King John
Tags
Summary
Editor's review
Who it's for
A good fit for
- Readers with Finnish reading ability who want to read Shakespeare's history plays
- Scholars studying the Finnish translation and reception of Shakespeare's works
- Theater enthusiasts interested in historical plays on British kingship and legitimacy
- Advanced learners who want to study Finnish literary language through comparative reading of translations
Not a good fit for
- Ordinary readers who do not know Finnish and wish to read the original play in Chinese or English
- Beginning Shakespeare readers expecting light comedy or romance
- Researchers who need detailed historical notes and a scholarly introduction edition
Reading tips
- First list the characters on both sides of the succession struggle, marking dynasty and kinship, before reading the text.
- Read act by act, and at the end of each act summarize the political conflicts and changes in characters' positions.
- Pay attention to hesitation and self-justification in King John's lines, and appreciate the character's personality and power relations.
- Those with English can read selected scenes alongside the original play and compare the Finnish translation's wording choices.
About the publisher
Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.
Contents
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FAQ
Is this version the original text or a translation?
Can I read it without knowing Finnish?
Is this a Shakespeare comedy?
Comments
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About the author
William Shakespeare (1564–1616) was the greatest playwright, poet and actor of the English Renaissance. Born in Stratford-upon-Avon, England, he is known as the "Bard of Avon." He wrote roughly thirty-seven to thirty-nine plays, one hundred and fifty-four sonnets and narrative poems. His representative works include Hamlet, Othello, King Lear, Macbeth and Romeo and Juliet. His works span tragedy, comedy and history play, distinguished by rich, poetic language and profound characterization. His explorations of human nature, power, love and fate have had a lasting influence, and his works have been translated into many languages and circulated widely around the world.
