All’s Well That Ends Well – Act Five – “All’s well that ends well yet though time seem so adverse and means unfit.”

All’s Well That Ends Well – Act Five – “All’s well that ends well yet though time seem so adverse and means unfit.”

The action of the play switches to Marseilles, where Helena discovers from a gentleman that the King of France has moved his court to Rousillon. Helena gives the gentleman papers to give to the king as she, the Old Widow and Diana quickly leave for Rousillon also.

“I do beseech you, sir,

Since you are like to see the king before me,

Commend the paper to his gracious hand,

Which I presume shall render you no blame

But rather make you thank your pains for it.

I will come after you with what good speed

Our means will make us means…

And you shall find yourself to be well thank'd,

Whate'er falls more. We must to horse again.

Go, go, provide.”

Back in Rousillon, Parolles has also arrived at Countess' home, and is destitute and after an exchange with the Countess’ Clown about ‘stinking metaphors’, Parolles is able to have Lafeu take pity on him.

The King then enters and makes preparation for Bertram's engagement to Lafeu's daughter. Lafeu laments that Bertram has lost such a beautiful wife in Helena and the King says that Helena should be remembered and that Bertram should be forgiven for his past behaviour:

“Praising what is lost

Makes the remembrance dear. Well, call him hither;

We are reconciled, and the first view shall kill

All repetition: let him not ask our pardon;

The nature of his great offence is dead,

And deeper than oblivion we do bury

The incensing relics of it: let him approach,

A stranger, no offender; and inform him

So 'tis our will he should.”

When Bertram gives Lafeu a ring (the ring given to him by Diana which was given to her by Helena) to seal the betrothal to his daughter, Lafeu comments that this ring was one that once was given to Helena by the King himself. The King confirms it is the same ring. Bertram, not wanting to mention that he slept with a girl called Diana for the ring, tells a story of how it was thrown to him in Florence. The King is angry and thinks that Bertram must have stolen the ring from his ‘now dead’ wife and commands for Bertram to be taken away:

“Plutus himself,

That knows the tinct and multiplying medicine,

Hath not in nature's mystery more science

Than I have in this ring: 'twas mine, 'twas Helen's,

Whoever gave it you. Then, if you know

That you are well acquainted with yourself,

Confess 'twas hers, and by what rough enforcement

You got it from her: she call'd the saints to surety

That she would never put it from her finger,

Unless she gave it to yourself in bed,

Where you have never come, or sent it us

Upon her great disaster…

Thou speak'st it falsely, as I love mine honour;

And makest conjectural fears to come into me

Which I would fain shut out. If it should prove

That thou art so inhuman,--'twill not prove so;--

And yet I know not: thou didst hate her deadly,

And she is dead; which nothing, but to close

Her eyes myself, could win me to believe,

More than to see this ring. Take him away.”

Then Diana and her mother, the Old Widow, enter and Diana tells the story of how Bertram seduced her. It is revealed that Bertram did in fact get the ring that was Helena’s, which she got from the King, from Diana and that he had lied previously. Parolles is brought in and confirms that Bertram slept with Diana. Diana will not reveal how she got the ring that the King gave Helena and the King becomes furious and threatens to put Diana in jail.

Then, in a sequence of revelation and surprise, Diana’s mother, the Old Widow enters with Helena who explains all to everyone and the King and tells Bertram that his conditions for truly marrying her are now met because she is also now pregnant with his child:

“O my good lord, when I was like this maid,

I found you wondrous kind. There is your ring;

And, look you, here's your letter; this it says:

'When from my finger you can get this ring

And are by me with child,' This is done:

Will you be mine, now you are doubly won?”

Bertram promises that he will love Helena and from now on be a good husband. The King asks to know more about the story later and promises Diana that he will make sure she gets a good husband of her own choice: 
“Let us from point to point this story know,

To make the even truth in pleasure flow.

(To Diana)
If thou be'st yet a fresh uncropped flower,

Choose thou thy husband, and I'll pay thy dower;

For I can guess that by thy honest aid

Thou keep'st a wife herself, thyself a maid.

Of that and all the progress, more or less,

Resolvedly more leisure shall express:

All yet seems well; and if it end so meet,

The bitter past, more welcome is the sweet.”

Helena has used her cunning to finally get her husband to be faithful and love her, Diana will get the husband of her choice and the future belongs to women with enough cunning to manipulate mundane, lying self-centred men into a position where they can control them. The King ends the play with an Epilogue where he begs the audience to applaud all they have seen:

“The king's a beggar, now the play is done:

All is well ended, if this suit be won,

That you express content; which we will pay,

With strife to please you, day exceeding day:

Ours be your patience then, and yours our parts;

Your gentle hands lend us, and take our hearts.”