All’s Well That Ends Well · Chapter
Scene II explained
The Countess of Rousillon instructs the Clown, Lavache, to deliver a message to Helena and to commend her to her kinsmen and son.
What happens
The Countess of Rousillon instructs the Clown, Lavache, to deliver a message to Helena and to commend her to her kinsmen and son. The Clown engages in witty banter about courtly manners and the versatility of his answers.
Themes in this chapter
Social Class and Merit
The Clown's discussion of courtly manners and his ability to 'put off' breeding highlights the tension between social class and personal merit.
Deception and Appearance
The Clown's claim to have an answer that 'fits all questions' suggests the performative and deceptive nature of courtly behavior.
Characters to notice
- Countess of Rousillon
The Countess gives the Clown a message to deliver to Helena and sends her commendations to her kinsmen and son.
- Lavache
The Clown engages in wordplay with the Countess, boasting about his ability to answer any question at court, before receiving his errand.
Key passages
“I will show myself highly fed and lowly taught: I know my business is but to the court.”
I may be well-fed but poorly educated; I understand my task is simply to go to court.
The Clown acknowledges his lowly upbringing while accepting his errand to the court.
“It is like a barber’s chair that fits all buttocks, the pin-buttock, the quatch-buttock, the brawn buttock, or any buttock.”
My answer is like a barber's chair that accommodates any shape of backside.
The Clown uses a crude metaphor to boast that his answer is universally applicable.