All's Well That Ends Well Society and Class Quotes

It doesn't take a Ph.D. in Renaissance literature to see that Helen thinks Bertram is way too good for her. But why does she feel this way? Here, she calls Bertram a "star" because his social status is so far above hers that they're not even in the same "sphere." In other words, Bertram was born into a noble, high-ranking family and Helen was not. Like we've said elsewhere, Helen's not exactly a peasant, but in Shakespeare's day, being the daughter of a doctor wasn't exactly the same as being the child of, say, a rich count. In some Shakespearean plays, trying to marry above one's social station was frowned upon. (Check out what happens to Malvolio in Twelfth Night if you don't believe us.) Still, Shakespeare does something new in this play by showing us that Helen is more than good enough for Bertram.

Here, the countess gives her son some parting advice before he leaves for Paris. She wants her son's behavior ("manners") to match his noble blood. This is worth thinking about: the countess says that being born into a high ranking family isn't enough. Being a good person also requires "virtue," which isn't necessarily something a person is born with. 

After the countess says that she considers Helen a daughter, Helen insists that her social station is too "humble" for her to be considered a sister to Bertram. In fact, we hear her say that she's not good enough over and over (and over) again in this play. The funny thing is that, later, Helen will insist on being Bertram's wife. Hmm. It sounds to us like Helen is more worried about the potential incest factor than anything else, but can we blame her? After all, nobody wants to think of their dream guy as their brother.