In the French province of Roussillon the widowed Countess bids farewell to her son Bertram who is going, with his swaggering friend Parolles and the Lord Lafeu, to the court as the ward of the French King. Bertram is oblivious of the love of Helena, the orphan daughter of the Countess's celebrated physician, who has been brought up in his mother's household.

Helena is allowed by the Countess to go to court to try to cure the King's illness. Where others had failed she succeeds, and as a reward the King asks her to choose a husband from among his wards, and her choice is Bertram. Bertram sees the alliance as beneath him and after the marriage ceremony he runs away, with Parolles, to join the wars in Italy. He writes to Helena that he will not acknowledge their marriage until she can prove she wears his heirloom ring and carries his child. Helena returns home to Roussillon but she does not give up. She soon leaves, and, disguised as a pilgrim, she follows Bertram to Florence, where she is befriended by a widow and her daughter Diana, for whom Bertram has formed an obsession.

The soldiers jokingly trick Parolles into proving he is a coward while Bertram makes an assignation to sleep, as he thinks, with Diana. Diana insists the meeting must be in the dark and, unsuspected by Bertram Helena takes Diana's place. On that night Bertram gives his partner his ring and a child is conceived.

Helena lets it be known that she is dead and Bertram returns to the French court where his mother and Lafeu, who also believe Helena is dead, have arranged for Bertram to be married to Lafeu's daughter. Bertram gives Lafeu, as a betrothal token, a ring that he had been given on his midnight meeting in Florence and the ring is recognised to be one that the King had given to Helena on her marriage.

Before the situation can be resolved Diana arrives at court with Bertram's ring and accuses him of seducing and then deserting her. Bertram denies her but Lafeu, suspecting falsehood, withdraws his offer of his daughter. The King orders Diana away to prison but is prevented when the widow brings in Helena to be a witness to Diana's story. The pregnant Helena is recognised and welcomed by the King and her friends while Diana acknowledges that 'her" ring given by Bertram came from Helena. Bertram asks pardon and accepts his wife, while the King allows Diana, in recompense for her troubles, to choose a husband among his courtiers and promises her a dowry. The play ends as all go in together to talk over their stories.

All's Well That Ends Well was probably written about 1603. It was first published in 1623.

©Marian J. Pringle