Compassion and forgiveness are major themes in King John, but do they always go hand-in-hand?
If you think about compassion as a feeling of pity or empathy that comes from within, then it probably doesn't apply in those situations where forgiveness happens for political purposes. One such act of forgiveness comes at the end of the play, when the dying King John forgives the rebel English lords. It's pretty safe to say that he's doing this because it's necessary to save his kingdom. It's not really based on compassion.
Similarly, earlier in the play, when Arthur forgives Austria, the man who murdered his uncle, it's also unclear if he's doing it from sincere feelings of compassion, or if he's compelled by circumstances to do it.
And yet compassion does play an important role in the play, for example when Arthur uses his brilliant rhetoric (the art of speaking convincingly) to awaken Hubert's sense of compassion in order to get him not to blind and kill him. Ultimately, of course, the world is a big, dangerous place, and awakening the compassion of just one person isn't enough to keep Arthur safe forever—though it does get him out of at least one terrible situation.
So what's the value compassion in this world? People with compassion seem to be fighting against impossible odds. Are they wrong to act of compassion? Or is it the right thing to do even if means you will suffer for it?
Questions About Compassion and Forgiveness
- What connection does the play draw between compassion and children?
- Who is the most compassionate character in the play? Who is the least?
- Is compassion ever a dangerous emotion in King John?
- Why is forgiveness so important in King John?
Chew on This
In King John, children are portrayed as uniquely compassionate towards others and uniquely capable of awakening compassion in others.
Ironically, given his status as a clergyman, Cardinal Pandolf is the least compassionate character in King John.