Prince John of Lancaster is King Henry’s second son, and Prince Harry’s brother – the same as in Henry IV, Part One.
A humorless man who drinks no alcohol and puts up poorly with Falstaff, he is a cold politician with a lawyer’s instinct for precise, hairsplitting words that enable him to trick the rebels into letting their soldiers go, thus avoiding a battle. He is quick to have rebels executed. He knows and respects the Lord Chief Justice, and shares his opinion of Prince Harry until the latter reassures them of his reformation. He has his ear to the ground and has a fair idea of what the new King’s next actions will be.
