Enter King John and Pandulph with the crown, and
their Attendants. KING JOHN
Thus have I yielded up into your hand
The circle of my glory. PANDULPH, handing John the crown Take again
From this my hand, as holding of the Pope,
Your sovereign greatness and authority. 5 KING JOHN
Now keep your holy word. Go meet the French,
And from his Holiness use all your power
To stop their marches ’fore we are inflamed.
Our discontented counties do revolt,
Our people quarrel with obedience, 10
Swearing allegiance and the love of soul
To stranger blood, to foreign royalty.
This inundation of mistempered humor
Rests by you only to be qualified.
Then pause not, for the present time’s so sick 15
That present med’cine must be ministered,
Or overthrow incurable ensues. PANDULPH
It was my breath that blew this tempest up,
Upon your stubborn usage of the Pope;
But since you are a gentle convertite, 20
My tongue shall hush again this storm of war
And make fair weather in your blust’ring land.
On this Ascension Day, remember well:
Upon your oath of service to the Pope,
Go I to make the French lay down their arms. 25 He exits, with Attendants. | Welcome to the royal court of England. King John is kneeling before Pandulph. He gives his crown to Pandulph, who then gives it back to him. Okay. It looks like King John and the Pope are buddies again—but there's a catch. Now, officially, the Pope owns England; it just so happens that he's kind enough to let John keep ruling it. Once all this business of giving-the-crown-away-and-getting-it-back is done, King John says to Pandulph, "All right: I've lived up to my half of the bargain; now it's time for you to do your part. Help me get these darned rebels and Frenchmen off my back." Pandolf says, "No worries. I'm the one who stirred up this trouble; it'll be easy enough for me to set things right again. Mark my words: on this very Ascension Day, I'll solve all your problems." |
KING JOHN
Is this Ascension Day? Did not the prophet
Say that before Ascension Day at noon
My crown I should give off? Even so I have.
I did suppose it should be on constraint,
But, God be thanked, it is but voluntary. 30 Enter Bastard. BASTARD
All Kent hath yielded. Nothing there holds out
But Dover Castle. London hath received
Like a kind host the Dauphin and his powers.
Your nobles will not hear you, but are gone
To offer service to your enemy; 35
And wild amazement hurries up and down
The little number of your doubtful friends. KING JOHN
Would not my lords return to me again
After they heard young Arthur was alive? BASTARD
They found him dead and cast into the streets, 40
An empty casket where the jewel of life
By some damned hand was robbed and ta’en away. KING JOHN
That villain Hubert told me he did live! BASTARD
So, on my soul, he did, for aught he knew.
But wherefore do you droop? Why look you sad? 45
Be great in act, as you have been in thought.
Let not the world see fear and sad distrust
Govern the motion of a kingly eye.
Be stirring as the time; be fire with fire;
Threaten the threat’ner, and outface the brow 50
Of bragging horror. So shall inferior eyes,
That borrow their behaviors from the great,
Grow great by your example and put on
The dauntless spirit of resolution.
Away, and glister like the god of war 55
When he intendeth to become the field.
Show boldness and aspiring confidence.
What, shall they seek the lion in his den
And fright him there? And make him tremble there?
O, let it not be said! Forage, and run 60
To meet displeasure farther from the doors,
And grapple with him ere he come so nigh. | King John starts saying to himself, "Ascension Day, Ascension Day… why does that ring a bell? Oh, I know! That's the day when that crazy man Peter of Pomfret said I'd give up my crown!" Then King John has an idea: "But—I just gave up my crown… and got it right back. Winning!" The Bastard enters with bad news: throughout the land, people are flocking to support the invading French and their allies, the rebel English noblemen. King John asks if the news that Arthur is still alive had the effect of calming people down. Uh...about that. The Bastard informs him that Arthur is dead. King John now thinks that Hubert betrayed him by telling him that Arthur was alive. The Bastard sticks up for Hubert, telling John that he doesn't think he did the deed. Then the Bastard tells John to stop being such a downer: if the people are going to fight on his behalf, he has to show them that he's a strong and powerful leader. Fake it till you make it, King. |
KING JOHN
The legate of the Pope hath been with me,
And I have made a happy peace with him,
And he hath promised to dismiss the powers 65
Led by the Dauphin. BASTARD
O inglorious league!
Shall we upon the footing of our land
Send fair-play orders and make compromise,
Insinuation, parley, and base truce 70
To arms invasive? Shall a beardless boy,
A cockered silken wanton, brave our fields
And flesh his spirit in a warlike soil,
Mocking the air with colors idly spread,
And find no check? Let us, my liege, to arms! 75
Perchance the Cardinal cannot make your peace;
Or if he do, let it at least be said
They saw we had a purpose of defense. KING JOHN
Have thou the ordering of this present time. BASTARD
Away, then, with good courage! Aside. Yet I 80
know
Our party may well meet a prouder foe. They exit. | King John tells the Bastard how Pandulph has promised to set things in order again. The Bastard doesn't like the sounds of that; he considers such an alliance with the Pope dishonorable. The Bastard says that the English people should at least get an army ready, to show that they aren't total pushovers. King John says, "Fine. But you take care of it." The Bastard promises to do so. |