Memory, Composition, and the Relationship of King John to The Troublesome Raigne of King John

Charles R. Forker (ed.). <em>The Troublesome Reign of John, King of England</em>. Manchester: Manchester University Press, 2011. Pp xxviii, 379.

“…the company's repertoire, which included The Troublesome Reign; 1 however, there have been relatively few significant scholarly articles on the play in the past decade, except for those by Beatrice Groves, Richard Helgerson, Brian Vickers, and Forker himself. 2 Most of these and earlier discussions focus upon the play's oft-disputed authorship, date, and textual relationship to Shakespeare's King John as much as its merit as a stand-alone dramatic work. Forker's comprehensive introduction is no exception to this trend, as it includes a section on the relationship between The Troublesome Reign and King John (also a major focus of the commentary); but he also performs careful analysis of the play's ceremonial spectacle, ideological ambiguity, political symbolism, and many other thematic aspects.…”