All's Well That Ends Well Digital Study Guide

Study Guide written by Luisa Appolloni, Education Associate- Enrichment Focus, Education Department, Stratford Festival

INTRODUCTION TO THE GUIDE

"Love all, trust a few, do wrong to none."
- The Countess of Rossillion, All's Well That Ends Well, Act 1, scene 1

What happens to people when faced with complex ethical dilemmas? What happens when people strive to better their social standing? These and many more questions are raised in this play, which is neither a full-blown comedy nor a tragedy and has an ending that invites an ambivalent response. (It's an example of what we sometimes call "problem plays.") Shakespeare wrote it over four hundred years ago, when defying social and gender stereotypes was practically unheard of and certainly not condoned. And yet he introduces us to one such heroine, Helena, who overcomes her adversities and given circumstances. This thought-provoking play invites students to examine gender, stereotypes and power through a contemporary lens. By seeing the production and participating in the activities in this guide, students will explore what happens to individuals when faced with multiple responses to complex issues, the impact of unbalanced gender power and the need for breaking through societal constraints.

Content Advisory
Explores mature themes and contains some sexual innuendo.

Curriculum Connections
Grades 7 +

Themes
• Gender roles and stereotypes
• Sex and sexuality
• Society and class
• Love and hate
• Forgiveness
• Friendship
• Marriage
• Death
• Family
• Old age and youth
• Lies, deceit, manipulation and betrayal
• Remedy

Three key figures to look for in All's Well That Ends Well

A Perspective on the Piece from the Director
With Scott Wentworth

What excites you about directing this piece?

I think All's Well That Ends Well has become a very timely play, particularly for young people. It raises questions about gender roles, moral choices, calling-out culture; and because it is not so well known as, say, Romeo and Juliet, it doesn't carry with it the same cultural baggage that some of the better-known plays bring with them. Hopefully this lack of preconceptions will allow our audiences an opportunity to experience the play in all its complexities.

Could you share a little bit about your artistic vision for the production?

My basic contention with all of Shakespeare's plays is that they continue to speak to us, but that it is our responsibility to listen to them with our modern ears. By this I mean our modern understanding of morality, gender, government, love, marriage, economics, etc. might be very different from a seventeenth-century perspective, but the human reaction to those forces, made available to us through Shakespeare's language, will continue to resonate. So I suppose my "vision" for the production is to keep all our ears attuned to the discrepancies, the complexities, the humanity of the story.

Some consider All's Well That Ends Well a "problem play," fitting the conventions of neither tragedy nor comedy. What are your thoughts on this?

I'm not sure that any of Shakespeare's plays fit very easily into conventional genres; we laugh at Lear and Hamlet, we cry at Twelfth Night and As You Like It. But I do think that in All's Well Shakespeare seems to be going out of his way to keep us from putting this play into a particular box and saying, "That's what it is." He keeps provoking us, unsettling us. It's a deeply subversive play.

Do you have any thoughts on how patrons from diverse cultural backgrounds might regard the marriage of Helena and Bertram? Might they see it as an arranged marriage rather than an enforced one?

I think the play asks for a multiplicity of responses regardless of what criteria we use, be they cultural or anything else. Helena and Bertram's marriage is an arranged marriage to be sure, but some may find the Countess's and the King's motives for that arrangement to be self-serving. For Bertram it is certainly an enforced marriage, but one could say that Bertram sees any encroachment on his prerogative and privilege as enforcement. For Helena it may well be a love marriage, but we may see it as an unrealistic fairy tale where dancing in glass slippers leads to badly cut feet.

Are there aspects of this play, and of your particular production, that will resonate with things in the world today that we are maybe not seeing or that we need to re-examine?

The play takes place in a world, much like our own, that is poised on the brink of fundamental changes; where old values are being questioned but no one is quite sure what should replace them, or even which values should be replaced. It is a complicated and often contradictory world, and I think that will very much resonate with our audiences.

What do you hope audience members will feel during the show? What questions do you want them to leave with? Is there anything that you hope young people might be particularly engaged by?

My hope is that audiences will be engaged by the play's contradictions. We are called upon to make so many judgements today and we have so many platforms to do so, but I find I often make those judgements in the echo chamber of my own like-minded groups, and that can sometimes render my judgements overly simplistic: "These are the good guys, these are the bad guys." This play keeps forcing us to look at the contradictions; characters we admire will do and say things we object to, others whom we are critical of might do or say something we find worthy. All's Well That Ends Well demands that we make room for complexity, and though that may initially be uncomfortable, I think it is all to the good. 

PRE-SHOW DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

Ask students:

• How would you define a comedy? How would you define a tragedy?
• What dramatic elements do you look for in a comedy? Why? What dramatic elements do you look for in a tragedy? Why?
• What elements of a "problem play" do you expect to see in this production?
• What are the qualities of a good relationship?
• What do you expect to see on stage at the Stratford Festival? Make a list of predictions, save it, and, after the trip, revisit it to see how your predictions compared to the actual production.
• How would you define power and responsibility?
• To what extent are young people capable of making their own decisions? Are there times when they should receive help and guidance from their elders?
• Shakespeare introduces us to six female characters in All's Well That Ends Well, the most prominent being Helena. He wrote this play four hundred years ago. Knowing this, in what ways do you imagine these characters might be portrayed?How has the role of women changed since then? What still needs to be done in order to achieve gender equality?

