King John (the New Cambridge Shakespeare)

Shakespeare's King John is a curious play in that it has no obvious villain or hero, though the King himself shares some of the qualities of both. From the point of view of a modern reader, brought up to regard the wresting of Magna Carta from King John as the most important event in his reign, Shakespeare's complete omission of any mention of this aspect of King John's struggle with the barons will also seem odd.

King John had a distinguished life on the eighteenth- and nineteenth-century stage, and this edition presents the fullest account of its stage history. The play's political importance, its rich and varied language, and its skillful design suggest that King John deserves a high place among Shakespeare's historical tragedies. The textual analysis includes examination of several disputed emendations to the text. In the appendix, Beaurline surveys the arguments about the dating of Shakespeare's King John and the anonymous Troublesome Reign of King John, presenting new evidence for the possibility that Shakespeare's play was written first.