John Fletcher was an important transitional figure between the Elizabethan popular tradition and the popular drama of the Restoration Period. Fletcher and Beaurmont wrote and lived together for over ten years. They were said to share the same clothes and the same wench. A King and No King is a tragic comedy. Arbaces, King of Iberia, has been abroad, fighting in the wars. He returns in triumph. The queen mother hates him and plots his death. Arbaces struggles with his incestuous passion toward his beautiful sister. The comic relief in the play is provided by the cowardly Bessus and his cronies. Their subplot involves the customs of honorable dueling and their comical violation.
