Helena, the orphaned daughter of a physician, uses her father’s medical secrets to cure the King of France of a terminal fistula. As a reward, she demands the hand of Count Bertram, a young nobleman who views her as socially inferior. Bertram flees to the Tuscan wars to avoid the marriage, declaring he will only accept Helena if she obtains his family ring and bears his child—tasks he deems impossible. Through a calculated bed-trick involving a local virgin named Diana, Helena fulfills these conditions in secret.
This volume serves scholars of early modern drama and readers interested in the cynical edges of Shakespearean comedy. It provides a case study in social mobility and the moral ambiguity of forced marriage. Readers gain an understanding of how period gender roles influenced tactical deception and legal status. The text clarifies the distinction between inherited nobility and personal merit, offering a pragmatic look at how characters navigate rigid class hierarchies to secure their domestic and political objectives.
Deep; a moderate read.
Best for readers like The Deep Diver. Which reader are you?
- Published
- 1734
- Language
- EN
Quotes by William Shakespeare
More →There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so.
Hamlet
What's past is prologue.
The Tempest
The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves.
Julius Caesar
