Category: King John

Thank you to Emma Smith for providing our introduction to King John.

Emma Smith is Professor of Shakespeare Studies at the University of Oxford. Her podcast lectures “Approaching Shakespeare”—including on King John—are available at podcasts.ox.ac.uk. Her most recent book is This Is Shakespeare, out in the U.S. and in paperback in the U.K. at the end of March 2020.

Many thanks to my friend Joey Bianco of Whim Wham for the animated video elements.

Here are some helpful resources to enhance your experience of King John:

• King John resources, character map, and infographic from Course Hero.
• If you want a quick introduction to King John, here’s a brief synopsis from the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust.
• The first-ever film footage of a Shakespeare play that still exists is from King John. You can watch the short, silent clip here.
• A full production of King John—directed by Murray Biggs, who has offered video introductions to the Shakespeare 2020 Project—can be found here.
• The Oregon Shakespeare Festival has a full audio recording of King John from 1959, which is here.
• To learn more about the historical King John, click here.

Thanks for Dan Hainsworth for letting us use his Shakespeare icons, as shown above right.

Enjoy these King John images from the Folger Shakespeare Library. Find more here.