mirpanda277's review against another edition
3.0
My opinion of the play (after only reading the play, not seeing a production) is best articulated by David McCandless in his modern perspective essay within this edition.
cookerlives's review against another edition
challenging
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
eren_reads's review against another edition
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
tsenteme's review against another edition
5.0
«Πάντως με τον τωρινό μου ρόλο δεν κάνω αμαρτία,
γιατί εξαπατώ κάποιον που θέλει να κερδίσει μ’ αδικία.»
γιατί εξαπατώ κάποιον που θέλει να κερδίσει μ’ αδικία.»
ricefun's review against another edition
4.0
This simple Shakespeare comedy hinges on a young count not recognizing the love of a good woman, and shunning it because of their different family backgrounds. The sub-plot includes the count's friend who is willing to say anything to anyone so long as it keeps his head on his shoulders. With some mistaken identities and a lot of bawdy jokes along the way, the play lives up to its title: All's Well that Ends Well!
weareneedcoffee's review against another edition
4.0
personal classic book reading challenge
March: Shakespeare
pt 2, a play I haven’t read (or don’t remember): All’s Well That Ends Well
Finished this literally last minute because life got in the way but it was honestly an attention grabber for me. I’ve always enjoyed reading Shakespeare and I have truly no idea how or why I haven’t read this one before.
“Love all, trust a few, do wrong to none.”
March: Shakespeare
pt 2, a play I haven’t read (or don’t remember): All’s Well That Ends Well
Finished this literally last minute because life got in the way but it was honestly an attention grabber for me. I’ve always enjoyed reading Shakespeare and I have truly no idea how or why I haven’t read this one before.
“Love all, trust a few, do wrong to none.”
sam_jordan's review against another edition
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
gsanta1's review against another edition
3.0
Only in a Shakespeare comedy can the abandoning of a wife, and the coercing of a pregnancy/rape be absolved and forgiven and forgotten at the end.
There’s two plots here: Helena and Bertram, and revealing Parolles.
You can cut out the clown parts. They’re irrelevant and distracting.
I like the play mostly because there’s a pregnancy outside of marriage. But it’s alright because it’s his wife in disguise. Nice loophole!
It has a nice plot idea. The girl marries the guy in the beginning but this time he doesn’t want to get married. Sure, why not!
Every Shakespeare play seems to need secret information and a ploy. So Helena’s plotline has one and so does the Parolles plotline.
The Parolles plotline is supposed to be the comedic plot line, but it’s not funny anymore.
The widow and diana don’t make much sense and what a wild coincidence, but they serve a purpose.
I don’t understand Bertram at the end, but I don’t think Shakespeare cared.
Maybe you’ll enjoy Helena’s vigor and gumption.
Bertram’s problem is more complex but Shakespeare doesn’t explore it.
Honestly, I can’t remember any lines. There’s no philosophizing or ruminating of any kind. No great sweeping condemnation of husbands or wife or men or women or thoughts on fast friends or fickle kings.
The Countess and King each have a one line or two about time, but that’s it.
No clever puns or wordplay neither.
No euphemisms nor metaphors nor allusions.
There’s two plots here: Helena and Bertram, and revealing Parolles.
You can cut out the clown parts. They’re irrelevant and distracting.
I like the play mostly because there’s a pregnancy outside of marriage. But it’s alright because it’s his wife in disguise. Nice loophole!
It has a nice plot idea. The girl marries the guy in the beginning but this time he doesn’t want to get married. Sure, why not!
Every Shakespeare play seems to need secret information and a ploy. So Helena’s plotline has one and so does the Parolles plotline.
The Parolles plotline is supposed to be the comedic plot line, but it’s not funny anymore.
The widow and diana don’t make much sense and what a wild coincidence, but they serve a purpose.
I don’t understand Bertram at the end, but I don’t think Shakespeare cared.
Maybe you’ll enjoy Helena’s vigor and gumption.
Bertram’s problem is more complex but Shakespeare doesn’t explore it.
Honestly, I can’t remember any lines. There’s no philosophizing or ruminating of any kind. No great sweeping condemnation of husbands or wife or men or women or thoughts on fast friends or fickle kings.
The Countess and King each have a one line or two about time, but that’s it.
No clever puns or wordplay neither.
