Problems In All's Well

Whether we classify All's Well That Ends Well as a "problem play" or not, it's certainly a play with problems. Rather, there is one central problem, and his name is Bertram.

On the page, Bertram is as unlovable a love interest as you might find anywhere. On stage, he has to be extremely handsome. That's the best way to explain why such a virtuous--but poor, and also very determined, very clever--maid such as Helen would fall so hard for him. She doesn't seem to be in it for the title or for the money; if she is, Shakespeare doesn't seem to hint at it. And though it's true that you can't choose with whom you fall in love, there has to be some draw. So, it would have to be looks.

Let's take a glance at Bertram's character.

1. He allows himself to fall under the sway of his utterly irredeemable companion, Parolles. As Lafew aptly puts it, "the soul of this man is his clothes." That Bertram would choose such a fellow as his bosom friend reflects very poorly on him. Your parents were right: the friends you choose do say a lot about you.

Bertram cannot be excused on the grounds of having been deceived by a seeming-worthy friend, as Othello can be to some extent. There is simply no valid reason for Bertram to choose Parolles for his chief hanger-on. Parolles merely panders to Bertram's own hedonism and depravity. Bertram only rejects Parolles when his peers make Parolles the object of their derisive scheme to make this foppish dandy's true nature public. At that point, to stick with Parolles would be to suffer like indignity through association.

In this regard, Bertram is a wanton youth who needs to be molded. His social equals kindly give him direction rather than making him, too, the object of their scorn. Perhaps they see potential in him. His wife will do them one better.

2. Bertram enters the King's court then foolishly balks at fulfilling the King's request to marry Helen. That Helen is beneath Bertram is certainly true, and the consideration of rank is admittedly a major issue for anyone of the time. But the King's promise to make good the difference through his graces is hard to ignore. Bertram is a fool to spurn the King's favor as he does first by denying Helen. A legitimate reluctance to follow a king is, in Shakespeare, often worthy of admiration. There is no hint here, however, at anything other than goodness in the King, and Bertram's minor rebellions seem like nothing but petulance and brattiness.

3. Most significantly, Bertram is an out and out cad. He tries to seduce an innocent young maiden--while his unconsummated bride presumably awaits him at home. Further, he seeks his own pleasure at what would be great cost to Diana were she to accept his advances--not uncommon masculine behavior, but still not excusable, and not behavior worthy of other Shakespearean lovers.

4. Bertram, however, proves himself admirably well in battle, which greatly complicates our view of him as a figure completely lacking in virtue. If Bertram were a coward, then the portrait would be complete. We would simply have a more nobly born, less audacious Parolles. Now we have inconsistency, and this poses a problem for understanding the true nature of Bertram's character. Bertram's one good grace makes it hard to understand the other, lesser qualities he boasts. His character is as inconstant as his desire to adhere to his wedding vows. This problem of character suggests the possibility that Shakespeare was lax in presenting Bertram's character, that he did not have a complete and consistent notion of who this man is supposed to be.

5. When granted a chance to even things out in Act 5, Bertram tries to lie his way out of the situation, only to dig himself deeper into the trap that his wife lays for him. Essentially, Helen arrives on the scene to save Bertram's neck -- literally, at this point, since the King has accused him of murdering his wife.

6. Bertram has been so dishonest in Act 5 that we are tempted to doubt his sincerity when he finally succumbs to his wife's scheme and declares his devotion to her. But Helen's plan has been so meticulously and so ingeniously executed that it is not implausible that his affirmation of his fidelity to her is genuine--he knows he doesn't stand a chance against her. She's got him beat, to put it bluntly. She has redeemed him, in a technical sense, at least, and he owes her his life in the same way that the King does. He might as well give in at this point.

Despite these points, the issue of Helen's love for Bertram can still be explained away as the vagaries of love. Helen invokes the power of the stars in this play, and such stars could certainly drive not only her fortune in life but in love as well.

As clear as it is that this play participates to no little extent in sharing its creator's genius, it is also clear here as elsewhere that Shakespeare's plays are not perfect creations. They were composed with great rapidity to meet a demanding performance schedule. Shakespeare likely concerned himself most with the audience's reaction to what they saw on stage. It could be taken as a given that a young woman of gentle but otherwise indistinctive birth would be susceptible to the charms of a man superior to her in station, that there is some unmistakeable aura of attraction to Bertram. Unwise such a love may be on Helen's part, but not improbable. This would be enough to give the crowd what they wanted, down to the pennystinkers. But on the page, we expect more from our characters.

This leaves us with two possibilities: First, that Shakespeare did not satisfactorily develop the character of Bertram because he did not think that to do so would be a worthy investment of his time and energy. Second, that Shakespeare left Bertram underdeveloped deliberately in order to emphasize Helen's character and, in particular, to highlight her plucky resolve, her bravado in capturing a man who is unworthy of her in all but his title, but whom she loves. Love is a strange and fickle beast--here and elsewhere in Shakespeare. Why does Helena love Demetrius and Demetrius Hermia? Why shouldn't Titania love an ass?

Picture Bertram with a wide, flashy smile and great hair. He looks good in tights. Sometimes, for love, that's enough.