All's Well That Ends Well | King of France (Character Analysis)
The king of France is the highest authority in the play. The scenes in which he presides are the most dramatic and ritualistic, as well. In his first appearance, he is ill, old, and fretful. But then Helena arrives with her promise of a cure. At first the king seems almost to want to stay ill; he says he will not "prostitute" his malady to anyone, when there is no cure (II.i.121). But Helena, in a long, clever, and modest set of speeches, seduces him into trying her cure. Unexpectedly, the cure works, setting in motion the central conflict of the play.
The king has welcomed Bertram...
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