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Lunch » Tags » Books » Reviews » All's Well That Ends Well

All's Well That Ends Well

1 rating: 3.0

A book by William Shakespeare

This dark comedy, written in the very early 1600s, is the latest title in the revamped "Pelican Shakespeare" series, which offers definitive texts of the plays with scholarly introductions, essays, and notes. You can't go wrong with this … see full wiki

Tags: Books, Plays, William Shakespeare

Author: William Shakespeare

Genre: Play

Publisher: Signet Classics

1 review about All's Well That Ends Well

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The Taming Of The Roué

Jul 27, 2010

by Bill_Slocum
posted in Cafe Libri: Reviewing Books & More

Rating:

It's one of Shakespeare's lesser-loved plays, so why did I have so much fun reading "All's Well That Ends Well"?

Helena is a young woman who loves Bertram, son of her protectress. Bertram is uninterested in Helena, however, preferring to sow his wild oats along distant battlefields with women he doesn't have to waste time with in the morning. When events conspire to place Bertram in Helena's arms, he shrugs them off and breaks her heart anyway. But Helena won't give up on Bertram, no matter how much of a cad he may be.

It's called a "problem play" for some reason, perhaps because it's hard to understand Helena's unwavering devotion. It could be called a "remarriage comedy" or a battle of the sexes with the women clearly on top. To me, it's a story of hopeless infatuation redeemed, in a way that doesn't shortchange the pain of love most if not all of us have experienced more than we care to remember.

Helena explains her blind devotion eyes wide open: "Religious in mine error, I adore/The sun that looks upon his worshipper/But knows of him no more."

Bertram prefers the companionship of Parolles, described well by several critics as a comic Iago. Your miles may vary, but for me Parolles was one of Shakespeare's most joyously despicable foils, a hollow braggart undone by his own excesses. Also, as a character you need Parolles to mitigate the worst of Bertram's behavior (he doesn't know better than to follow Parolles, even if every other member of the cast sees right through him.)

Early on there's a wonderful exchange about the pros and cons of virginity between Helena and Parolles, Parolles pointing out that if virginity is so wonderful, how can it be wrong to lose it in order to create more virgins?

"Besides virginity is peevish, proud, idle, made of self-love which is the most inhibited sin in the canon," he adds. "Keep it not; you cannot choose but lose by't."

"All's Well" is bawdier than most Shakespeare's plays, though more passionate than erotic. Reading Helena confess her love of Bertram to Bertram's mother, unhappily but with total conviction, is to envy the guy more than a little. You admire Helena as she sets off to make her dream come true, and smile as her all-female conspiracy (including Bertram's mother) clicks into gear to make Bertram a happy husband whatever he may think.

Some criticize "All's Well" for the fact Bertram has no choice in the matter once Helena makes up her mind. In fact he needs his freedom like a drunkard needs his bottle. More problematic is the way everything works out to serve an acute schoolgirl crush, but Shakespeare sets up matters so wonderfully, with Helena's heavy-hearted soliloquies hitting their marks, you just want the title to be a spoiler in the end.

The only significant flaws I'd note is a draggy second act and a couple of scenes between Bertram's mother and a clown that are short but pointlessly obscure in their attempted humor. Otherwise, "All's Well" is surprisingly enjoyable for a play that's sat in the shadows for centuries, relatively speaking. Then again, I guess we revere Shakespeare for a reason.

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Bill_Slocum November 17, 2010

Thanks. I think its definitely a comedy with a problem, but a good problem: An empowered woman who won't take no for an answer!

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djevoke November 17, 2010

Great review! Critics place Shakespeare plays that can't be classified as a comedy or a tragedy in the "problem play" category. I have enjoyed this play and agree with you that it often doesn't get the credit it deserves.

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