All's Well That Ends Well Trailers

           Two trailers for All’s Well That Ends Well showed very different portrayals of the play.

In the National Theatre trailer, there is a definite aura of mystery, which fits in well with the morally questionable aspects of the play.  While everything seems to tie up nicely together at the end of the play, as the King says, “All yet seems well; and if it so end meet/The bitter past, more welcome is the sweet” (5.2.338).  While this trailer lends itself nicely towards the darker aspects of this play, it is rather one dimensional in that aspect.  We are left at the end of this trailer believing that the play is a mysterious tragedy, when in reality, it is quite comical.

            The Shakespeare Theatre Company trailer is the complete opposite, in that it focuses entirely on the comedy and wit of the play.  The trailer seems to be set in a 1920’s-esque era, and the dialogue is very upbeat and comical.  This does lend itself to the wittier aspects of the play, such as much of Parolles ‘virginity’ soliloquy, where he is quoted saying, “Are you meditating on your virginity?” (1.1.122).  However, this trailer is also very one-sided, in that we do not see any of the more sinister aspects of this play, and it is not as historically accurate as the previous trailer. 

            Overall, both trailers had their positive aspects and negative aspects.  The National Theatre trailer seemed to be aimed towards a more mature and Shakespeare savvy crowd, while the Shakespeare Theatre Company trailer seemed to be more mainstreamed and aimed at a younger crowd.  These trailers seem to be at polar ends of the problem play continuum, where it seems to me that both the tragic and comedic aspects are vitally important to understand this piece of work.