All's Well That Ends Well

Hello Everyone!

Ok, so yesterday, we saw All's Well That Ends Well at the Globe Theatre. For those of you that read my previous post about the Globe, you know that the theatre tries to keep everything as original as possible. Even though the seating was uncomfortable, the acting was quite good. All's Well That Ends Well is generally classified as one of Shakespeare's problems plays and for good reason. Is it a comedy or a tragedy? The play is the story of a young girl named Helena, who is hopelessly in love with a man who is considered to be above her. Her infatuation with young Bertram, motivates her to travel to Paris where he resides after being called by the King. After curing the King of an illness, she is given the option of marrying anyone in the Kingdom. Unsurprisingly, she chooses Bertram, who is horrified at the choice. He declares that he will not recognize her as a wife until she gets the ring from his finger and has a child by him. Through a series of hilarious twists and turns, Helena tricks Bertram and fulfills his challenge to her. In the end, he recognizes her as his wife. All is well that ends well, but is it? To me, it seems that the entire audience misses the fact that the play ends badly. Helena has to convince her husband to be with her and Bertram is successfully cowardly throughout the whole play. It also goes against the natural order of marriage where the man convinces the woman to be with him. Instead, Helena comes off as a pathetic, desperate woman. However, if you compare it to real life, I suppose people do crazy things when they are in love. If you go by that theme, the message of the play works quite well.

After the play, we got a chance to talk with some of the actors from the production. The actress who played Helena and the actor who played Lavatch (Countess' Clown) came to give us their take on the play. This version of All's Well That Ends Well was very different from the one that I saw in November. For one thing, the director obviously instructed the actor who played Bertram to portray him in a sympathetic way. Bertram is played as though he is a mixed up individual who partly wants to be with Helena. The director accomplished this by having Helena and Bertram kiss before he goes off to war, halfway through the play instead of at the end. Additionally, Helena is played more as a pathetic individual instead of a strong woman on a mission. Regardless, she accomplishes her goal and eventually wins Bertram. However, it is a play that will keep me thinking for years to come. All's Well That Ends Well joins the Merry Wives of Windsor as the only two plays where it seems that the women have won which makes it especially unique.

After the play, we said goodbye to Professor Collins and Professor Booth , who unfortunately will not be joining us in Stratford-upon-Avon. Later that night, we all went out for a night on the town in Leister Square and mingled with the British folk. It was a lot of fun and a night that I will remember for awhile. Today, me and McKinley Cooper (my roommate) went shopping in Notting Hill at the Portobello Road Market. I found a few little things and got something for the youngest member of the family (Meredith). It was a very nice way to end my time in London ,which is unfortunately over. Hopefully, I will be able to return here many times because this city is incredible. The rhythm is awesome and it is the perfect place for someone my age. Tomorrow, we go to Stratford-upon-Avon for the final week of the program. We will see Macbeth, The Merchant of Venice, and The City Madam. More details to come!!!

AL