Download or read book King John and Henry VIII written by William Shakespeare and published by Bantam Classics. This book was released on 2013-07-17 with total page 2902 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: These two history plays—one written in the early days of Shakespeare’s career and one at the very end—are alike in the complexity of their political vision. King John probes the nature of good and evil as self-interest and ruthless ambition proceed unchecked while an unpopular ruler wages a brutal fight to keep his throne. Henry VIII is a sumptuous spectacle of pomp and ceremony, as well as an exploration of the mysterious ways in which the rise and fall from power of individuals led ultimately to England’s destiny as a Protestant nation.