3.3. All's Well That Ends Well
Reflexión
What is the meaning of the phrase "All's well that ends well"?
Conocimiento previo
Set in France and Italy, Shakespeare's All's Well That Ends Well is a story of one-sided romance, based on a tale from Boccaccio's The Decameron.
Helen, the orphaned daughter of a doctor, is under the protection of the widowed Countess of Rossillion.
In love with Bertram, the countess' son, Helen follows him to court, where she cures the sick French king of an apparently fatal illness.
The king rewards Helen by offering her the husband of her choice. She names Bertram; he resists.
When forced by the king to marry her, he refuses to sleep with her and, accompanied by the braggart Parolles, leaves for the Italian wars.
He says that he will only accept Helen if she obtains a ring from his finger and becomes pregnant with his child.
She goes to Italy disguised as a pilgrim and suggests a 'bed trick' whereby she will take the place of Diana, a widow's daughter whom Bertram is trying to seduce.
A 'kidnapping trick' humiliates the boastful Parolles, whilst the bed trick enables Helen to fulfil Bertram's conditions, leaving him no option but to marry her, to his mother's delight.
Video by Royal Shakespeare Company on Youtube
Objetivos

If you were to tell us about the Titanic, would you include every detail? No, you wouldn't you would summarize it and highlight the points you found most interesting.
Click on EC English to see how they recommend you talk about movies.
Then, choose a film or TV series you like and talk about it for 3 - 5 minutes. Remember to follow: introduction, body and conclusion.
I stand corrected
Imagine a friend got the facts of the movie all wrong. How would you "politely" tell them to check their data?
Watch the video, then check out the basic expressions below.
Video by Learn English with Let's Talk - Free English Lessons on Youtube
Some rules of the thumb to correct people politely
Fairly polite:
I’m afraid that’s not quite right.
Less polite and stronger:
I’m afraid you’re mistaken.
I don’t think you’re right.
Blunt and very strong:
No, you’ve got that wrong.
If you check your facts, you’ll find…
Rude: only to be used with close friends and family:
Rubbish!
You’re talking rubbish.
That is a load of crap.
Insulting:
Where did you hear that?
Too harsh:
No, that’s all wrong.
Common sense rules:
- Try to correct people in private, particularly in a working environment.
- Be gentle with your corrections so you do not offend the person you are correcting.
- Try to give an explanation of why a person is mistaken, so they do not make the same mistake again.
- Before correcting, think to yourself if the correction will really benefit the person you have corrected.

With a partner, think of situations where you could use the expressions above.
Share your situations with the rest of the group.
Were they similar, or completely different?
