ALL S WELL THAT ENDS WELL

"The New Penguin Shakespeare" offers a complete edition of the plays and poems. Each volume has been newly prepared from the original texts and includes an introduction, a list of further reading, a commentary, and a short account of the textual problems of the play. Usually classified as a 'problem comedy', All's Well That Ends Well invites a fresh assessment. Its psychologically disturbing presentation of an aggressive, designing woman and a reluctant husband wooed by trickery won it little favour in earlier centuries, and both directors and critics have frequently tried to avoid or simplify its uncomfortable elements. More recently, several distinguished productions have revealed it as an exceptionally penetrating study of both personal and social issues.