The Shakespeare Conference: SHK 9.0276  Saturday, 28 March 1998.

From:           Michael Ullyot <
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Date:           Friday, 27 Mar 1998 13:30:12 -0500
Subject: 9.0262  Q: As You Like It
Comment:        Re: SHK 9.0262  Q: As You Like It

Scott Crozier's question about Robin Hood dramatisations has led me to
another question: as a reader of _King John_ (which I have yet to see in
production, not surprisingly, since it is so rarely done) I note some
significant absences in the play-and while it is (no doubt) wrong to
call a play to task for absent material, I do wonder this: why is there
no mention in the play of the two best-known elements of John's reign?
Namely, the Robin Hood connection and (of course) the Magna Carta? I
wonder what theories are swirling about to explain Shakespeare's failure
to mention these elements of the monarch's historical background.