How we cite our quotes: (Act.Scene.Line)
Quote #1
KING JOHN
These flags of France that are advancèd here
Before the eye and prospect of your town,
Have hither marched for your endangerment.
[…]
But on the sight of us your lawful king,
[…]
Behold, the French, amazed, vouchsafe a parle.
And now, instead of bullets wrapped in fire
To make a shaking fever in your walls,
They shoot but calm words folded up in smoke
To make a faithless error in your ears,
Which trust accordingly, kind citizens,
And let us in. Your king, whose labored spirits
Forwearied in this action of swift speed,
Craves harborage within your city walls. (2.1.216-218; 231; 235-243)
King John's trying to convince the people of Angers to side with him against the French. He uses a few different arguments, one of which is that he, John, is the legal ruler ("your lawful king"). But he also argues that the French are untrustworthy: "You might be pleased by the fact they're sweet-talking you now," he seems to be saying, "but they'll betray you given half the chance. I won't, so stick with me." Do you think King John is correct in his description of the French?
Quote #2
QUEEN ELEANOR
Son, list to this conjunction; make this match.
Give with our niece a dowry large enough,
For by this knot thou shalt so surely tie
Thy now unsured assurance to the crown,
That yon green boy shall have no sun to ripe
The bloom that promiseth a mighty fruit.
I see a yielding in the looks of France.
Mark how they whisper. Urge them while their
souls
Are capable of this ambition,
Lest zeal, now melted by the windy breath
Of soft petitions, pity, and remorse,
Cool and congeal again to what it was. (2.1.489-501)
With these words, Eleanor encourages John to agree to Hubert's suggestion and marry his niece Blanche to Louis, the Dauphin of France. Eleanor knows that the match is a good deal for King Philip—and, in this play, when somebody sees a good deal coming their way, they are pretty likely to betray any pre-existing agreements that stand in their way. That said, Eleanor realizes that people don't like being traitors; it makes them look bad, and if Constance and Arthur remind them of this fact with "soft petitions," their "pity and remorse" will make them back away from the deal. So she encourages John to strike while the iron is hot. Do you agree with Eleanor's assessment of human nature?
Quote #3
KING JOHN
If that the Dauphin there, thy princely son,
Can in this book of beauty read 'I love,'
Her dowry shall weigh equal with a queen.
For Anjou and fair Touraine, Maine, Poictiers,
And all that we upon this side the sea—
Except this city now by us besieged—
Find liable to our crown and dignity,
Shall gild her bridal bed and make her rich
In titles, honors, and promotions,
As she in beauty, education, blood,
Holds hand with any princess in the world.
KING PHILIP
What sayst thou, boy? Look in the lady's face. (2.1.506-517)
In these lines, King John takes the advice of his mother Eleanor from the previous quotation, and presses his case with King Philip. Note that King Philip was demanding all of these provinces for Arthur; for Philip to give any thought to John's proposal is already a betrayal of his promise to Arthur. Could this be why he turns the question over to Louis—as a way of deflecting the blame for the betrayal? (Do you really think the king needs to get his son's approval for the match? Surely he can just force him to marry Blanche, if he wants to.)
Quote #4
KING PHILIP
Is not the Lady Constance in this troop?
I know she is not, for this match made up
Her presence would have interrupted much.
Where is she and her son? Tell me, who knows.
DAUPHIN
She is sad and passionate at your Highness' tent.
KING PHILIP
And, by my faith, this league that we have made
Will give her sadness very little cure.—
Brother of England, how may we content
This widow lady? In her right we came,
Which we, God knows, have turned another way
To our own vantage. (2.1.566-575)
In these lines, King Philip and Louis sheepishly acknowledge to each other that Constance is ticked off because they have betrayed her and Arthur. King Philip asks King John if he can do anything to minimize Constance's hurt feelings, but it's pretty clear that this damage control can't change the plain fact of betrayal.
Quote #5
BASTARD
And France, whose armor conscience buckled on,
Whom zeal and charity brought to the field
As God's own soldier, rounded in the ear
With that same purpose-changer, that sly devil,
That broker that still breaks the pate of faith,
That daily break-vow, he that wins of all,
Of kings, of beggars, old men, young men, maids—
Who, having no external thing to lose
But the word 'maid,' cheats the poor maid of
that—
That smooth-faced gentleman, tickling Commodity,
Commodity, the bias of the world—
[…]
And this same bias, this Commodity,
This bawd, this broker, this all-changing word,
Clapped on the outward eye of fickle France,
Hath drawn him from his own determined aid,
From a resolved and honorable war
To a most base and vile-concluded peace. (2.1.591-602; 609-614)
This is one of the most famous speeches in the play. In these lines, the Bastard identifies the main culprit behind the betrayal that has just taken place (King Philip has betrayed Arthur and Constance). In the Bastard's eyes, the culprit is "commodity," otherwise known as self-interest. When people are looking out for Number One, they have a tendency to break their promises to other people. Do you think the Bastard is right in his assessment? If he is, what is it that makes people keep their promises, as they sometimes do, even in this play?
