1. EQ: What can Disney’s ‘Robin Hood’ tell us about King John?
How should Disney interpret King John?

2. So, how should you go about getting started?
If we remember back to last lesson, your outcome task for this enquiry – on Disney’s interpretation of King John – was to advise Disney on how they should portray King John in the 42nd anniversary version of Disney’s Robin Hood.
To do this well you will need to produce:
A brief history on how King John has been interpreted;
Your own personal argument for which interpretation should be chosen;
A drawn scene of King John.
42nd

3. RESOURCES
First of all, you have done a lot of work this term which has been building towards this task. Don’t forget to look back at it!
For the brief history of how King John has been interpreted, Lesson 3 (on the chroniclers) and Lesson 5 (on King John’s portrayal through history) will come in handy.
For forming your own interpretation, Lesson 2 (on King John’s reign) and Lesson 4 (on what sort of king was John) will help.

4. Next step: Becoming a film historian for Disney.
42nd

5. Historical consultants / advisers are paid by film and television companies to check for inaccuracies and offer their expert advice on how a period / person should be portrayed.
Historical advisers for TV and Film, such as Alastair Bruce of Downton Abbey, therefore play a crucial role in ensuring that history is retold accurately… most of the time!

6. Walt Disney – Co-founder of The Walt Disney Company
The Walt Disney Company (or Disney) has asked you to, first, compile a brief history of how King John has been interpreted throughout history.
As a film historian, your task would be to now go away and research exactly how King John has been interpreted throughout history.
Fortunately, you have already done this, so let’s look at Mr Horrocks’ example of how to write this up.
Walt Disney – Co-founder of The Walt Disney Company

7. Your brief history must include:
“Interpretations of King John have changed massively over the last 800 years. Many historians have written about King John as a cruel tyrant and a monster. However, others have defended John, arguing that in some cases he was unlucky and in others he was successful.”
The main paragraphs need to do two things: (1) explain how people in each period we have interpreted King John (bold) and explain why they held this interpretation (underlined).
Your brief history must include:
The introduction merely needs to explain to Disney that interpretations of King John have changed over time.
What I thought!
Paragraph 1: Chroniclers
…“The chroniclers, who wrote about King John during the 1200s, portrayed King John as a wicked and cruel monarch who enjoyed nothing more than harming his people. Many historians since have used the chroniclers as evidence to write their own portrayals of King John. Whilst some of the chroniclers, like the one from Barnwell near Cambridge, can be seen as fairly reliable, others such as Roger of Wendover are less so because they had a personal grudge with John – in Roger’s case it was because John argued with the Pope.”
“However, in the Tudor period, historians had a more positive view of King John. They saw him as a hero – in stark contrast (this means ‘the opposite of’) to the chroniclers. This is because… [details about what the Tudors valued and what King John did that made them like him (HINT: ‘the Church’)].
What I thought!
Paragraph 2: Tudors
What I thought!
Paragraph 3: Victorians
What I thought!
Paragraph 4: 1960s historians
What I thought!
Paragraph 5: Modern historians

8. What will you choose? How should Disney interpret King John?
(Remember to use as much evidence as possible).
After that, it is YOUR TURN to inform Disney as to how YOU think John should be portrayed in the film.
Should the audience interpret him as a bad king? A good king? Or an unlucky king?

9. This could be done in a number of different ways.
Finally, you have been asked by Disney to contribute 1 scene suggestion that you believe MUST be in the film if we are to get an accurate interpretation of King John.
This could be done in a number of different ways.

10. Close-up shot. This is good if you want to focus on a character, perhaps to show their emotions or reveal their personality.

11. Medium shot. This is good if you want to show a character’s relationship with another character – for instance if John was talking to a baron or the Pope.

12. A long / establishing shot. This is good if you want to set up a scene
A long / establishing shot. This is good if you want to set up a scene. For instance, if you wanted to show King John as being very powerful or rich, you may want to draw his large, grand castle.

