William Shakespeare
King John
The full script in Final Draft, Word & PDF
King John defends a shaky throne against France and the Pope, while the Bastard Philip Faulconbridge emerges as the play's most vivid voice.
PDFs Only
$4.99
- ✓ Stageplay PDF (88 pp.)
- ✓ Screenplay PDF (80 pp.)
- ✓ Instant download
Full Package
$12.99
- ✓ Final Draft (.fdx)
- ✓ Microsoft Word + RTF
- ✓ Screenplay + Stageplay PDFs
Need more than a few plays?
All 37 plays in every format cost $99, less than 8 single Full Packages. PDFs only: $55 for all 37.
- Genre
- History
- Written
- c. 1596–1597
- Setting
- England and France
- Scenes
- 16
- Speaking roles
- 30
- Uncut running time
- ~2h 30m
What happens in King John
King John claims the English crown, but Philip of France supports the claim of his nephew Arthur. Meanwhile, Philip Faulconbridge, who is revealed as an illegitimate son of Richard the Lionheart, is knighted by John and becomes his loyal supporter. War threatens at Angers, but the two kings agree to a marriage between John's niece Blanche and the Dauphin, only for the peace to fail when the Pope's legate demands that John obey Rome.
John captures Arthur and orders Hubert to blind him, but Hubert relents. Arthur dies leaping from the castle wall, and English lords, believing John has killed him, turn against the king. French troops land in England. John gives in to the Pope but falls ill, poisoned by a monk, while the Bastard holds the country together. John's son Henry takes the crown at the end.
See the formatting
The first page of Act I, exactly as it appears in the files you download.
The biggest roles
Share of the play's spoken words, counted from the script. 30 characters speak; 12 of them have under 1% of the text — natural candidates for doubling.
| Role | Share of the text | Speeches |
|---|---|---|
| Bastard | | 93 |
| King John | | 101 |
| Constance | | 37 |
| King Philip | | 44 |
| Cardinal Pandulph | | 23 |
| Salisbury | | 36 |
| Lewis | | 31 |
| Hubert | | 55 |
For directors
The Bastard has about 20 percent of the words and King John 16, so the play hinges on two strong actors, with Constance at 10 and King Philip at 7. Eight roles exceed 5 percent. With 30 speaking roles, 12 under 1 percent, and 16 scenes, the cast is moderate and doubling is practical between English and French lords. The uncut estimate of 150 minutes fits an evening. Constance gives the play one of its strongest female parts.
Cutting notes
- Trim the diplomatic bargaining scenes before Angers, including the long exchanges between the kings and the legate.
- Shorten Constance's grief scenes if the production wants to keep Arthur's story tight.
- Reduce the lords' scenes of defection and return in Acts IV and V.
For teachers
Students study legitimacy and political expedience, the rivalry of England and France, the clash between crown and papacy, and the Bastard's development from opportunist to patriot. Commonly taught passages include the Bastard's speech on commodity, Constance's lament for Arthur, and the scene where Hubert is ordered to blind Arthur. The play is also discussed as an early example of Shakespeare's handling of English history.
Questions
Is this the complete, uncut text of King John?
Yes. Every file contains the full play — 16 scenes and about 20,500 spoken words. Cut it yourself in Word or Final Draft to fit your running time.
What is the difference between the stageplay and screenplay layouts?
The stageplay layout indents stage directions and sets dialogue full-width, like a theatre script. The screenplay layout follows film conventions: scene headings and action flush left, character names centred, dialogue in a narrower column. Both tiers include both layouts as PDFs; the Full Package adds editable Final Draft and Word files of each.
Can I use this King John script for a production or a class?
Yes. Shakespeare's plays are in the public domain, so there are no royalties to pay for staging them. Edit, stage, film or teach with these files.
How do I receive the files?
Right after checkout you land on a private download page, and the link is also emailed to you. It keeps working, so you can re-download any time.
