Explore this Show

Overview

Synopsis

In the Catalan region of Rossillion, a lower-born woman by the name of Helena becomes the ward of the Countess, when her father passes away. Helena is helplessly in love with the Countess’ son, Bertram, and convinces her to grant permission for Helena to follow Bertram on a trip to France. She promises to be of service to the ailing French King, as she has secret healing methods, passed down to her by her father before he died. When they arrive in France, they discover that the King is wary of Helena’s magical medicinal powers. Nonetheless, he guarantees Helena that if she can cure him, she can select her pick of husbands from any man at court. If she does not make him better, however, Helena will be put to death. To her great luck, Helena eventually saves the King, and -- much to Bertram's dismay -- chooses him to be her husband. Pompous Bertram thinks that Helena is not sufficiently wealthy or high born for him to wed, so he tries to escape their wedlock through trickery. He insists that until she wears his family ring and bears his child, he will not acknowledge their marriage -- even though they have already been wed in accordance with the wishes of the King of France. With that, Bertram leaves with no warning to Italy to fight in the Florentine War. Determined Helena follows him. When she meets a virgin named Diana along the way, Helena teams up with her to contrive a plot: Diana will seduce Bertram, steal his ring, and then have Helena switch places with her under the mask of night, duping Bertram into sleeping with his own wife -- and, thus, meeting all of his prerequisites to acknowledging the marriage. In a hilarious swapping of identities, the two accomplish the cunning task at hand. Then, Helena fakes her own death. Upon hearing the news, Bertram believes he is free to marry another woman and attempts to do so with a different lady from the court. However, in a large gathering at the end of the play, all is finally revealed as Helena shows up and tells the truth. After hearing what she went through to be with him, Bertram is so impressed with her tenacity that he vows to stay with her in then end. All’s Well That Ends Well, labeled as one of William Shakespeare’s “problem plays” for its unique mixtures of genres, has an intriguing mix of comedy, drama, romance, and fantasy.

Show Information

Category
Play
Age Guidance
Youth (Y)/General Audiences (G)
Number of Acts
5
First Produced
1741
Genres
Comedy, Dark Comedy
Settings
Multiple Settings
Time & Place
france, italy; 17th century
Cast Size
large
Licensor
None/royalty-free
Ideal For
College/University, Community Theatre, Professional Theatre, Regional Theatre, Mostly Male Cast, Includes Young Adult, Adult, Mature Adult, Late Teen Characters, Large Cast

Context


Plot


Characters

Name Part Size Gender Vocal Part

Parolles

Lead

Male

Spoken

Diana

Lead

Female

Spoken

Bertram

Lead

Male

Spoken

Helena

Lead

Female

Non-singer

Countess

Lead

Female

Spoken

Lavatch

Supporting

Male

Spoken

Lord Lafew

Supporting

Male

Spoken

The King of France

Supporting

Male

Spoken

Widow Capilet

Supporting

Female

Spoken

Mariana

Featured

Female

Spoken

Lord, also called Brother Dumaine #1

Featured

Male

Spoken

Lord, Brother Dumaine #2

Featured

Male

Spoken

A French Gentleman

Featured

Male

Spoken

Duke of Florence

Featured

Male

Spoken

Rynaldo

Featured

Male

Spoken

Page

Featured

Male

Spoken

Messenger

Featured

Male

Spoken

The Steward

Ensemble

Male

Spoken

Lords, Attendants, Soldiers, etc.; both French and Florentine

Ensemble

Either Gender

Spoken

Violenta

Ensemble

Female

Spoken

Songs

Sorry, we currently do not have content for this section.

A song with an asterisk (*) before the title indicates a dance number; a character listed in a song with an asterisk (*) by the character's name indicates that the character exclusively serves as a dancer in this song, which is sung by other characters.

Monologues

All monologues are the property and copyright of their owners.. Monologues are presented on StageAgent for educational purposes only. If you would like to give a public performance of this monologue, please obtain authorization from the appropriate licensor.

Scenes

All scenes are the property and copyright of their owners. Scenes are presented on StageAgent for educational purposes only. If you would like to give a public performance of this scene, please obtain authorization from the appropriate licensor.

Key Terms

Sorry! We do not currently have terms for this guide.

Videos

Quizzes

Themes, Symbols & Motifs

Sorry! We do not currently have learning modules for this guide.

Quote Analysis

Sorry! We do not currently have learning modules for this guide.

Guide Written By: