Alls Well That Ends Well as Fairy Tale and Morality Play :: Alls Well That Ends Well Essays

Alls strong That Ends Well as Fairy Tale and righteousness Play     Shakespeare employed two ancient story-telling forms in writing Alls Well That Ends Well. One, the female monarch tale, he inherited from his source. The other, the pietism play, he worked into the story.   The type of fairy and folk tales of which Alls Well That Ends Well is an example are known as Virtue stories. These are composed of two major sections The Healing Of The baron and The Fulfillment Of The Tasks. These tales can be found in the early lit of cultures the world over and have two qualities in common the brightness aim and devotion of the woman sent by her husband to perform the tasks, and the husbands flying credenza of the fulfillment of the tasks as evidence of the wifes courage and love. The Healing Of The faggot in Alls Well is a variation of a common ordinary theme a hero wins the hand of the kings daughter by performing a difficult task, in which failure will cost him his life. Boccaccio and Shakespeare give interest by switching the genders of the characters.   Shakespeare also drew on the worship plays, a popular medieval theatrical form in which characters representing total and evil struggle for the soul of the hero. In Alls Well Shakespeare has created similar relationships by adding the character of Parolles. Parolles acts as Vice personified, and Helena acts as Divine Grace. unitedly they struggle for the soul of Bertram, unredeemed man.   Shakespeare carefully weaves these two forms together at two major points in the action. Helenas healing of the king operates on the level of fairy tale and carries hints of the miraculous as well. Lafeu calls it A showing of a heavenly effect in an earthly actor. At the end of the play, Bertrams acceptance of Helena fits the Virtue story form. It also reflects the point in morality plays when unredeemed man, burdened by sin and about to be carried slay to the everlasting torments of hell , calls for mercy. However, unlike the characters in morality plays and fairy tales, Shakespeares characters are graphic in their motivations and behavior. Can a fairy tale work in the complex lives of real people?