13. This is what yours could look like (hopefully it will be slightly better though):
Clearly Mr Horrocks thinks that John was a bad king… but what do you think?

14. A History of Interpretations: King John
Mr Horrocks will be happy to show you an example of what it might look like finished before you get started:
A History of Interpretations: King John
Interpretations of King John have changed massively over the last 800 years. Many historians have written about King John as a cruel tyrant and a monster. However, others have defended John, arguing that in some cases he was unlucky and in others he was successful.
The chroniclers, who wrote about King John during the 1200s, portrayed King John as a…
The Tudors…
The Victorians…
The historians of the 1960s…
Modern historians…
My Recommendation
From the evidence I have collected, I believe that King John should be interpreted as a BAD KING in your anniversary version of Disney’s Robin Hood because…
Another reason for portraying King John as a bad king is…
A final reason for portraying King John as a bad king is…

15. To help you is this double-sided sheet:
It has historians’ quotes on it, to use as evidence, and some handy sentence starters.

16. “His punishments were cruel: the starvation of children… Hell is spoiled by the fouler presence of King John.” J. R. Green, 1885
Add historians’ quotes to your work to make it sound even more convincing. For example: “The Victorians hated King John. According to the Victorian historian J.R. Green ‘Hell is spoiled by the fouler presence of King John’.”
And, if you are stuck on how to start your sentences, just work through the sentence starters in the order that they appear on the sheet.
Best of luck!

17. *If you need any help, please ask.
Your task is to:
Advise Disney on how they should be interpreting King John in their remastered version of the 1973 classic.
To do this well you need to complete:
A brief history on how King John has bee interpreted;
Your own recommendation for the film;
A scene that must be included in the film.
Time to crack on!*
*If you need any help, please ask.

18. Resources

19. “No king was ever so unlucky as John.” D. M. Stenton, 1951
“John lost Normandy and many other lands because of his own laziness… he was a tyrant.” – Matthew Paris, approx. 1200s
“The character was cowardly, cruel, greedy and incompetent… John was a villain… Disney was right.” – Marc Morris, 2015
“The picture of a monster, put forward by the monks must be rejected. John was not the Devil in disguise.” W. L. Warren, 1961
“The proper heir to the throne was Arthur of Brittany… John got hold of little Arthur and had him murdered… John generally behaved in a most unkingly fashion.” Fletcher & Kipling, 1911
“John was a very poor king. He was useless at his most important job, managing the barons.” – John Gillingham, 1984
“His punishments were cruel: the starvation of children… Hell is spoiled by the fouler presence of King John.” J. R. Green, 1885
“John had the potential for success. He was intelligent and good at administration. However, too many personality faults held him back. He was secretive, arrogant and cruel.” R. V. Turner, 1994
“The chroniclers… have been shown by modern research to be completely unreliable, because their works were compiled out of gossip and rumour… King John was… a first-class general, a clever diplomat and a ruler.” Maurice Ashley, 1971
“What a disgrace… that the barons rebelled against King John and did not give him help in his lawful wars.” Unnamed, 1571
“John represents a standard of success which was never equalled in the medieval period.” – J.C. Holt, 1963
“No king was ever so unlucky as John.” D. M. Stenton, 1951
John the UNLUCKY king
Historians’ quotes: (Use a quote to support your points)
John the BAD king
John the GOOD king

20. Fold your sheet in half and stick it into your book.
Historians in the 1960s viewed John differently to the Victorians. They saw John as a ________ king.
However, the Victorians did not agree with the Tudors. They thought that John was a _______ king.
Modern historians tend to agree that John was overall a _________ king.
The Tudors, on the other hand, thought that John was a ________ king.
However, we can’t fully trust their interpretation because…
The Chroniclers thought King John was a ________ king.
The historian __________ described John as…
I think that John is a _______ king because…
They thought this because...
They thought this because…
They believe this because…
Fold your sheet in half and stick it into your book.
Handy sentence starters (work down the list in order)