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    All's Well That Ends Well

    comedy

    All's Well That Ends Well is one of Shakespeare's problem plays, hard to sort into comedy or something darker. Helena, a poor doctor's daughter, cures the King of France of a deadly illness, and as her reward she asks to marry the noble Bertram. He wants nothing to do with her and flees, saying he will only be her husband when she wears his ring and carries his child. Helena quietly sets out to meet both impossible conditions, on her own terms.

    ▸SCENE I. Rousillon. The COUNT's palace.▸SCENE II. Paris. The KING's palace.▸SCENE III. Rousillon. The COUNT's palace.

    ▸SCENE I. Paris. The KING's palace.▸SCENE II. Rousillon. The COUNT's palace.▸SCENE III. Paris. The KING's palace.▸SCENE IV. Paris. The KING's palace.▸SCENE V. Paris. The KING's palace.

    ▸SCENE I. Florence. The DUKE's palace.▸SCENE II. Rousillon. The COUNT's palace.▸SCENE III. Florence. Before the DUKE's palace.▸SCENE IV. Rousillon. The COUNT's palace.▸SCENE V. Florence. Without the walls. A tucket afar off.▸SCENE VI. Camp before Florence.▸SCENE VII. Florence. The Widow's house.

    ▸SCENE I. Without the Florentine camp.▸SCENE II. Florence. The Widow's house.▸SCENE III. The Florentine camp.▸SCENE IV. Florence. The Widow's house.▸SCENE V. Rousillon. The COUNT's palace.

    ▸SCENE I. Marseilles. A street.▸SCENE II. Rousillon. Before the COUNT's palace.▸SCENE III. Rousillon. The COUNT's palace.▸EPILOGUE

    Characters

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    HelenaOrphaned gentlewoman, loves BertramBertramCount of Rossillion, Helena's reluctant husbandParollesBraggart soldier, Bertram's companionThe Countess of RossillionBertram's mother, Helena's guardian

    Famous Quotes

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    “All's well that ends well; still the fine's the crown; Whate'er the course, the end is the renown.”

    Helena — Act 4, Scene 4

    “Love all, trust a few, Do wrong to none.”

    Countess of Rossillion — Act 1, Scene 1

    “Our remedies oft in ourselves do lie, Which we ascribe to heaven: the fated sky Gives us free scope.”

    Helena — Act 1, Scene 1

    Further Reading

    Best Lines by Shakespeare: Quotes on Life, Love and More

    A curated collection of Shakespeare's most famous lines, organised by theme, from love and loss to daily wisdom, sport and celebration. Each quote includes the play it comes from and why it still resonates.

    Who Was William Shakespeare? A Complete Life and Biography

    The life of Shakespeare: born in Stratford 1564, the Globe, his death in 1616, and the First Folio. The facts, checked.

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