KING JOHN. INTRODUCTION. THE germ of this historical play is a strange, hybrid drama, written with a half-religious, half-political, purpose by Bishop Bale, about the year 1550. It is hybrid, not because of this double purpose, but because in its structure it is a transition between the old Morality and the true dramatic History. Some of its personages are allegorical abstractions, some historical realities; albeit the historical people have as little of human flesh and blood and soul as the allegorical figures. The object of the writer was to stimulate the Protestant and the patriotic feeling of Englishmen. But Bale's King John is without any other merit than its purpose. Another play so coarse, so dull, and so void of dramatic interest could hardly be found, even among the works of pre-Elizabethan playwrights. Bale's play, however, led to the production, with a like purpose, of another, founded upon the incidents of King John's reign, The Troublesome Reign of King John. The authorship of this drama is unknown; but although no one would think of reading it nowadays for pleasure, it is a long stride in advance of its predecessor, and is not without some literary and dramatic merit. Its author, or authors, abandoned allegory altogether, and went to history or to real life for its dramatis personæ. But at present its only claim upon the attention of the world is that Shakespeare made it the foundation of his King John. He remodelled it; he condensed it; he elevated it even in its design; he rewrote it; he transfigured it; but, nevertheless, he found in it the incidents, the personages, the movement, and occasionally even the language of his own great historical drama. He had it constantly in mind, and probably before his eyes, as he wrote, modifying but never changing purpose, and we may even say its spirit, which had their origin in Bishop Bale. At what time he did this is not certain; but it must Lave been between the years 1591 and 1598; for Meres mentions the play in Palladis Tamia. From internal evidence it would appear to have written about 1596. It was first printed in the folio of 1623, where its text is given in a state nearly approaching purity. The troublesome reign, of the latter part of which it presents a dramatic picture, began in the year 1199 and ended in 1216. its 1 KING JOHN. DRAMATIS PERSONÆ. PRINCE HENRY, son to the king. ARTHUR, Duke of Bretagne, nephew to the king. The Earl of PEMBROKE. The Earl of ESSEX. The Earl of SALISBURY. HUBERT DE BURGH. ROBERT FAULCONBRIDGE, Son to Sir PHILIP the BASTARD, his half-brother. PETER of Pomfret, a prophet. PHILIP, King of France. LEWIS, the Dauphin. LYMOGES, Duke of AUSTRIA. ate. MELUN, a French Lord. CHATILLON, ambassador from France to King John. QUEEN ELINOR, mother to King John. LADY FAULCONBRIDGE. Lords, Citizens of Angiers, Sheriff, Heralds, Officers, Soldiers, Messengers, and other Attendants. SCENE: Partly in England, and partly in France. |