No euphemisms nor metaphors nor allusions.
mora55's review against another edition
5.0
--16 June 2023
so my interpretation of this play (especially of bertram) has significantly shifted since the first time i read (mostly because i've been thinking about it off and on since then to the point where i had a different perspective even before going into the reread), and i just love how all the interpretations can be true and mutually exclusive at the same time. i like my earlier preferred interpretation and i like my current one and i'm sure there are so many more.
anyway i'm a bertram apologist now (i like the (more common) readings where he's irredeemably shitty too, but i'm a sucker for ~complexity~) but helen is still my girl
--11 Dec 2022
i liked this one sue me.
this is yet again another one where my has-read-most-the-shakespeare friend (who assigned me this as winter break homework, incidentally) kinda dismissed it and discussed the weirdness of the ending and where i ended up disagreeing (disagreement tally is currently comedy of errors, coriolanus, romeo and juliet, and this). like of course bertram is going to act as if he's in love with helen, she's getting him out of the consequences of all his lies! (which are pretty big consequences at this point.)
and to explain helen's actions, i think we're just missing something. not in the sense that "we have the incomplete text!!" bc that's not true - i just think there has to be more to helen before the play that informs her actions during it. like it feels like there's an explanation (she's consistently complex in her actions!) but there's just not enough there for us to know what it is. we can make all the guesses we want (and ofc we (i) do) but it's just that: a guess, based on zero concrete textual evidence. but it feels to me like there CAN be an explanation, which is an important distinction from some other plays.
more with the ending, it's unsatisfying and maybe a little disturbing (it is a problem play), and i think it's only a "happy for the current Right Now moment" and then shakespeare slams the curtain closed before we can see how helen and bertram's marriage almost inevitably goes poorly directly hereafter in perpetuity. things are technically resolved, but they don't feel it.
this play is one i think i could retell, also. i've said this before... somewhere, but: no matter what my personal enjoyment of the play is, there are some that i'm immediately like "i could do something with this" and others where it's just,, head empty, if i tried to retell it it would be forced. this is the former!
also, the essay by david mccandless in the back of the folger edition about helen, bertram, and performing gender was really interesting and an angle i hadn't considered but makes a lot of sense to me.
so my interpretation of this play (especially of bertram) has significantly shifted since the first time i read (mostly because i've been thinking about it off and on since then to the point where i had a different perspective even before going into the reread), and i just love how all the interpretations can be true and mutually exclusive at the same time. i like my earlier preferred interpretation and i like my current one and i'm sure there are so many more.
anyway i'm a bertram apologist now (i like the (more common) readings where he's irredeemably shitty too, but i'm a sucker for ~complexity~) but helen is still my girl
--11 Dec 2022
i liked this one sue me.
this is yet again another one where my has-read-most-the-shakespeare friend (who assigned me this as winter break homework, incidentally) kinda dismissed it and discussed the weirdness of the ending and where i ended up disagreeing (disagreement tally is currently comedy of errors, coriolanus, romeo and juliet, and this). like of course bertram is going to act as if he's in love with helen, she's getting him out of the consequences of all his lies! (which are pretty big consequences at this point.)
and to explain helen's actions, i think we're just missing something. not in the sense that "we have the incomplete text!!" bc that's not true - i just think there has to be more to helen before the play that informs her actions during it. like it feels like there's an explanation (she's consistently complex in her actions!) but there's just not enough there for us to know what it is. we can make all the guesses we want (and ofc we (i) do) but it's just that: a guess, based on zero concrete textual evidence. but it feels to me like there CAN be an explanation, which is an important distinction from some other plays.
more with the ending, it's unsatisfying and maybe a little disturbing (it is a problem play), and i think it's only a "happy for the current Right Now moment" and then shakespeare slams the curtain closed before we can see how helen and bertram's marriage almost inevitably goes poorly directly hereafter in perpetuity. things are technically resolved, but they don't feel it.
this play is one i think i could retell, also. i've said this before... somewhere, but: no matter what my personal enjoyment of the play is, there are some that i'm immediately like "i could do something with this" and others where it's just,, head empty, if i tried to retell it it would be forced. this is the former!
also, the essay by david mccandless in the back of the folger edition about helen, bertram, and performing gender was really interesting and an angle i hadn't considered but makes a lot of sense to me.