Quote #6
KING PHILIP
By heaven, lady, you shall have no cause
To curse the fair proceedings of this day.
Have I not pawned to you my majesty?
CONSTANCE
You have beguiled me with a counterfeit
Resembling majesty, which, being touched and tried,
Proves valueless. You are forsworn, forsworn.
You came in arms to spill mine enemies' blood,
But now in arms you strengthen it with yours. (3.1.99-106)
In these lines, King Philip tries to make friends with Constance, telling her that she didn't come out so badly in the deal he cut with King John. (King John has offered to make Arthur Duke of Brittany.) But Constance isn't satisfied with this: she insists on telling it like it is, to King Philip's face, telling him he is "forsworn"—meaning that he broke his promise and betrayed her.
Quote #7
KING PHILIP
And shall these hands, so lately purged of blood,
So newly joined in love, so strong in both,
Unyoke this seizure and this kind regreet?
Play fast and loose with faith? So jest with heaven?
Make such unconstant children of ourselves
As now again to snatch our palm from palm,
Unswear faith sworn, and on the marriage bed
Of smiling peace to march a bloody host
And make a riot on the gentle brow
Of true sincerity? O holy sir,
My reverend father, let it not me so! (3.1.249-259)
In this series of rhetorical questions, King Philip asks Pandolf if he will really betray his new ally King John. Unfortunately, the answer to King Philip's questions is "Yes." (Metaphorically speaking, of course—they don't literally fight a battle on Louis and Blanche's marriage-bed.) Yup, commodity will do that to you.
Quote #8
KING JOHN
Doth Arthur live? O, haste thee to the peers,
Throw this report on their incensèd rage,
And make them tame to their obedience.
Forgive the comment that my passion made
Upon thy feature, for my rage was blind,
And foul imaginary eyes of blood
Presented thee more hideous than thou art.
O, answer not, but to my closet bring
The angry lords with all expedient haste.
I conjure thee but slowly; run more fast. (4.2.272-281)
Wait, where's the betrayal here? Yep, that's right: there's no betrayal mentioned here. Then why did we put it in? Well, it's because even though John doesn't mention it, he just got betrayed by Hubert, when Hubert refused to carry out the king's order to murder Arthur. The fact that King John doesn't say anything about this shows that betrayal isn't always the worst thing in the world; sometimes, it can turn out for the best.
Quote #9
SALISBURY
Upon our sides it never shall be broken.
And, noble dauphin, albeit we swear
A voluntary zeal and an unurged faith
To your proceedings, yet believe me, prince,
I am not glad that such a sore of time
Should seek a plaster by contemned revolt,
And heal the inveterate canker of one wound
By making many. O, it grieves my soul
That I must draw this metal from my side
To be a widow-maker! O, and there
Where honorable rescue and defense
Cries out upon the name of Salisbury!
But such is the infection of the time
That for the health and physic of our right,
We cannot deal but with the very hand
Of stern injustice and confusèd wrong. (5.2.8-23).
In these lines, Salisbury shows that, even though he has broken his loyalty to King John, he disapproves of betrayal in principle; it just doesn't sit well with him. Louis will later In praise Salisbury for his words, saying that they show him to be an honorable man. The irony, of course, is that Louis actually plans to have Salisbury and the other English lords murdered after the completion of the military expedition (as you can see in the next quotation). Why would Louis want to do this?
Quote #10
MELUN
I say again, if Louis do win the day,
He is forsworn if e'er those eyes of yours
Behold another day break in the East.
But even this night, whose black contagious breath
Already smokes about the burning crest
Of the old, feeble, and day-wearied sun,
Even this ill night, your breathing shall expire,
Paying the fine of rated treachery
Even with a treacherous fine of all your lives,
If Louis by your assistance win the day. (5.4.31-40)
In these lines, Melun reveals Louis's secret plan to have his English allies executed, once their war against John is completed. Why would he want to do this? Could be because he thinks: "Once a traitor, always a traitor." That is, if Salisbury, Pembroke, and Lord Bigot broke their loyalty to King John, wouldn't Louis always have to fear that they would break their loyalty to him? Look at Salisbury's speech from the previous quotation. Would he have been better off if he had kept his mouth shut? Or would Louis just want to betray them, anyway? In any case, the irony is that, once the word gets out that Louis plans to betray the guys who betrayed John, those guys just up and betray him by joining up with King John again. What goes around comes around, apparently.