CLASSROOM ACTIVITY: Understanding Themes from the Play

1 class (approx. 45-60 minutes)

This activity is best done prior to seeing the play.
1. Create six numbered stations around the classroom. Each station will have chart paper and markers, with one of the following statements placed at the top of each paper:

a. There is a double standard when it comes to gender and sexuality.
b. Young people should make their own decisions without the help or guidance of their elders.
c. Some lies and deceits are more acceptable than others.
d. You must pursue your love interest at all costs.
e. We should always forgive one another for any wrongdoing.
f. You should never marry above or below your social class.

2. Divide the students into six small groups of three to five people.

3. Each group begins at a different station. [NOTE: The students will be asked to think about and discuss issues raised in these statements.]

4. The teacher will set a timer and students will stay at their station for approximately three to five minutes (feel free to provide more time if needed) to read the question, discuss and add their own ideas on the chart paper and in their notebooks. To help them respond to the questions have them use the following prompts by connecting to three of their senses (see, hear, feel):

a. What have you seen that might suggest this statement is either true or false?
b. What have you heard about this issue?
c. How do you feel about this issue?

5. When the timer goes off, students will move (clockwise) to another station.

6. After this activity, debrief with the students and discuss their observations on these issues and how they might play an important part in the development of the plot.

7. After this activity, debrief with the students.

Debriefing Questions:
• Based on the statements you have read, what is your first impression of the play?
• What statement really stood out and made a strong impression on you? Why?
• What do these statements possibly suggest about the plot of All's Well That Ends Well?
• What questions do you have about the play?

CLASSROOM ACTIVITY: A mother's blessing to her son (Act 1, scene 1)

1 class (approx. 60 minutes)

Excerpt

1. Ask the students to discuss the following questions in their groups:

a. What is advice? What is the best advice you ever received? Why?
b. What is the worst advice you ever received? Why?
c. If you were to give the perfect piece of advice, what would you try to do or include?

2. Each group will read together the Countess's speech in Act 1, scene 1.

3. Next, have each group circle those sections they think are advice and discuss why they think the Countess said it to her son.

4. Then have them brainstorm with their group and write in their own words what each piece of advice is about.

5. Have each group read aloud what they have written, each person taking a section.

6. Now have each group go back to Shakespeare's original text and read it aloud, with each person taking a section.

7. Once they are comfortable with the text, have the groups stand in a small circle and read their section of Shakespeare's text to the group. Encourage them to make eye contact with someone in the circle as if giving them advice.

8. After the exercise, have all the groups come together to debrief.

Debriefing Questions:
• What did you discover about the relationship between the Countess and Bertram?
• Do you think the Countess trusts her son? Why or why not?
• Do you think the Countess is fair? Why or why not?
• What impression do you have about Bertram?
• Can you predict what may happen once Bertram goes away to France?

POST-SHOW DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

Ask students:

• Which character did you most admire and trust in the play? Why?
• What do you think Shakespeare is suggesting about the nature of love?
• Do you think everything turns out for the best at the end of the play? Why or why not?
• Do you think Helena made the right choices? Why or why not?
• Do you think Bertram made the right choices? Why or why not?
• Do you think Parolles got what he deserved at the end? Explain.
• To what extent and in what ways is this play about generational differences?
• To what extent and in what ways do the women in the play expose the men's shortfalls in handling power and responsibility?
• What were the key themes that stood out for you in this play? What do you think is the play's central message? What do you think the director is trying to say?
• Is the title of the play an appropriate one? Explain.
• Does this play resonate with today's gender issues? What are the similarities and differences?
• Are there different portrayals of male and female honour in the play? If so, how are they treated?
• How did the production elements (costumes, lights, music and set) affect your experience?

CLASSROOM ACTIVITY: Hot-seating Helena and Bertram

2 classes (approx. 120 minutes)

This activity is best done after reading or seeing the play.

1. Let the class know that they will be working in small groups of four or five and hot-seating* one of the two main characters from the play: Helena and Bertram.

*Students volunteer to be on the "hot seat" in front of the other students. Hot seating is a rehearsal technique where actors play the character in role and answer spontaneous questions from the group. This helps us gain a deeper understanding of the character including background, behaviour and motivation.

2. At various points throughout the play Helena and Bertram are faced with a personal dilemma or critical decision they must face. Each group will be randomly assigned one of the characters to explore.

3. Each group will then brainstorm and jot down various points in the play when they thought that character was faced with a particular dilemma or decision they had to make.

4. Next, have each group brainstorm and jot down questions about their character's thoughts, feelings, opinions, relationships, motives, and actions taken. What do they want to know about the character and why did they make those choices?

