King John - today we remember the king as the evil opponent of Robin Hood and the Magna Carta - was for Shakespeare and his audience a heroic figure who opposed England's enemies. This edition of Penguin Shakespeare is edited by R. L. Smallwood with an introduction by Eugene Giddens.

“This England never did, nor ever shall, lie at the proud foot of a conqueror.”

Under the reign of King John, England is forced into war when the French challenge John's claim to the throne and seek to install his nephew Arthur in his place. But the political principles, hypocritically proclaimed, are soon forgotten, as the kings of France and England form an alliance based on cynical self-interest. As the desire to maintain power dominates the paranoid and weak king of England, his country is threatened with destruction.

This edition includes a general introduction to Shakespeare's life and Elizabethan theater, a separate introduction for Richard II, a chronology, suggestions for further reading, an essay surveying performance choices both on stage and on screen, and a commentary.

William Shakespeare (1564-1616) was born to John Shakespeare and Mary Arden in late April 1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon. He wrote approximately 38 plays (the exact number is uncertain), many of which are considered the most exceptional works of drama ever produced, including Romeo and Juliet (1595), Henry V (1599), Hamlet (1601), Othello (1604), King Lear (1606), and Macbeth (1606), as well as a collection of 154 sonnets, which are among the most profound and influential love poems in the English language.

Pages: 384, Dimensions: 13.1x13.1cm