King John

William ShakespeareProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.8

Word count: 165K words
Chapters: 17

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.Le roi Jean by William ShakespeareAuthor: Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616,Language: French, Class: PR: Language and Literatures: English literature, Release Date: Jun 18, 2007

Editor's review

Le roi Jean (King John) is the French translation of Shakespeare's history play, released electronically by Project Gutenberg. The play centers on the reign of King John of England, touching on the legitimacy of the throne, conflicts with the Church, and foreign wars; it is one of the works in Shakespeare's history-play sequence that explores power and the legitimacy of rule. This version is in French, offering French readers and scholars studying the French reception history of Shakespeare a convenient free text. The pleasure of reading this play lies in observing how Shakespeare transforms chronicle material into dramatic conflict, and in the verbal sparring of characters caught in the vortex of power. As a translation, readers may note how French handles Shakespearean rhetoric and puns, which is also of reference value for translation studies. Readers are advised to first grasp the basic historical context of King John's reign before entering the play, lest they get lost among the many characters. This electronic edition is suitable for French readers using it for classroom selections, comparative literature research, or self-study of Shakespeare's history plays.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Shakespeare drama enthusiasts with French reading ability
Scholars studying the French translation and reception of Shakespeare's works
Students taking courses on English history plays or comparative literature
Readers needing a free French edition of a Shakespeare play for teaching or staging

Not a good fit for

Readers without French reading ability and no English text for comparison
Readers seeking the original English version of Shakespeare
Beginners expecting modern annotations and detailed introductions

Reading tips

First review the main historical events of King John's reign, then read the play; the character relationships will be clearer.
Read in comparison with Shakespeare's other history plays to observe the continuity and changes in his treatment of kingship.
Note how the French translation handles the original's rhetoric and puns; suitable for readers in translation studies to take notes.
If used for staging or classroom discussion, select and closely read the passages debating the legitimacy of the throne.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

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.

FAQ

Is this version the original English text or a translation?

This is a French translation; the Gutenberg record lists the language as French. For Shakespeare's original English, seek an English edition; this version is better suited to French readers or scholars studying French translation.

What category does King John belong to among Shakespeare's works?

It belongs to Shakespeare's history plays, drawn from the reign of King John of England. The play involves royal succession, the conflict between Church and crown, and foreign wars, and is a work for understanding the theme of power in Shakespeare's history plays.

Does the Gutenberg edition include annotations and an introduction?

Project Gutenberg provides free electronic texts, usually primarily the original content, without modern scholarly annotations or detailed introductions. Readers needing background explanation should consult Shakespeare studies materials or historical background readings separately.

Is it suitable for use as classroom material?

It can be used as a supplementary text, especially suitable for selections in French teaching or comparative literature courses. However, lacking annotations, teachers need to supplement historical background and explanation of linguistic difficulties themselves to better realize its teaching value.

Comments

Find this book

This site is an index: you start “Search all sources” in your browser, and the entries it lists all point to third-party sites; please judge their availability yourself.

About the author

William Shakespeare Author · English · 1564–1616

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.