King John

King John had a distinguished life on the eighteenth- and nineteenth-century stage, but for most of this century the play has been undervalued. The introduction to Professor Beaurline's edition presents the fullest account to date of the stage history, with accompanying illustrations to suggest the dramatic potential of the script. The play's political importance, its rich and varied language, and its skilful design suggest that King John deserves a high place among Shakespeare's historical tragedies. The textual analysis includes examination of several disputed emendations to the text. In the appendix Beaurline surveys the arguments about the dating of Shakespeare's King John and the anonymous Troublesome Reign of King John, and he presents new evidence for the possibility that Shakespeare's play was written first.Shakespeare, William is the author of 'King John' with ISBN 9780521221962 and ISBN 052122196X.