All's Well That Ends Well
One of Shakespeare's so-called "problem comedies" which has been unjustly neglected until comparatively recently. The problem lies in the largely unsympathetic figure of Bertram, a young nobleman, who fails to requite the love of Helena on the grounds that as a physician's daughter, she is not worthy of him. Although the two are married at the close of the play, Helena has had to jump through a lot of hoops to keep hold of her husband, and even after she's demonstrated her devotion by so doing, Bertram's attitude towards her doesn't seem to have changed much. This has prompted commentators to note that "All's Well" doesn't really end all that well for Helena, but for all the questions it leaves hanging in the air, the play is hugely accomplished and great fun to watch if you're lucky enough to find a production.
Date: 1604-5
Main Source: Boccaccio's "Decameron", as translated by William Painter in "Palace of Pleasure", published in 1566.
Characters
- Countess of Roussillon, a widow
- Bertram, Count of Roussillon, the Countess's son
- Helen, a doctor's daughter in love with Bertram
- Lavatch, the Countess's clown
- Reynaldo, the Countess's steward
- Lafeu, a lord and old friend of the Countess
- Parolles, Bertram's friend, a braggart
- First & Second Lords Dumaine, brothers
- King of France
- Duke of Florence
- Widow Capilet and Diana, her daughter
- Mariana, a friend of the Widow