The Life and Death of King John

This facsimile edition of The Life and Death of King John is taken from the large and handsome book known simply as the ‘First Folio’. This is the earliest collected edition of Shakespeare’s plays and was was printed in 1623, just seven years after his death.


For students of The Life and Death of King John, going back to these First Folio plays is an essential part of a more complete understanding of Shakespeare's work.


Eighteen of Shakespeare’s plays had already been published in the small, cheap format known as quartos during his lifetime, including such favourites as A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Hamlet and Romeo and Juliet. The First Folio added another eighteen, including Macbeth, The Tempest and Twelfth Night all of which are indispensable to the modern repertory. Without the First Folio only half of Shakespeare’s dramatic output would have survived.


The Life and Death of King John is one of Shakespeare's history plays. It takes as its subject the reign of John, King of England (who reigned from 1199 to 1216) and was the son of Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine. The play was probably written in around 1595.


This is an eBookTreasures facsimile edition.