Original: When I have said, make answer to us both.
Modern: After I’ve finished speaking, give your response to both of us.

Original: Lo, in this right hand, whose protection
Modern: Look, in this right hand, the protection of which

Original: Is most divinely vow’d upon the right
Modern: Is sworn by God to uphold the rightful claim

Original: Of him it holds, stands young Plantagenet,
Modern: Of the person I’m holding, stands young Plantagenet,

Original: Son to the elder brother of this man,
Modern: Son of this man’s older brother,

Original: And king o’er him and all that he enjoys:
Modern: And therefore the rightful king over him and everything he possesses:

Original: For this down-trodden equity, we tread
Modern: For this trampled justice, we march

Original: In warlike march these greens before your town,
Modern: In military formation across these fields in front of your city,

Original: Being no further enemy to you
Modern: Being no more your enemy

Original: Than the constraint of hospitable zeal
Modern: Than the obligation of generous devotion

Original: In the relief of this oppressed child
Modern: To help this wronged child

Original: Religiously provokes. Be pleased then
Modern: Compels us to do. So please

Original: To pay that duty which you truly owe
Modern: Give the loyalty that you rightfully owe

Original: To that owes it, namely this young prince:
Modern: To the one who deserves it, specifically this young prince:

Original: And then our arms, like to a muzzled bear,
Modern: And then our weapons, like a muzzled bear,

Original: Save in aspect, hath all offence seal’d up;
Modern: Except in appearance, will have all their violence locked away;

Original: Our cannons’ malice vainly shall be spent
Modern: Our cannons’ destructive power will be harmlessly wasted

Original: Against the invulnerable clouds of heaven;
Modern: Firing uselessly into the untouchable clouds of the sky;

Original: And with a blessed and unvex’d retire,
Modern: And with a peaceful and untroubled departure,

Original: With unhack’d swords and helmets all unbruised,
Modern: With swords that haven’t struck anyone and helmets without a dent,

Original: We will bear home that lusty blood again
Modern: We will take home again that vigorous fighting spirit

Original: Which here we came to spout against your town,
Modern: Which we came here to shed in battle against your city,

Original: And leave your children, wives and you in peace.
Modern: And leave your children, wives, and you unharmed.

Original: But if you fondly pass our proffer’d offer,
Modern: But if you foolishly reject our generous offer,

Original: ‘Tis not the roundure of your old-faced walls
Modern: The circular shape of your ancient walls

Original: Can hide you from our messengers of war,
Modern: Cannot protect you from our weapons of war,

Original: Though all these English and their discipline
Modern: Even if all these English soldiers and their military skill

Original: Were harbour’d in their rude circumference.
Modern: Were sheltered within their rough boundaries.

Original: Then tell us, shall your city call us lord,
Modern: So tell us, will your city acknowledge us as your ruler,

Original: In that behalf which we have challenged it?
Modern: In the matter for which we have made our claim?

Original: Or shall we give the signal to our rage
Modern: Or should we unleash our fury

Original: And stalk in blood to our possession?
Modern: And wade through blood to take what is ours?

Act II, Scene i of King John takes place before the walls of Angiers, a city in France. King Philip of France and the Archduke of Austria have gathered their forces in support of Arthur, the young nephew of King John of England, whom they believe to be the rightful heir to the English throne. Arthur’s mother, Constance, accompanies them, passionately advocating for her son’s claim. King John arrives with his mother, Queen Elinor, his niece Blanche of Spain, and his supporter Phillip the Bastard, the illegitimate son of the late Richard the Lionheart. The two sides exchange heated words, each asserting their right to the loyalty of Angiers, with Elinor and Constance trading sharp insults over the question of Arthur’s legitimacy and John’s right to rule. Both kings call upon the citizens of Angiers to open their gates and acknowledge their respective claims, but the citizens refuse to submit to either side until it is determined which king is the rightful ruler of England.

With neither side able to claim the city, the Bastard proposes a bold solution: that the two armies join forces and attack Angiers together, then settle their own dispute afterward. The citizens of Angiers counter with a diplomatic alternative, suggesting that King John’s niece, Blanche of Spain, be given in marriage to the French Dauphin, Lewis, thereby uniting the two kingdoms. Both kings agree to the arrangement, and the betrothal is quickly settled, with King John granting significant French territories as Blanche’s dowry. Constance is left furious and grief-stricken at what she sees as a betrayal of Arthur’s cause by the French king, who has abandoned his support for her son in favor of political convenience.

King John opens with King Philip of France supporting Arthur, the young son of John’s deceased brother Geoffrey, as the rightful heir to the English throne. John’s mother, Queen Eleanor, and the French court engage in heated disputes over legitimacy. Meanwhile, the Bastard (Philip Faulconbridge), illegitimate son of Richard the Lionheart, joins John’s cause after being legitimized. War breaks out between England and France, with the strategic town of Angiers caught between the two armies.

The conflict temporarily resolves when John’s niece Blanche marries the French Dauphin Lewis, uniting the two kingdoms. However, Cardinal Pandulph arrives from Rome and excommunicates John for refusing to accept Stephen Langton as Archbishop of Canterbury. The Cardinal persuades France to break the peace and resume war against the excommunicated English king. In the ensuing battle, Arthur is captured by John’s forces.

John orders Hubert to kill the young Arthur, but Hubert cannot bring himself to murder the child and instead hides him. When Arthur later dies attempting to escape from his prison tower, the English nobles believe John has murdered him and defect to join the invading French forces led by the Dauphin. As John faces rebellion from within and invasion from without, he submits to the Pope’s authority to regain legitimacy. However, he falls ill and is poisoned by a monk at Swinstead Abbey.

The Bastard rallies the remaining English forces and discovers that the French nobles plan to kill their English allies after victory. This intelligence helps reconcile the English lords to their king. John dies, and his young son Henry is crowned King Henry III. The Dauphin withdraws his forces, and Cardinal Pandulph negotiates peace. The play concludes with the Bastard delivering a patriotic speech about England’s strength when united against foreign threats.