by Paul Werstine, William Shakespeare
Okay, I said this many times before but this time one of the commentators at the end of the book pointed out that reading some plays doesn't bring the play out the same way that watching it performed does, but the reason Sylvia Barnett made this comment is because this is one of those plays that is ...
Another play that I quite liked without knowing why. My favourite Shakespeare since I undertook to (re)read his works in chronological order. My appreciation has generally been increasing as I am going along, so it may also just be that I have finally gotten more used to his style.
Shakespeare’s interpretation of King John summarizes the period of John’s reign after the death of Richard I until his poisoning. He works to solidify his authority against the aspirations of his nephew, Arthur, who also claims the crown. Unlike Richard III, John vacillates in his ruthlessness, ma...
At least this history has a plot, even if it lacks the redeeming qualities/actions that the real King John had.
The Life and Death of King John is a very good play. It's similar to my recently reviewed Richard II in that there are no outright heroes or villains; it is instead a play about fallible men attempting to control events that are beyond their capacity.The central character is King John. Not unintelli...
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