'This England never did, nor never shall, Lie at the proud foot of a conqueror But when it first did help to wound itself' King John has been portrayed as a poor leader, duplicitous and unstable, but for Shakespeare and his contemporaries, the story is more complex. Drawing on several sources, Shakespeare shows a king with strengths and weaknesses-an illegitimate monarch who aims with cruelty to rid himself of a rival claimant, set alongside a national leader who shows the ability to defeat the French army in battle and tries to secure the political independence of his realm from the Pope's control. Jackie Watson's introduction considers the historical contexts for sixteenth-century perceptions of the Angevin dynasty, looking at how this portrait of a medieval king reveals the Elizabethan preoccupation with the law as an element of the national psyche. The New Oxford Shakespeare offers authoritative editions of Shakespeare's works with introductory materials designed to encourage new interpretations of the plays and poems. Using the text from the landmark The New Oxford Shakespeare Complete Works: Modern Critical Edition, these volumes offer readers the latest thinking on the authentic texts (collated from all surviving original versions of Shakespeare's work) alongside innovative introductions from leading scholars. The texts are accompanied by a comprehensive set of critical apparatus to give readers the best resources to help understand and enjoy Shakespeare's work. ABOUT THE SERIES: For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has made available the widest range of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, helpful notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.