CRITICISM

Beauregard, David N. “‘Inspirèd Merit’: Shakespeare's Theology of Grace in All's Well That Ends Well.” Renascence 51, No. 4 (1999): 218-39.

Argues that a Roman Catholic theology of grace influenced the plot and dialogue of All's Well That Ends Well.

Bradbrook, M. C. “Shakespeare's Hybrid: All's Well That Ends Well.” In Muriel Bradbrook on Shakespeare, pp. 84-98. Sussex: The Harvester Press, 1984.

Contends that All's Well That Ends Well is a dramatic failure in that Shakespeare attempted to write a moral play but only succeeded in creating characters as moral stereotypes.

Ellis, David. “Finding a Part for Parolles.” Essays in Criticism 39, No. 4 (October 1989): 289-304.

Discusses Parolles's various roles in All's Well That Ends Well, contending that ultimately the character defies categorization.

Huston, J. Dennis. “‘Some Stain of Soldier’: The Functions of Parolles in All's Well That Ends Well.” Shakespeare Quarterly 21, No. 4 (Autumn 1970): 431-38.

Focuses on the various roles of Parolles, noting that his main function is to represent the youthful energy capable of transforming the world in All's Well That Ends Well.

Lewis, Cynthia. “‘Derived Honesty and Achieved Goodness’: Doctrines of Grace in All's Well That Ends Well.” Renaissance and Reformation 26, No. 2 (Spring 1990): 147-70.

Discusses All's Well That Ends Well as Shakespeare's interpretation of the theological controversy regarding whether grace is granted through election or through a gradual process of enlightenment.

Love, John M. “‘Though Many of the Rich Are Damn'd’: Dark Comedy and Social Class in All's Well That Ends Well.” Texas Studies in Language and Literature 18, No. 4 (Winter 1977): 517-27.

Comments on the role of social class in All's Well That Ends Well, noting that the ultimate fate of Helena and Bertram is determined by their class.

Palmer, David J. “Comedy and the Protestant Spirit in Shakespeare's All's Well That Ends Well.” Bulletin of the John Rylands University Library of Manchester 71, No. 1 (Spring 1989): 95-107.

Illustrates how Shakespeare interwove elements of comedy and Puritan theology into the plot and characterizations of All's Well That Ends Well.

Price, John Edward. “Anti-Moralistic Moralism in All's Well That Ends Well.” Shakespeare Studies 12 (1979): 95-111.

Asserts that All's Well That Ends Well is an antimoralistic play, in which Helena and Bertram expose the empty rhetoric of the older generation through their struggle to gain their freedom and to establish their individual identities.

Richard, Jeremy. “‘The Thing I Am’: Parolles, the Comedic Villain, and Tragic Consciousness.” Shakespeare Studies 18 (1986): 145-59.

Contends that All's Well That Ends Well bridges Shakespeare's comedies and tragedies, and discusses the role of Parolles in terms of his evolution from comic villainy to self-consciousness in the play.

Rothman, Jules. “A Vindication of Parolles.” Shakespeare Quarterly 23, No. 2 (Spring 1972): 183-96.

Attempts to vindicate Parolles from critical censure, maintaining that his character is the prime source of humor in All's Well That Ends Well.

Schork, R. J. “The Many Masks of Parolles.” Philological Quarterly 76, No. 3 (Summer 1997): 263-69.

Discusses the role of Parolles in All's Well That Ends Well, pointing out that his characterization draws on two popular types from the classical comedies of Plautus.

Simpson, Lynne M. “The Failure to Mourn in All's Well That Ends Well.” Shakespeare Studies 22 (1994): 172-88.

Argues that in pursuing Bertram as a substitute for her deceased father, Helena “in effect denies the death of the father by ‘forgetting’ him despite the prominent and constant reminders of those around her.”

Snyder, Susan. “Naming Names in All's Well That Ends Well.” Shakespeare Quarterly 43, No. 3 (Fall 1992): 265-79.

Explores the significance of various names in All's Well That Ends Well, emphasizing the mythic role that Helena and Diana play in the action.

Solomon, Julie Robin. “Mortality as Matter of Mind: Toward a Politics of Problems in All's Well That Ends Well.” English Literary Renaissance 23, No. 1 (Winter 1993): 134-69.

Illustrates how Shakespeare's use of contemporary discussions about the limits of medical knowledge and the interplay between nature and culture inform the themes of All's Well That Ends Well.

Taylor, Michael. “Persecuting Time with Hope: The Cynicism of Romance in All's Well That Ends Well.” English Studies in Canada 11, No. 3 (September 1985): 282-94.

Focuses on Shakespeare's ironic treatment of the idea of romance in All's Well That Ends Well.

Wheeler, Richard P. “Imperial Love and the Dark House: All's Well That Ends Well.” In Shakespeare's Development and the Problem Comedies: Turn and Counter-Turn, pp. 35-91. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1981.

Focuses on the relationship between Bertram and Helena as it effects Bertram's quest for a social and sexual identity in the play.