All's Well That Ends Well: Analysis of Major Characters
"All's Well That Ends Well" is a complex comedic play by William Shakespeare that centers on themes of love, honor, and reconciliation, particularly through its major characters. Helena, an orphaned ward of the Countess of Rousillon, is determined to win the love of Bertram, the countess's son, despite his initial rejection. She employs her father's medical knowledge to heal the ailing king, which earns her the right to choose her husband, thus setting the stage for her pursuit of Bertram. Bertram is depicted as proud and impulsive, fleeing from his marriage to Helena out of embarrassment, yet his character evolves as he confronts the consequences of his actions and ultimately recognizes Helena's worth.
The Countess Rousillon serves as a wise mediator, deeply caring for both her son and Helena, while Parolles, Bertram's companion, provides comic relief with his cowardly antics and betrayal. The play also introduces Diana, a virtuous Florentine woman who aids Helena in her quest, reflecting the themes of loyalty and integrity. The king of France, alongside Lafeu, an old lord, adds depth to the narrative by navigating the tensions between youthful folly and the desire for redemption. Through these characters, Shakespeare explores the complexities of relationships and the transformative power of love, culminating in a resolution that underscores the significance of reconciliation and understanding.
All's Well That Ends Well: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: William Shakespeare
First published: 1623
Genre: Play
Locale: France and Italy
Plot: Comedy
Time: Sixteenth century
Helena (HEHL-eh-nuh), the orphaned daughter of Gerard de Narbon, a distinguished physician, and the ward of the countess of Rousillon. She at first regards her love for Bertram, the countess' son, as hopeless; then, with the independence characteristic of the heroines of William Shakespeare's comedies, she resolves to try to win him with her father's one legacy to her, a cure for the ailing king's mysterious malady. Her charm and sincerity win the love and admiration of all who see her except Bertram himself. Hurt but undaunted by his flight from her on their wedding day, she mourns chiefly that she has sent him into danger in the Florentine war and deprived his mother of his presence. She leaves the countess without farewell, hoping at least to free her husband to return to his home if she is not successful in fulfilling his seemingly impossible conditions for a reconciliation. She contrives through an ingenious trick, substituting herself for the Florentine girl he is trying to seduce, to obtain his ring and conceive his child. She thus wins for herself a loving and repentant husband.
Bertram, Count Rousillon, a rather arrogant, self-satisfied, and impulsive young man. Proud of his noble blood, he feels degraded by the king's command that he marry Helena, and after the ceremony he flees with his dissolute companion Parolles to the army of the Duke of Florence to escape such ignominy. He wins fame as a soldier, but he fares less well in his personal relationships. First, Parolles'essential cowardice and disloyalty are exposed by his fellow soldiers to the young count who had trusted him. Then, his attempt to seduce Diana brings about the very end he is trying to escape, union with his own wife. His antagonism for Helena melts when he hears reports of her death and recognizes the depth of the love he has lost, and he is willingly reconciled to her when she is restored to him.
The Countess Rousillon, Bertram's mother, a wise and gracious woman who is devoted to both Bertram and Helena and welcomes the idea of their marriage. Her son's callous rejection of his virtuous wife appalls her, and she grieves deeply for his folly, in spite of her protest to Helena that she looks on her as her only remaining child. After Helena's reported death and Bertram's return, she begs the king to forgive her son's youthful rebelliousness.
Parolles (pay-ROHL-ehs), Bertram's follower and fellow soldier, who has no illusions about his own character. His romantic illusions are nonexistent. He encourages Bertram to be off to the wars with him, and he aids and abets the attempted seduction of Diana. The quality of his loyalty to his patron becomes all too obvious in the hilarious drum scene when he, blindfolded, insults and offers to betray all his countrymen to free himself from the enemies into whose hands he thinks he has fallen.
The king of France, a kindly old man who has almost resigned himself to the fact that his illness is incurable when Helena comes to court with her father's prescription, which heals him. He believes her the equal of any man in the kingdom and readily agrees to reward her service to him by letting her choose her husband from the noblemen of the kingdom. Only the pleas of Lafeu and the countess, along with Bertram's late recognition of Helena's virtues, prevent him from punishing the young man severely for his rebellious flight.
Lafeu (LAH-few), an old lord, counselor to the king and the countess' friend. He is as much captivated by Helena's grace as is his king, but he blames Parolles chiefly for Bertram's ungentle desertion of his wife. Out of friendship for the countess, he arranges a marriage between Bertram and his own daughter in an attempt to assuage the king's anger against the count.
Lavache (lah-VAHSH), the countess' servant, a witty clown who is expert in the nonsensical trains of logic spun by characters such as Touchstone and Feste.
Diana Capilet (KAP-ih-leht), the attractive, virtuous daughter of a Florentine widow. She willingly agrees to help Helena win Bertram when she hears her story, and she wins a rich husband for herself as a reward from the king for her honesty.
Diana's mother, a widow who is concerned about the honor of her daughter and her house.
Violenta (vee-oh-LEHN-tah) and Mariana (mah-ree-AHnah), the widow's honest neighbors.
The Duke of Florence, the general whose army Bertram joins.
Rinaldo (rih-NAHL-doh), the countess' steward, who first tells her of Helena's love for Bertram.