# Constance — King John character guide

> Constance in King John by William Shakespeare.

**Role:** major

**Also known as:** the Lady Constance, Lady Constance, Constance O, Constance O Lewis, ambitious Constance, Constance Ay, Constance Lo

**First appearance:** 0002-act-i-scene-i

## Snapshot

Arthur's mother, a widow whose grief and ambition fuse into the play's most scorching voice for her son's right.

## Who they are

Constance has staked everything on Arthur's claim, and she spars with Elinor in public with a fury that shocks even the kings trying to negotiate around her. She calls Elinor a 'canker'd grandam' and a 'monstrous injurer of heaven and earth,' insisting her son's tears are heaven's bribes for justice. Her refusal to be temperate makes her both the conscience and the liability of the French alliance, and her grief will drive the play's emotional weather well past the battlefield.

## Relationships

### [King John](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/king_john_se/characters/king_john)

_rivalry_

Constance is a fierce enemy of King John, bitterly opposing his claim to the throne and defending her son Arthur's rights.

### [Queen Elinor](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/king_john_se/characters/queen_elinor)

_rivalry_

Constance and Queen Elinor are bitter enemies, arguing fiercely over the legitimacy of their respective heirs to the throne.

### [King John](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/king_john_se/characters/king_john)

_rivalry_

Constance is a fierce enemy of King John, bitterly opposing his claim to the throne and defending her son Arthur's rights.

### [Queen Elinor](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/king_john_se/characters/queen_elinor)

_rivalry_

Constance and Queen Elinor are bitter enemies, arguing fiercely over the legitimacy of their respective heirs to the throne.

## In the story

### [Scene I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/king_john_se/chapters/act-ii-scene-i)

Arthur's mother, thanks Austria for his support and urges patience for news from England.

### [Scene I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/king_john_se/chapters/act-iii-scene-i)

Grieves and rages against the marriage alliance, feeling betrayed by France and abandoned by Fortune.

### [Scene IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/king_john_se/chapters/act-iii-scene-iv)

Constance is consumed by grief over Arthur's capture, rejecting comfort and calling for death. She insists she is not mad but feels the full weight of her loss.

### [Scene II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/king_john_se/chapters/act-iv-scene-ii)

Reported to have died in a frenzy three days before Elinor.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/king_john_se/characters/constance
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/king_john_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/king_john_se/characters