ALL’S WELL, THAT ENDS WELL (ca. 1602–05)

The First Folio is the sole authority for this play. The print house copy appears to have been Shakespeare’s foul papers.

X AXIS (abscisses): 3079 lines

The traditional division of ACTS is that of the FOLIO. F gives no scene divisions but, in this case, the Graph should reveal scene-breaks quite clearly, since they all result from “cleared stages” (i.e. general EXEUNTS).

1.1: line 1 (reads “Act 1 scene 1 begins at line 1″)

2.1: line 593

3.1: line 1371

4.1: line 1910

5.1: line 2592

_______________

Y AXIS: ENTRANCES & EXITS

Entrances & exits of Characters

According to their order of appearance.

• (2,48) reads “enters at line 2, exits at line 80″.

• PRINCIPAL CHARACTERS are capitalized.

COUNTESS of Rossillion (Bertram’s mother)

(2,82) (328,592) (824,891) (1401,1507) (1555,1601) (1481,2591) (2695,3078)

BERTRAM (Count of Rossillion)

(2,82) (262,326) (594,660) (892,1088) (1171,1208) (1269,1370) (1539,1554) (1696,1718) (1730,1854) (2016,2095) (2189,2420) (2734,2841) (2869,3078)

LAFEW (an old Lord)

(2,82) (262,326) (661,705) (892,1139) (1147,1170) (1269,1319) (2481,2591) (2659,2694) (2695,3078)

HELENA (a gentlewoman; later, wife to Bertram)

(2,236) (450,492) (699,823) (930,1088) (1209,1268) (1325,1366) (1446,1538) (1640,1729) (1855,1909) (2439,2480) (2593,2639) (3039,3078)

PAROLLES (a braggart)

(103,222) (262,326) (594,660) (892,1208) (1222,1267) (1284,1370) (1540,1554) (1696,1718) (1772,1817) (1936,2006) (2224,2438) (2640,2694) (2960,3078)

KING

(238,326) (594,823) (930,1088) (2695,3078)

Lord G. (a.k.a. Captain G)

(239,326) (594,647) (1372,1400) (1446,1507) (1730,1844) (1911,2016) (2106,2420)

Lord E. (a.k.a. Captain E)

(239,326) (594,647) (1372,1400) (1446,1507) (1730,1854) (2106,2420)

Steward (of Countess Rossillion)

(328,449) (1555,1601)

CLOWN (Lavatch)

(328,418) (824,891) (1209,1268) (1401,1419) (1435,1507) (2481,2543) (2575,2591) (2640,2666)

Duke of Florence

(1372,1400) (1539,1554)

WIDOW

(1603,1729) (1855,1909) (2439,2480) (2593,2639) (2870,3029) (3039,3078)

DIANA

(1603,1729) (2016,2105) (2439,2480) (2593,2639) (2870,3078)

1ST Soldier (& “interpreter”)

(1911,2006) (2224,2427)

Astringer

(2601,2639) (2842,3078)

___________

PLOTS

• The plot

HELENA, having cured the KING of a grave malady, is recompensed with a husband, BERTRAM. Helena loves Bertram but Bertram does not love Helena (whom he furthermore believes to be far below his quality). The reluctant Bertram therefore flees to war in Italy leaving Helena with the following message:

“When thou canst get the ring upon my finger which

never shall come off, and show me a child begotten

of thy body that I am father to, then call me

husband: but in such a ‘then’ I write a ‘never.’”

— 3.2 (p.241 in FOLIO)

Exactly as in MEASURE FOR MEASURE, the main plot will find its resolution in another “bedtrick”.

• The Subplot

Perhaps Shakespeare had wanted to take up the bedtrick challenge again because he had found a more satisfying stage decoy for the absent catastasic event: in this case, the “fall from grace” of Bertram’s favourite, the braggart PAROLLES. The fallen braggart leaves open a place beside Betram that the wise Helena can thereafter occupy.

HELENA (plot) & PAROLLES (subplot) are the two forces that guide the play.

METATHEATRE

T!!!!DISGUISES:

HELENA as “Pilgrim” (1640,1729)

LORD E as “Musko” (1978,2006), Conscious

LORD G as “Musko” (2224,2410), Conscious

1ST Soldier as “ Musko” (1978,2006) (2224,2410), Conscious

PLAY-IN-PLAY:

•(1911,2016)

Type: Gulling (green)

Title: Capturing Parolles

•(2224,2420)