Bring on the tough stuff - there’s not just one right answer.
- Does all really end well for the characters in this play? Why or why not? (Do things turn out well for some characters and not others?)
- Does this play have anything in common with fairy tales? If so, how does Shakespeare put his own twist on the genre?
- If Bertram and Helen went on the Dr. Phil Show to get some free, nationally televised marriage counseling, what do you think would happen? (We dare you to act it out in a skit in front of your teacher and classmates.)
- A "bitter play with a bitter title.” That's what George Bernard Shaw once had to say about All's Well. Do you agree? Why or why not? (Source.)
- What's the deal with the king's fistula? (You know, that nasty, pus-filled cyst that young Helen has to "heal" in order to get her fairy tale wedding?)
- Is Helen just a fool for love, or is she just a gold digging social climber? (In other words, why in the heck does this young, smart, attractive girl want anything to do with Bertram?)