# King John — King John character guide

> King John in King John by William Shakespeare.

**Role:** major

**Also known as:** John, King John Hubert, King John Sirrah, King John Nay, King John Ay, King John O, King John Silence, King John Why, King John Bear, King John Bedlam, King John Coz, King John Cousin, King John Doth Arthur, King John From henceforth, King John In us, King John Death, King John France

**First appearance:** 0000-king-john

## Snapshot

A king gripping a crown he knows is borrowed, answering France's claim on Arthur with cannon thunder rather than law.

## Who they are

John opens the play already crowned and already contested: France demands he hand England to his young nephew Arthur, and his mother Elinor privately admits his possession matters more than his right. Blunt, imperious, and quick to convert defiance into war, he treats diplomacy as a prelude to force. His disputed title is the engine of every alliance, siege, and betrayal that follows, and his uneasy conscience makes him the play's most watchable knot of power and fear.

## Relationships

### [Constance](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/king_john_se/characters/constance)

_rivalry_

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

### [Robert Faulconbridge](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/king_john_se/characters/robert_faulconbridge)

_professional_

King John interacts with Robert as a judge in the inheritance dispute, favoring Philip over Robert.

### [Prince Henry](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/king_john_se/characters/prince_henry)

_family_

Prince Henry is King John's young son and heir, with John showing paternal concern for his future.

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

_family_

Queen Elinor is King John's mother and a strong political ally, fiercely supporting his claim to the throne.

### [Lewis the Dauphin](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/king_john_se/characters/lewis_the_dauphin)

_rivalry_

Lewis the Dauphin is the French prince who invades England, making him a direct military enemy of King John.

### [Peter of Pomfret](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/king_john_se/characters/peter_of_pomfret)

_psychological_

Peter of Pomfret is a prophet who predicts John's downfall, and John has him imprisoned and executed, showing John's paranoia.

### [Constance](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/king_john_se/characters/constance)

_rivalry_

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

### [Prince Henry](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/king_john_se/characters/prince_henry)

_family_

Prince Henry is King John's young son and heir, with John showing paternal concern for his future.

### [Prince Henry](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/king_john_se/characters/prince_henry)

_family_

Prince Henry is King John's young son and heir, with John showing paternal concern for his future.

## In the story

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

Receives the French embassy and rejects Arthur's claim; adjudicates the Faulconbridge inheritance dispute; knights Philip as Sir Richard Plantagenet.

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

Arrives before Angiers with his army, asserting his right to the throne and demanding entry.

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

Defies the Pope's legate, refuses to submit to papal authority, and prepares for war against France.

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

Enters with Arthur and Hubert, instructs Hubert to guard Arthur, and reports his mother's peril.

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

Commands the Bastard to plunder the Church in England, and subtly orders Hubert to kill Arthur.

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

Grows paranoid and guilt-ridden after learning of Arthur's reported death and the French invasion; confronts Hubert and repents his earlier rage.

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

Surrenders his crown to Pandulph, then receives it back as a vassal of the pope; learns of Arthur's death and the rebellion of his nobles.

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

Suffering from a long fever, he is faint and unable to welcome the good news of the French wreck.

### [Scene VI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/king_john_se/chapters/act-v-scene-vi)

Reported to have been poisoned by a monk; left almost speechless but still alive.

### [Scene VII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/king_john_se/chapters/act-v-scene-vii)

Poisoned and dying, he is brought into the orchard, speaks of his suffering, and dies after hearing the Bastard's news.

## Links

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