Thought to have been written between 1604 and 1605, All’s Well That Ends Well is ostensibly a comedy, in that it conforms to the standard formula of Elizabethan comedy. In other words, the play seems to end happily, with a celebration of marriage.
Problem Plays
There is a group of Shakespeare’s works that is known as the problem plays. Essentially, this means that they cannot be comfortably placed in the standard genres: tragedy, comedy or history play. While it is common to find instances of comedy in a tragic play and moments of tragedy in a comic play, the problem plays are much more difficult to define. Most critics agree that Shakespeare’s problem plays include The Merchant of Venice, Measure for Measure, Troilus and Cressida and All's Well That Ends Well.
Synopsis of All’s Well That Ends Well
The play takes place, predominantly, in the French court, where a young woman, Helena, cures the King of a mystery illness. In gratitude, the King offers Helena the hand of any man she chooses to marry.
Helena, who is merely the daughter of a poor doctor, has her sights set on a Count, Bertram, who is above her social standing. However, Bertram does not reciprocate her feelings and runs away to Florence, refusing to consummate the marriage. He writes to Helena telling her that she will have to become pregnant by him and obtain his family ring, before he will call her his wife.
Poor Helena remains infatuated with Bertram, so, she travels to Italy, where she concocts a plan to trick him into relinquishing the ring and unwittingly consummating their union. When Bertram returns to the French court, Helena reveals that she has achieved both clauses in his letter.
Analysis of the Play
It could be argued that All’s Well That Ends Well does not, in fact, end well at all. From his initial refusal to marry Helena, Bertram is a deeply unpleasant character, who behaves despicably towards Helena and lecherously towards Diana. His sudden change of heart at the end of the play is unrealistic and, therefore, could be seen as insincere.
That said, the plot of the play is extremely interesting and thoroughly entertaining. Shakespeare’s characters have depth and complexities, which make many of their actions seem plausible (with the exception of Bertram’s sudden transformation).
The women of All’s Well That Ends Well are refreshingly formidable. Unlike Ophelia and Desdemona, they do not succumb to becoming victims of their circumstances. However, unlike Lady Macbeth, Goneril and Regan they are not portrayed as shrewish and heartless.
As with many of Shakespeare’s problem plays, a figure of power, in this case the King of France, seems to resolve the tangled mess of misunderstandings and deceit at the end of the play. However, it could be said that Helena, with the help of Diana and her mother, largely solves the issue herself. In addition, interestingly, it can be argued that the King caused these problems in the first place, by forcing Bertram to marry.
Undoubtedly, Helena seems happy to have achieved her goal of marriage to Bertram and, in this way, the play can be perceived as ending well. However, it is difficult to reconcile the resilient and independent side of her character with the weaker aspect, caused by her yearning for a man that does not want her.
Certainly, from a 21st century point of view, the play ends with a tinge of sadness and disappointment.
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