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When does King John take place?
King John takes place in the early years of the thirteenth century, during the reign of the historical John Lackland, who ruled England from 1199 until his death in 1216. This period is substantially earlier than Shakespeare’s other history plays. Those plays collectively cover the sweep of time between roughly 1400 and 1485, following the line of succession from Richard II to Henry IV, Henry V, Henry VI, and finally Richard III. The events these plays depict were not exactly in recent memory for Shakespeare’s audiences, but they did portray the rise of the Wars of the Roses, the conclusion of which established the Tudor line from which Queen Elizabeth was descended. Though set much earlier in England’s history, King John does parallel these other plays in depicting issues that were highly resonant with the Elizabethan era, including questions of legitimacy and succession.
Why does Pandolf pressure King Philip into resuming war against England?
Pandolf pressures King Philip into resuming the war against England in order to punish King John for his repudiation of the Catholic Church. Pandolf is an emissary who has come from Rome on behalf of the pope. He wants to know why John hasn’t installed the new archbishop of Canterbury. When John refuses to be bossed around by a representative of the Church, Pandolf excommunicates him. Pandolf then turns to King Philip and says that he must prove France’s continued allegiance to Rome by breaking the truce he’s established with England and resuming the war. Essentially, Pandolf is leveraging the Church’s political influence to pressure the French to punish the English.
Why does Louis refuse to break off his campaign in England?
After Pandolf has pressured King Philip into breaking his alliance with King John and continue his war with England, the pope’s emissary approaches the young dauphin, Louis. Pandolf convinces Louis that, with Arthur’s recent capture, there’s no hope that the young boy will ever be king, since John will most likely have him murdered. But the tragedy of Arthur’s death provides Louis with an opportunity to take over Arthur’s claim to the throne—a possibility newly ensured by his recent marriage to Blanche. Louis agrees with Pandolf and redoubles his efforts in the war. Thus, when Pandolf arrives after facilitating John’s reconciliation with the Church and commands him to give up the fight, Louis refuses; he is too committed to becoming king of England to give up.
How does Arthur die?
Arthur dies by jumping off the castle walls, thinking he might survive the fall and then be able to escape. Although the audience witnesses this event, for the characters in the play there is much confusion surrounding Arthur’s death. First of all, King John hesitatingly asks for Hubert to kill the boy and thereby rid him of his chief rival. Hubert agrees and prepares a horrific death in which he plans to burn out his eyes. However, Arthur’s youthful fear and his desperate pleas to live convince Hubert not to go through with it. Nevertheless, he attempts to cover up his own weakness by telling John that Arthur is dead. John tells his courtiers, and soon news of the boy’s death spreads throughout the kingdom. As John’s lords begin to turn on him, the king grows furious at Hubert, who reassures him that Arthur is still alive. Meanwhile, Arthur decides to try to escape and falls to his death.
How does King John die?
King John dies by poison that he’s given by a vengeful monk. This event results from an earlier ploy John designed, and which he had the Bastard implement. Needing to raise funds quickly to support the war against France, John asked the Bastard to return to England and ransack the coffers of all the monasteries there. The Bastard does as he’s asked, and there is some news that the commoners were upset by the pillaging of monastic wealth. However, the thread relating to the monasteries is quickly forgotten in the confusion surrounding Arthur’s false—and then real—death. Forgotten, that is, by the audience, but apparently not the monks of the abbey where John hides out as he awaits a report from the Bastard. For it is there that he is poisoned, and he dies soon after he’s been transported back to the English court.
