Second “book” finished for the day! I read King John by Shakespeare. The history plays are my favorite type of Shakespeare plays. They’re what got me so interested in English history in the first place. Reading the second tetralogy – Richard II, Henry IV part 1, Henry IV part 2, and Henry V – in college got me intersted in the War of the Roses, Elizabeth I and Henry VIII, which led to a general interest in all of English history.
I think it’s probably good that I’m familiar with English history or I think King John would have been hard to follow. Even with the introduction, it assumes you know who most of the players are. This isn’t the King John you’re used to from Disney’s Robin Hood movie. 
The play focuses on the legitimacy of King John’s rule. His older brother had a son, who should technically be king. However, Arthur is a weak child while John grabbed the crown upon his other brother’s death (King Richard the Lionhearted). Richard named John as his heir, but the English didn’t usually handle succession that way.
The story is interesting in itself, but it’s made more interesting by knowing what was going on during Shakespeare’s time. Elizabeth was battling her cousin Mary Queen of Scots for the English crown. At various times Elizabeth had been declared illigitimate, which would give Mary a stronger claim to the throne. There were issues of how to pass on the crown since it was women who were next in line across the board. It was a difficult time with Elizabeth having to fight first her sister then her cousin. There are many parallels between the Elizabethan issues and the issues surrounding the reign of King John, which makes for a more interesting read because if contemporaries to Shakespeare are taking it that way, King John must be portrayed in a positive way so as not to make it seem like he’s insulting Elizabeth in any way.
In other reading news, I’ve read a few chapters in The Anglo Files by Sarah Lyall and learned about cricket. I still have absolutely no understanding of the game and only know that I have no interest in learning more! I also read a chapter about drinking in the British culture that was really interesting. They have such a reputation for being refined and stuffy, yet they get drink in Parliament and have crazy drinking habits.
I’m reading slower than usual today and haven’t read quite as much as I hoped, but I suppose I should have expected that with the Shakespeare. I’m going
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