Early Modern Drama · Character Archetypes

AUSTRIA

in King John — Shakespeare, William

Metadata

PlayKing John
AuthorShakespeare, William
Year (catalogued)1623
First performance1591
Decade1620s
GenreHistory
Play typeAdult Professional
CompanyLord Chamberlain's (Hunsdon's) Men
Speech prefix(es)Auſt. | Auſ.
Words248
Characters1354
Typicality0.24 (cosine to cluster centroid)
TCP idA11954.15
BritDrama no.1043
ClusterCluster 6 — Battlefield messengers & soldiers

Important excerpts

No keyword-matching excerpt could be extracted (the cluster label doesn't share vocabulary with this character's speech).

Full speech

Upon thy cheek lay I this zealous kiss, As seal to this indenture of my love: That to my home I will no more return Till Angiers, and the right thou hast in France, Together with that pale, that white-faced shore, Whose foot spurns back the Ocean's roaring tides, And coops from other lands her Ilanders, Even till that England hedged in with the main, That Water-walled Bulwark, still secure And confident from foreign purposes, Even till that utmost corner of the West Salute thee for her King, till then fair boy Will I not think of home, but follow Arms. The peace of heaven is theirs y to lift their swords In such a joust and charitable war. By how much unexpected, by so much We must awake endeavour for defence, For courage mounts with occasion, Let them be welcome then, we are prepared. Peace. What the devil art thou? What cracker is this same that deafs our ears With this abundance of superfluous breath? King Lewis, determine what we shall do strait. Peace, no more. I from the North. And your lips too, for I am well assured, That I did so when I was first assured. Lady Constance, peace. King Philip, listen to the Cardinal. Well ruffian, I must pocket up these wrongs, Because, Do so king Philip, hang no more in doubt. Rebellion, flat rebellion. Oh that a man should speak those words to me. Thou darest not say so villain for thy life.

Plot summary

Plot — King John
The Plantagenets have a dynastic dispute: J@lih is de facto King of England, but Alptiillir, the young son of his dead elder brother, has a better claim in primogeniture; France takes Arthur’s side. John is asked to adjudicate in another case of . disputed inheritance: Robert Falé@nbridge claims that his elder brother BHiliip is a bastard, begotten in his father’s absence by the dead King Richard. John rules for Philip’s legitimacy irrespective of parentage, since he was conceived in wedlock; but Philip decides to be a king’s son rather than a knight’s heir, cedes his brother the family lands, and joins John’s court. John meets the Kinglofibrance outside the town of Angers, which claims loyalty to the English crown but is holding out against both claimants until the issue is decided. England and France decide to defer their differences until they have subjugated Angers, but the citizens save themselves by suggesting an Anglo- French marriage between DOUISNEHEMDapHin and John’s niece BI@HEHE; France expediently transfers its support from Arthur to John. After the wedding, the papal legate Pandulph excommunicates John for his interference in ecclesiastical affairs, and declares his assassination legitimate. The French revert to support for Arthur, leaving Blanche with a conflict of interests. Arthur is captured in battle and taken back to England ===== PAGE 337 ===== 1596 in MWbert’s custody; John instructs Hubert to arrange the boy’s death. Anticipating this outcome, Pandulph .encourages Louis to prepare a claim to the English throne through his new wife’s right of succession. Hubert makes arrangements to blind Arthur, but cannot bring himself to go through with it. John’s lords demand Arthur’s release, but Hubert untruthfully reports that he is dead as ordered. The lords infer John’s responsibility and plan rebellion. Setbacks build up: John’s mother, left behind to govern his French possessions, dies, and the Dauphin lands his invasion force in England. Faced with internal rebellion and an external threat, John tries to disclaim responsibility for Arthur’s murder, only to be.told by Hubert that the boy is alive after all. But not for long: Arthur falls to his death while trying to escape from prison, and the rebel lords find the body and accept the Dauphin’s overtures. John submits to papal authority, fulfilling a prophecy that he would lose his crown. Pandulph tries to intervene with the Dauphin, only to find that he has started something he cannot…