The Fall of Masculinity: Helena as a Transgressive and Dangerous Woman in William Shakespeare’s All’s Well That Ends Well

Abstract

This paper focuses on the healing scene and bed - trick in William Shakespeare’s All’s Well That Ends Well, to prove Helena transgresses and overturns male - centered society. Critics have often understood Helena as an ideal female agent who physically and symbolically heals the endangered masculine world through her curing the king. However, going against this reading, this paper argues that Shakespeare does not simply portray Helena as a passive and obedient woman in male - oriented society. Instead, Helena seeks after her own desires and insistently subverts this male - centered society through her virginity. This subversion eventually leads to a flipping of gender roles when Helena makes Bertram a victim of her marriage plan. Thus, unlike previous readings of Helena, she should be understood as a subversive and transgressive character.