Shakespeare's King John--Discussion and Summary

Another history play! Character development!
See below for links to other Shakespeare discussions:
Twelfth Night: January 2-8 • Shakespeare's Twelfth ... ​
Henry VI Part 1: January 10-16 • Shakespeare's Henry VI... ​
Henry VI Part 2: January 18-25 • Shakespeare's Henry VI... ​
Henry VI Part 3: January 27-February 2 • Shakespeare's Henry VI... ​
Comedy of Errors: February 4-8 • Shakespeare's Comedy o... ​
Taming of the Shrew: February 10-15 • Shakespeare's Taming o... ​
Titus Andronicus: February 17-22 • Shakespeare's Titus An... ​
Romeo and Juliet: February 24-March 2 • Shakespeare's Romeo & ... ​
• Shakespeare's Romeo & ... ​
Richard III: March 4-12
Julius Caesar: March 14-19 • Shakespeare's Julius C... ​
Two Gentlemen of Verona: March 21-25 • Shakespeare's Two Gent... ​
King John: March 27-April 1 • Shakespeare's King Joh... ​
Richard II: April 3-9 • Shakespeare's Richard ... ​
Venus and Adonis: April 13-17 • Shakespeare's "Venus a... ​
Hamlet: April 19-28 • Shakespeare's Hamlet: ... ​
The Rape of Lucrece: April 30-May 4 • Shakespeare's "Lucrece... ​
Sonnets 1-80: May 6-8 • Shakespeare's Sonnets ​
Bonus Episode! Sir Thomas More: • Shakespeare's Sir Thom... ​
Othello: May 11-18 • Shakespeare's Othello-... ​
Sonnets 81-154: May 20-22 • Shakespeare's Sonnets ​
Love’s Labour’s Lost: May 26-June 2 • Shakespeare's Love's L... ​
Pericles: June 4-9 • Shakespeare's Pericles... ​
Cymbeline: June 11-18 • Shakespeare's Cymbelin... ​
King Lear: June 22-30 • Shakespeare's King Lea... ​
A Lover’s Complaint: July 2 • Shakespeare's "A Lover... ​
The Passionate Pilgrim: July 3 • Shakespeare's The Pass... ​
A Midsummer Night’s Dream: July 6-10 • Shakespeare's A Midsum... ​
The Merchant of Venice: July 12-16 • Shakespeare's Merchant... ​
Bonus Episode! Love's Labour's Won: • Shakespeare's Love's L... ​
Much Ado About Nothing: July 20-26 • Shakespeare's Much Ado... ​
As You Like It: July 28-August 3 • Shakespeare's As You L... ​
Macbeth: August 5-10 • Shakespeare's MacBeth-... ​
Troilus and Cressida: August 12-20 • Shakespeare's Troilus ... ​
Antony and Cleopatra: August 22-29 • Shakespeare's Antony a...
Coriolanus: August 31-September 10
All’s Well That Ends Well: September 12-19
Measure for Measure: September 21-27 • Shakespeare's Measure ...
Henry IV Part 1: September 29-October 5
The Merry Wives of Windsor: October 7-13
Henry IV Part 2: October 15-22
Henry V: October 24-31
Henry VIII: November 2-9
Edward III: November 11-17
Timon of Athens: November 19-24
The Winter’s Tale: December 1-7 • Shakespeare's The Wint...
• Shakespeare's The Wint...
The Tempest: December 9-14 • Shakespeare's The Temp... ​
The Two Noble Kinsmen: December 16-23
The Phoenix and Turtle: December 27 • Shakespeare's "The Pho...

[@reedr7142]

I love this play. It’s the only Shakespeare play I have in two versions-Folgers and Arden.

[@wiambenkousses8572]

I very liked your explanation, carry on and God blesses you

[@theacademy7946]

You are amazing! Thank you for this gift.

[@raeesayanikkad8669]

Helpful..

[@mrbannon0]

Question: do you also study Shakespeare from the POV/context of acting/performance?

[@Nancenotes]

I have not used this approach in formal study, though it’s an excellent way of understanding the piece. These plays were written to be seen and not read. I love watching these performances, but I’m not as confident in my ability/vocabulary to discuss it, simply because of a lack of experience. I should read performance criticism and try to do so sometimes. I probably won’t for this series because I already am doing as much as I have time for.

[@mrbannon0]

@@Nancenotes If you haven't already, read Patrick Tucker's book, "Secrets of Acting Shakespeare".

[@Nancenotes]

I certainly will! Thank you for the recommendation!

[@Nancenotes]

I certainly will! Thank you for the recommendation!

[@MarcoGrabolos]

17:14 lol

[@jasonpratt5126]

Re "put out his eyes and kill him": not exactly. Hubert has already repented of his agreement to kill Prince Arthur, so he's hoping that by blinding him, thus making him unable to inherit the throne (a point assumed by Shakespeare's audience but easy for modern audiences to miss because it's unstated), he can convince King John to spare the Prince's life. But he gets talked down from this, too, by appeal of the Prince and his own conscience, into faking the Prince's death. The historical Hubert becomes a super-important supporter for Henry III (John's inheritor, not Henry II, that was John's father), possibly the most powerful man in England during that reign, so he's arguably the one character in the play rewarded for his (albeit belated) virtue. (Nevertheless he falls prey like everyone else to the curse of thinking only one step ahead all the time, including in this heel-face turn.)

[@kerstinmackenzie6861]

What translation are you using?

[@Nancenotes]

It’s the original text, but I’m reading from the Folger’s edition.

[@kerstinmackenzie6861]

@@Nancenotes Thank you for help me. I found a PDF of it