as his tyrant fever burned him up. He ordered them to head toward Swinstead abbey, as weakness possessed him.
Scene 4. Melun reveals the Dauphins treachery
The English nobles who had joined the French forces encountered a French lord, mortally wounded. He warned them they were bought and sold, revealing that if the French won the day, the prince meant to recompense their service by cutting off their heads, as he had sworn upon the altar at Saint Edmundsbury. The dying lord urged them to seek out the English king and beg his forgiveness. He explained that his English grandfather and his love for the nobleman who served the king moved his conscience to confess this treachery. The nobles believed him and resolved to return to their rightful king.
Scene 5. The French suffer setbacks
The French prince reflected that the sun seemed loath to set, as if staying to witness their brave performance. A messenger brought foul news: the French lord was slain, the English nobles had fallen away again by his persuasion, and the supply fleet had been cast away and sunk on Goodwin Sands. The prince lamented this sad turn but resolved to try the fair adventure of tomorrow.
Scene 6. The Bastard learns of King Johns poisoning
In the darkness near Swinstead Abbey, the Bastard encountered the nobleman. After recognizing each other, the nobleman delivered black, fearful, and horrible news: the king had been poisoned by a monk and lay almost speechless. The monk's bowels had suddenly burst out, though the king might yet recover. The nobleman reported that the lords had all returned and brought Prince Henry with them, and the king had pardoned them. The Bastard revealed that half his power had been lost that night, devoured by the tide in the Lincoln Washes. They hurried toward the king.
Scene 7. King Johns death and Prince Henrys succession
In the orchard at Swinstead Abbey, Prince Henry and the nobles discussed the king's condition. One reported the king still spoke and believed that being brought into open air would allay the burning poison. The king was carried in, declaring his soul now had elbow-room. He described a hot summer in his bosom that made his bowels crumble to dust. He complained of being poisoned and forsaken, begging for cold comfort, but his son could offer only tears. The Bastard arrived, scalded with violent motion to see the king. The king told him his heart's tackle was cracked and burned, held together by one poor string that would break when the news was uttered. The Bastard reported the French prince was preparing to attack, but half the English power had been devoured by unexpected flood. The king died. The nobles lamented, and the Bastard vowed to do the office of revenge before his soul followed the king to heaven. One noble revealed that the cardinal had come from the French prince with offers of peace that they could take with honor. The Bastard agreed to this peace, noting they would be well sinewed for defense. He declared that Prince Henry should attend his father's funeral at Worcester, while he and other princes would consummate the peace. He knelt before the young prince, bequeathing his faithful services and true subjection. The nobles made similar pledges. The Bastard concluded with a stirring declaration of English resilience.
This England never did, nor never shall,
Lie at the proud foot of a conqueror,
But when it first did help to wound itself....Nought shall make us rue,
If England to itself do rest but true.