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King John
The king of England, John is the third son of Henry II. His older brother, Richard the Lionhearted, was king before him. Legally, his dead brother Geoffrey’s son Arthur should have become the next king, but John takes the throne because Richard appointed him. The legitimacy of his rule is therefore in doubt, but John is happy to go to war to defend himself. However, his indifference to the decrees of the pope and his willingness to steal from the monasteries threaten his rule as much as the question of his legitimacy. His order to have Arthur killed destroys the support of his lords, and his robbery of the monasteries leads to his death at the hands of a monk.
Read an in-depth analysis of King John.
Eleanor
John’s mother, Eleanor encourages John to keep a strong hold on the throne even if his legitimacy is in question. She and Arthur’s mother argue enthusiastically about who should be the next king. Eleanor’s death in France means John is not adequately informed about the French invasion and briefly leaves him in despair.
Philip
The king of France, Philip is Arthur’s champion, and he demands that John abdicate in favor of his nephew. Yet Philip easily changes his mind and joins with John’s family in marriage when the citizens of Angiers suggest that Louis and Blanche marry. Philip is forced to change his mind again when Pandolf insists that he defend the pope and go to war with John. However, Philip’s main problem is that he keeps losing his armies crossing the channel between France and England.
Arthur
The son of John’s elder brother, Arthur is the rightful heir to the throne. His mother, Constance, masterminds his attempt to seize the throne, and Philip provides the military strength he needs. Yet Arthur wishes he had nothing to do with the complexities of political life, and he dreams of being a simple shepherd. He convinces Hubert not to kill him but then dies when he foolishly leaps off the castle walls while trying to escape.
Read an in-depth analysis of Arthur.
Philip the Bastard
The illegitimate son of Richard the Lionhearted, the Bastard’s proper name is Philip Faulconbridge. He initially argues his claim to his foster father’s inheritance but then gives it to his younger brother, choosing to become a knight instead. At first, he is a mischievous figure who struggles to learn the ways of the nobility. However, he soon becomes John’s main supporter after all the king’s lords abandon him. By the end of the play, his honorable behavior has made him look even better than John, but he has a string of bad luck when he loses half his army. He is persistent, though; he tries to declare war on Louis even after peace has been declared.
Read an in-depth analysis of Philip the Bastard.
Louis
Philip’s son, Louis marries Blanche and thus becomes another distant heir to the English throne. Pandolf encourages him to seek out this claim, so he attacks England. However, his reinforcements are lost in a storm at sea, and Louis lets Pandolf broker a peace treaty with England.
Pandolf
A legate of the Catholic Church from Rome, Pandolf first arrives to ask John why he has resisted the pope’s nomination for archbishop. He excommunicates John and threatens to excommunicate Philip unless he breaks with John. He later urges Louis to attack England. Then, after John belatedly seeks the pope’s recognition, Pandolf tries to convince Louis to stop the attack. He initially fails, but when Louis loses his army, he calls on Pandolf to negotiate peace between the kingdoms.
Hubert
One of John’s men, Hubert is assigned to look after Arthur. John asks him to kill Arthur, but Hubert is so touched by Arthur’s innocence that he cannot kill the boy, and he returns to John with a false report of Arthur’s death. When John accuses Hubert of having convinced him to kill Arthur when he didn’t want to, Hubert reveals that he didn’t kill Arthur. Yet when Arthur is found dead, the nobles assume Hubert killed him. Later, Hubert is on hand when John is poisoned at a monastery, and he informs the Bastard of the king’s mortal illness.
Constance
Arthur’s mother, Constance convinces Philip to be her son’s champion in his quest for the throne. After Arthur is captured, she mourns extravagantly and accuses Philip of having sold her out by arranging a marriage between Louis and Blanche.
Read an in-depth analysis of Constance.
Pembroke
One of John’s followers, Pembroke switches allegiances when he believes Arthur has been killed at John’s instruction. Later, after John dies, he swears allegiance to Prince Henry.
Salisbury
One of John’s followers, Salisbury switches allegiances when he believes Arthur has been killed at John’s instruction. Later, after John dies, he swears allegiance to Prince Henry.
Austria
One of Philip’s men, killed by the Bastard.
Blanche
John’s niece, Blanche marries Louis, thus cementing a bond between John and Philip. When Pandolf insists Philip break with John, Blanche is distraught to have to choose between her family and her new husband.
Essex
One of John’s followers.
Bigot
One of John’s followers.
Melun
One of Louis’s men, Melun tips the English lords off after he is wounded, telling them Louis means to behead them if they beat John’s army in the invasion.
Faulconbridge
The Bastard’s younger (legitimate) brother, Robert Faulconbridge claims his father willed his inheritance to him, but the Bastard possesses it legally because he is their mother’s oldest son. He regains the land when the Bastard forfeits it.
Lady Faulconbridge
The Bastard’s mother, Lady Faulconbridge committed adultery with Richard the Lionhearted. Her oldest son was therefore illegitimate, though this fact doesn’t prohibit him from being the legal heir to her husband’s property.
Chatillon
A messenger from France, Chatillon speaks for Philip when he asks John to abdicate in favor of Arthur, thereby instigating the first battles between England and France.
Prince Henry
John’s son, Henry becomes King Henry III at John’s death, and the lords all swear allegiance to him over his father’s dead body.
