The Life and Death of King John, a history play by William Shakespeare, dramatises the reign of John, King of England, the son of Henry II of England and Eleanor of Aquitaine and the father of Henry III of England. It is believed to have been written in the mid-1590s, but it was not published until 1623, when it appeared in the First Folio.
Herbert Beerbohm Tree (1852–1917), as King John in 'King John' by William Shakespeare, Charles A. Buchel (1900)
A 19th century drawing by Thomas Nast
"King John", Act IV, Scene 1, Hubert and Arthur (from the Boydell series), James Northcote (1789)
The Gossiping Blacksmith, Edward Penny (1769)
History (theatrical genre)
History is one of the three main genres in Western theatre alongside tragedy and comedy, although it originated, in its modern form, thousands of years later than the other primary genres. For this reason, it is often treated as a subset of tragedy. A play in this genre is known as a history play and is based on a historical narrative, often set in the medieval or early modern past. History emerged as a distinct genre from tragedy in Renaissance England. The best known examples of the genre are the history plays written by William Shakespeare, whose plays still serve to define the genre. History plays also appear elsewhere in British and Western literature, such as Thomas Heywood's Edward IV, Schiller's Mary Stuart or the Dutch play Gijsbrecht van Aemstel.
A scene from Shakespare's Henry IV, Part 1, Act II, Scene 4. Falstaff offers a false account of a skirmish between himself and eleven assailants.
Room 17, the Nereid Monument at the British Museum, London. An actress performs a play in front of the monument.
Charles Kean as Richard III