5. So that everyone has an opportunity to role-play, students will take it in turns being on the "hot seat" and answering a few questions from the other members of the group. Those in the hot seat will improvise their answers to the questions.

6. Students asking the questions are to be keen observers and may have free rein to go beyond the list of questions they had previously drafted and ask spur-of-the-moment questions if the student in-role has said something new that requires clarification and deeper understanding from the rest of the group.

7. Allow for approximately 20-30 minutes of examination for each group to quiz their character.

8. Afterwards, have the entire class come together to debrief and discuss their findings.

Debriefing Questions:

• How did it feel to step into the character's shoes?
• What new insights did you discover about the character and his/her motivations?
• What were the key issues affecting your character?
• Did your opinion of and/or sympathies for this character change after doing this activity?

Please share your letters with the Stratford Festival! We would love to hear from you.
Attn: Education Department
Re: All's Well That Ends Well
PO Box 520
Stratford, ON N5A 6V2 

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SOURCES & RESOURCES

SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY FOR ALL'S WELL THAT ENDS WELL  STUDY GUIDE

SHAKESPEARE: HISTORY, CRITICISM and BIOGRAPHY

Beckerman, Bernard. Shakespeare and the Globe, 1599-1609. 1962.

Bentley, G.E. Shakespeare: A Biographical Handbook. 1951.

Boyce, Charles. Shakespeare A to Z. 1990.

Brown, Ivor. Shakespeare and the Actors. 1970.

Brown, John Russell. Shakespeare and his Theatre. 1993.

Burgess, Anthony. Shakespeare. 1970.

Campbell, Oscar James, ed. The Reader's Encyclopedia of Shakespeare. 1966.

Dobson, Michael, ed. The Oxford Companion to Shakespeare. 2001.

Epstein, Norrie. The Friendly Shakespeare. 1992.

Frye, R. M. Shakespeare's Life and Times: a Pictorial Record. 1968.

Gurr, Andrew. The Shakespearean Stage, 1574-1642. 1980.

Hodges, C. Walter. Shakespeare and the Players. 1948.

Muir, Kenneth and Samuel Schoenbaum, eds. A New Companion to Shakespeare Studies, 1985.

Nagler, A. M. Shakespeare's Stage. 1985.

Schoenbaum, Samuel. William Shakespeare: A Documentary Life. 1975.

Taylor, Gary. Reinventing Shakespeare. 1989.

Thomson, Peter. Shakespeare's Theatre. 1983.

Tillyard, E. M. W. The Elizabethan World Picture. 1943.

Wells, Stanley, ed. The Cambridge Companion to Shakespeare Studies. 1986.

TEACHING SHAKESPEARE

Asimov, Isaac. Asimov's Guide to Shakespeare. New York, 1970.

Edens, Walter, et al. Teaching Shakespeare. New Jersey: Princeton UP, 1977.

Gibson, Rex. Secondary School Shakespeare. Cambridge: 1990.

Gibson, Rex. Stepping into Shakespeare. Cambridge: 2000.

Gibson, Rex. Teaching Shakespeare: A Handbook for Teachers. 2016.

Gibson, Rex and Field-Pickering, Janet. Discovering Shakespeare's Language. Cambridge: 1998.

O'Brien, Veronica. Teaching Shakespeare. London, 1982.

Stredder, James. The North Face of Shakespeare: Activities for Teaching the Plays. Cambridge, 2009.

ALL'S WELL THAT ENDS WELL

Shakespeare, William. All's Well That Ends Well. The Arden Shakespeare 2015.

Shakespeare, William. All's Well That Ends Well. Cambridge School Shakespeare. 2001.

Shakespeare, William. All's Well That Ends Well. The Folger Shakespeare Library, 2006.

Shakespeare, William. All's Well That Ends Well. Oxford University Press, 2008.

Shakespeare, William. All's Well That Ends Well. The Pelican Shakespeare (Penguin Random House), 2001.

Shakespeare, William. All's Well That Ends Well. The Royal Shakespeare Company (The Modern Library Classics), 2011.

ONLINE RESOURCES

BookRags.com Homepage  http://www.bookrags.com

MIT Global Shakespeares  http://globalshakespeares.mit.edu/europe/#

MIT Shakespeare Homepage: The Complete Works of William Shakespeare  http://shakespeare.mit.edu/

Shakespeare's Life and Times web.uvic.ca/shakespeare/Library/SLT/intro/introsubj.html

Shakespeare Online www.shakespeare-online.com

Movie Review Query Engine www.mrqe.com

Internet Movie Database, www.imdb.com

ALL'S WELL THAT ENDS WELL ON FILM, VIDEO and DVD

1982 (UK - BBC): All's Well That Ends Well. Directed by Elijah Moshinsky; starring Celia Johnson, Robert Lindsay and Donald Sinden.

2012 (UK - Globe Theatre on Screen): All's Well That Ends Well. Directed by John Dove; starring Sam Crane, Colin Hurley and Ellie Piercy.

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