In both act one and act two of All’s Well That Ends Well, Parolles and Lafew are characters that bring mood-lightening banter to the play. Parolles is a companion of Bertram, he is by Bertram’s side whenever he needs help. Bertram often goes to Parrolles first for issues, and Parrolles always defends Bertram’s honor. Lafew is a French lord that is often seen in conversation with other noblemen and higher-ups on the chain of being, serving the King. Lafew is the lord that introduces Helen to the King, enabling her to go forward with her plan.

The theme of the chain of being appears in act two, continuing to hinder Helen. After Helen succeeds in curing the King, she has the choice of marrying any man she chooses. When she chooses Bertram, he is appalled and goes quite unhappily into the marriage, for she is of a lower class than her. Helen succeeds in getting Bertram’s hand in marriage, but the chain of being proves to continue to be an issue for her, as Bertram still doesn’t accept her as his wife and will run from her in the following act.

(1) Act three of All’s Well That Ends Well begins with a scene of war preparation. The Duke of Florence is greeting French lords who have brought soldiers to fight in the war. The first lord tells the duke that he is sure more young men will come from his country to fight, one they become fatigued by too much leisure. The second scene begins with the fool returning to Rossillion with a letter from Bertram. The countess reads the letter, which explains her son’s predicament, and his plan to run off to the war and never “bed” Helen. The Countess is exclaims that her son’s decisions are rash. Helen arrives in Rossilion with a letter from Bertram, which she reads to the Countess. The letter states that only after a ring is on Bertrams finger and she bears his child will Bertram accept her as his wife. Upon hearing this dreadful statement, the Countess declares that she will wipe Bertram from her bloodline, that he is no longer her son, but Helen is her child. Helen, the Countess, and two gentlemen converse about Bertram’s line, “Till I have no wife I have nothing in France.” Once Helen is alone, she proclaims that she will leave Rossillion, as Bertram will not come back to safety until his wife is gone.

In act three of All’s Well That Ends Well, readers are introduced to three new characters, Diana, her widowed mother, and their neighbor Mariana. They treat Helen with kindness and hospitality. Later in the chapter, readers learn that Bertram is pursuing Diana.

Act three of All’s Well That Ends Well casts an uncomfortable light on human nature. Within the act, both Bertram and Helen do things out of selfishness. Bertram decides to commit adultery, having been attracted to Diana while away from home. Helen knows this, and takes the place of Diana in bed in order to eventually bear the child of Bertram. This action is essentially rape, as Bertram consented to being with one person and was unknowingly in bed with a completely different person, whom he did not consent to. Both of these actions paint a negative picture of humanity and human nature, making this act of the play more dynamic than the others.

Act four of All’s Well That Ends Well opens with a scene of a few French lords fake-kidnapping Parrolles, in an attempt to prove his faithfulness. They blindfold him and threaten his life, claiming they will spare him if they receive information on Parrolles’ regiment. Parrolles offers information on anything they would like to know. This proves him to be untrustworthy. The second scene of act four features Diana and Bertram. Diana agrees to be with Bertram on the condition he give her his family ring. At first, he is reluctant, but he succumbs eventually, overjoyed that she will finally bed with him. In the following scene, a few French lords address the reported death of Helen. Bertram is aware of this news, and plans to return to Rossillion, still believing that it was Diana he was with. Later in the scene, the French lords continue their fake-kidnapping of Parrolles, where he gives away a multitude of valuable secrets about the strength of the army of the Duke of Florence. During this interrogation, Parrolles also reveals his true feelings on some of his fellow soldiers. Angered and offended, the French lords first sentence him to death, but then after some protest from Parrolles, simply leave the traitor alone, abandoned with no resources. Helen, Diana, and Diana’s widowed mother set off to seek the King’s court, where Helen plans to tell Bertram that she has fulfilled his requirements for marriage. The Countess grieves the reported death of Helen with Lafew, who suggests that Bertram should take the hand of his own daughter. Bertram arrives in Rossillion.

The final act of All’s Well That Ends Well deals with the title of the play itself. Conflicts were resolved, couples were united, and it seemed on the surface that everyone was satisfied. From the surface, the title of the play comes true, for everything ended “well” and therefore process of arriving at this conclusion is justified. But is this actually true? The concept of justified means is a tricky one. It calls to mind the political theory THEORY, where the ends justify the means. On paper, this theory appears to be alright, but it can be dangerous in practice. It can be used to justify terrible things, such as slavery or genocide. Within the story, it is used to justify borderline rape, trickery, and lies. This raises the question, has all actually ended well?

(2) Over at the battle, the Duke of Florence puts Bertram in charge of the cavalry. Back in Rossillion, the Countess receives the letter that Helen left for her. The letter explains that Helen has gone on a pilgrimage to St. Jaques’ shrine, to seek repentance for her overambitious love, and so that Bertram can come home safely. Helen instructs the Countess to write to Bertram immediately that she has gone, so he will quickly come home. The Countess tells one of her servants to write to Bertram, distraught about the contents of Helen’s letter. On her pilgrimage, Helen meets Diana and her widowed mother. They discuss where Helen is going and where she will stay, and the events regarding Bertram and her unwanted wife. During this conversation, Helen acts as though she is not the unwanted wife, but someone who knows only a bit about the story. It is discovered that Bertram has been trying to seduce Diana, and the women discuss the looks and attitudes of Parrolles, Bertram, and the other French soldiers. Parrolles is distraught as the loss of his drum, so Bertram and his colleagues make a plan to prove the disloyalty of Parrolles. After this, Bertram speaks to another lord about his love for Diana, and they set off to go see her. Helen speaks to Diana’s widowed mother about her plan to acquire the ring of Bertram and bear his child. After some back and forth, Helen convinces the widow to go along with this plan, where Helen will take Diana’s place in bed and fulfill the requirements of Bertram’s letter. The widow tells Helen to instruct Diana on this plan.

It seems that often Shakespeare introduces small themes and notes about human nature through individual character comments rather than plot points. In act four, scene three, the First Lord states, “The web of our life is of a mingled yarn, good and ill together. Our virtues would be proud if our faults whipped them not, and our crimes would despair if they were not charised by our virtues.” This statement holds deep meaning, both within and outside of the story. In the quote, the lord speaks about good and evil, and how one couldn’t exist without the other. Within the story, this holds true. Each character has positive and negative qualities that give the story dimension, in the same way each person has qualities that make like more than black and white.