All's Well That Ends Well facts for kids

Quick facts for kids All's Well That Ends Well
The first page of All's Well That Ends Well, from the First Folio
Written by	William Shakespeare
Characters	Helena Bertram Parolles
Date of premiere	1602-1603
Place of premiere	London, England
Original language	English
Genre	Comedy
Setting	France Italy

All's Well That Ends Well is a play written by the famous English writer William Shakespeare. It is known as a comedy, even though some parts of it are quite serious. The story for the play came from an old Italian book called Decameron by Boccaccio.

Shakespeare probably wrote All's Well That Ends Well between the years 1600 and 1603. It was likely first performed around 1602 or 1603. The play was first printed in a collection of Shakespeare's plays called the First Folio in 1623. The main story is about a smart and determined young woman named Helena and her love for a young man named Bertram, who doesn't love her back at first.

The Story of the Play

All's Well That Ends Well tells the story of Helena, a kind and clever young woman. She is the daughter of a famous doctor who has passed away. Helena lives with the Countess of Rossillion, who is like a mother to her. Helena is secretly in love with the Countess's son, Bertram. Bertram is a young nobleman who is about to go to the King's court in France.

Helena's Plan

Bertram leaves for the King's court, and Helena is very sad. She learns that the King of France is very sick. Helena remembers that her father had a special medical secret that could cure the King. She decides to travel to the court to try and heal him.

When Helena arrives, she offers to cure the King. She makes a deal with him: if she cures him, she can choose any man in his court to be her husband. If she fails, she will be put to death. The King agrees, and Helena successfully cures him!

A Difficult Choice

Now that the King is well, Helena gets to choose her husband. To everyone's surprise, she chooses Bertram. But Bertram is not happy about this. He thinks Helena is not good enough for him because she is not from a noble family. He refuses to marry her.

The King is angry with Bertram for being so rude and disobedient. He orders Bertram to marry Helena. Bertram agrees, but he quickly makes a plan to avoid being a real husband to her.

Bertram's Escape

After the wedding, Bertram tells Helena that he will never truly be her husband until she can get a special ring from his finger and have a child by him. He then leaves France to go fight in a war in Italy, hoping to get away from Helena forever. He also sends a letter to Helena, saying he will never return home as long as she is there.

Helena is heartbroken but still determined. She decides to leave Rossillion secretly and follow Bertram to Italy. She wants to try and win his love and fulfill his impossible conditions.

A Clever Trick

In Italy, Helena learns that Bertram is trying to impress a young woman named Diana. Helena meets Diana and her mother and tells them her story. They agree to help Helena.

Helena and Diana come up with a clever plan. Bertram tries to meet Diana, but Diana, with Helena's help, tricks him. Helena takes Diana's place in the dark, so Bertram thinks he is meeting Diana, but he is actually meeting Helena. This way, Helena gets Bertram's ring and becomes pregnant with his child, fulfilling his conditions without him knowing.

The Truth Comes Out

Eventually, everyone returns to France. Bertram is surprised when the King asks him about the ring he gave away. Helena then appears and reveals the truth. She shows Bertram his ring and tells him she is pregnant with his child.

At first, Bertram is shocked and confused. But when he sees Helena's determination and how she has overcome all obstacles, he finally realizes how wonderful she is. He promises to be a loving husband to her. The play ends with the idea that "all's well that ends well," meaning that if the final outcome is good, then all the difficulties along the way are worth it.

Images for kids

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  The first page of All's Well, that Ends Well from the First Folio of Shakespeare's plays, published in 1623.

See also

In Spanish: A buen fin no hay mal principio para niños