Shakespeare 1994 – King John

A play where everything and everyone, every opinion, every wish and every act is constantly turned upside down and inside out. A play in which the ground is always shaking and probably a book about our always shaking ground.

“King John: (…)

Behold, the French, amazed, vouchsafe a parle;

And now, instead of bullets wrapt in fire,

To make a shaking fever of your walls,

They shoot but calm words, folded up in smoke,

To make a faithless error in your ears” (Shakespeare, 1994, p.307).

“First Citizen:

That can we not, but he that proves the king,

To him will we prove loyal: till that time

Have we ramm’d up our gates against the world.” (Shakespeare, 1994, p.307).

“First Citizen:

Till you compound whose right is worthiest,

We for the worthiest hold the right from both.” (Shakespeare, 1994, p.307).

“Constance:

War! War! No peace! Peace is to me a war.” (Shakespeare, 1994, p.312).

“Cardinal Pandulph:

All form formless, order orderless,

Save what is opposite to England’s love.” (Shakespeare, 1994, p.313).

“King John:(…)

“if the midnight bell

Did, with his iron tongue and brazen mouth,

Sound one into the drowsy ear of night;

If this same were a churchyard where we stand,

And thou possessed with a thousand wrongs;

Of if that surly spirit, melancholy,

Had baked thy blood, and made it heavy thick,

Which else runs tickling up and down the veins,

Making that idiot, laughter, keep men’s eyes,

And strain their cheeks to idel merriment, -

A passion hateful to my purposes;

Or if that thou couldst see me without eyes,

Hear me without thine ears, and make reply

Without a tongue, using conceit alone,

without eyes, ears, and harmful sound of words;

then, in despite of brooded watchful day,

I would into thy bosom pour my thoughts.

(…)

Good Hubert, Hubert, Hubert, throw thine eye

On yon young boy: I’ll tell thee what, my friend,

He is a very serpent in my way;

And wheresoe’er this foot of mine doth tread,

He lies before me: - dost thou understand me?

Thou art his keeper.

Hubert de Burgh:

                                   And I’ll keep him so,

That he shall not offend you majesty.

King John:                                         Death.” (Shakespeare, 1994, p.315).

“King Philipp:

You are as fond of grief as of your child.

Constance:

Grief fills the room up of my absent child,

Lies in his bed, walks up and down with me,

Puts on his pretty looks, repeats his words

Remembers me of all his gracious parts,

Stuffs out his vacant garments with his form;

Then have I reason to be fond of grief.” (Shakespeare, 1994, p.316).

“Cardinal Pandulph:

If you hd won it, certainly you had.

No, no; when Fortune means to men most good,

She looks upon them with a threatening eye.

‘Tis strange to think how much King John hath lost

In this he accounts so clearly won:” (Shakespeare, 1994, p.316).

“King John:

(…)

To your proceedings? Do not seek to stuff

My head with more ill news, for it is full.

Bastard:

But if you be afeard to hear the worst,

Then let the worst, unheard, fall on your head.” (Shakespeare, 1994, p.320).

“Earl of Salisbury:

(…)

That, for the health and physic of our right,

We cannot deal but with the very hand

Of stern injustice and confused wrong.” (Shakespeare, 1994, p.324).

“Melun:

(…)

What in the world should make me now deceive.

Since I must lose the use of all deceit?

Why should I, then be false, since it is true

That I must die here, and live hence by truth?” (Shakespeare, 1994, p.326).