King John
Richard I, also known as Geoffrey
Plantagenet, also known as Richard
Cordelion is killed by a man named
Austria. As left in Richard's will,
his youngest brother John becomes
Richard's successor to the crown of
England. However, Constance, widow
of Richard's younger (and John's
older) brother Geoffrey, feels that
her adolescent son, Arthur, should
have become the new king of England.
Constance appeals to the King of
France, Philip, to help her oust
John from the throne and place
Arthur on it. A third claim to the
throne appears (though none of the
characters ever acknowledge him) in
the personage of Philip, a bastard
son of Richard I, actually older
than Arthur, and much more similar
in manners and looks to Richard I
than Arthur is.
John knights the Bastard (as he is
called throughout by Shakespeare)
and allows him to accompany him to
the city of Algiers (in France)
where they, along with Queen Elinor
(the mother of both King John and
Richard I), confront King Philip (of
France). King Philip is actually
helped by the man Austria,
supposedly since Austria is
sorrowful for having killed Richard
I. King Philip's son, Prince Lewis
(the Dauphin), also helps his father
threaten King John.
The two kings and their armies fight
one another to prove which is the
true king of England to Hubert, a
leader in Algiers. Hubert cannot be
convinced, and instead offers a
compromise whereby Prince Lewis
marries Blanch, daughter of Richard
I and niece to King John.
The kings agree and the marriage is settled,
with the dowry including some outlying
British lands and peace between King John
and King Philip. To appease Arthur, and
more-so his mother Constance, King John
makes Arthur the Duke of Britain and Earl of
Richmond. Constance does not appreciate the
titles, since she only wants her son Arthur
to be king. The Bastard does not approve of
the marriage and entitlements, and fears bad
things will become of it.
On
the wedding day, Cardinal Pandulph (a legate
under the Pope) arrives and orders King John
to allow the Papal chosen Archbishop of
Canterbury to take office, an act that King
John had not been allowing. King John
continues to disobey the Pope's wishes, and
consequently, Pandulph excommunicates King
John. Out of fear of repercussions, King
Philip abandons his peace with King John and
war breaks out again. During battle, the
Bastard kills Austria (in revenge for
Austria killing Richard I, the Bastards's
father), King John captures Algiers, and
John captures Arthur. John orders Hubert to
return to England with Arthur and to kill
him, hoping Arthur's death will secure
John's title to the throne (reminiscent of
Richard III). Pandulph suggests to Prince
Lewis that he try to become King of England,
playing on the English subjects' inevitable
outrage over Arthur's sure-to-come future
murder by King John.
Hubert tries to burn out Arthur's eyes (an
unexplained shift from murder), but cannot,
though he tells King John that Arthur is
dead. The English Lords denounce King John
for killing Arthur and secede to help Prince
Lewis. In sorrow over the kidnapping and
death of her son, Constance dies. Queen
Elinor also dies, though reasons are not
given. Hubert then tells John that Arthur is
in truth alive, cheering him up, though
unbeknownst to anyone, Arthur has leapt to
his own death from a castle wall. King John
repents to the Pandulph and is reinstated
into the church. War on English soil ensues
with the Bastard actually leading the army
and acting as the King, since King John
falls ill and seems incapable of making
decisions. The Bastard's army wins the day's
battles.