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A review by danilanglie
All's Well That Ends Well by William Shakespeare
5.0
This is a disturbing play! And while I can't read Shakespeare's mind, I'd like to think that this was intentional. The title feels like an utter irony. Yes, in the end the two leads are together, married, pregnant, and... happy? I mean, I guess. They say they are, anyway. But Bertram did not want to marry Helena, and Helena essentially rapes him by lying about her identity in a dark bedroom and forcing him to consummate the marriage. That's a really screwed up way to start a life together, don't you think? So, if I thought this play was meant to be actually just a straightforward comedy, I would be horrified. As it is, I think it's a real and powerful invective against the dangers of believing in simple happy endings, and about the social structures we as humans force ourselves to adhere to, often times at the detriment of real happiness.
I love the fact that Helena is the true lead of this play. She gets an immense about of stage-time, and is an active agent in her own destiny. Sure, she starts her marriage to Bertram by groveling and weeping over his slightest cruelty, but she's also the reason she got married in the first place, and she manipulates events to make the marriage work. (Let's just ignore how creepy and manipulative she gets in the process). I love the fact that all of the other characters - the countess, the King, the lords, the clown - take Helena's side over Bertram's. They all think he's wrong to treat her harshly, and chastise him for it in no uncertain terms. The King in particular is furious! Helena is a woman, Bertram is a man, and he outranks her, to boot. And yet for all of that, her virtue and goodness make her sympathetic, and the supporting characters don't let Bertram get away with his crap. That was just a bit refreshing!
I love the fact that Helena is the true lead of this play. She gets an immense about of stage-time, and is an active agent in her own destiny. Sure, she starts her marriage to Bertram by groveling and weeping over his slightest cruelty, but she's also the reason she got married in the first place, and she manipulates events to make the marriage work. (Let's just ignore how creepy and manipulative she gets in the process). I love the fact that all of the other characters - the countess, the King, the lords, the clown - take Helena's side over Bertram's. They all think he's wrong to treat her harshly, and chastise him for it in no uncertain terms. The King in particular is furious! Helena is a woman, Bertram is a man, and he outranks her, to boot. And yet for all of that, her virtue and goodness make her sympathetic, and the supporting characters don't let Bertram get away with his crap. That was just a bit refreshing!