by Evie Ginis

he Greek proverb ‘τέλος καλό όλα καλά’ comes from the corresponding English ‘all is well that ends well’ which is also the title of a Shakespeare’s play. Even though this proverb already existed in Shakespeare’s time, it became widely popular from this performance. But what does this phrase really mean? Sometimes we wonder if what we’ve done to achieve our goals is ethically right. Other times, our adventures seem  unbelievable. But, when we see that  things have turned out well, our goals are fullfilled and we’ve overcome our troubles , then we say: all is well that ends well!

In Shakespeare’s play,the audience is reassured by the title that here, there is no reason to worry and that  order will be restored when the curtain falls. And indeed in the plot the young hero follows all the conventions: looking for his love, he leaves his little town and goes to Paris. There, thanks to his medical skills, he saves the life of the  king’s daughter. Then, following his heart still, he goes to war, he survives, he makes new friends, he marries his true love (who  happens to be a member of the aristocracy), he becomes a parent, his intelligence and his accomplishments  are appreciated by all and…everything ends well for him.

However , on leaving  the theatre, Shakespeare winks playfully  at his audience who now realize that all the above was not a hero’s but a heroine’s adventures!  A woman, Helena, reverses the traditional roles of the  sexes and uses means and methods which  society recognizes traditionally as “masculine” in order to fullfil her dreams. And this was presented on stage as early as  1601! A contemporary and controversial play even today since the issue of sex equality hasn’t been resolved yet.

Sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All’s_Well_That_Ends_Well#Capsule_summary

http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/29800.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All’s_Well_That_Ends_Well#Sources