All's Well that Ends Well: Allusions 5 key examples

Lafew utilizes hyperbole to exaggerate the potency of Helen's medical prowess, claiming she can bring inanimate objects like stones and rocks to life, and even make them dance. If Helen can make rocks “quicken,” Lafew implies, she can certainly help the king feel better.

Shakespeare also employs allusion here, as Lafew mentions the long-dead historical figures King Pippen and Charlemagne, suggesting that Helen’s medicine could revive them. This further emphasizes the hyperbolic nature of Lafew’s claims and reflects his admiration for Helen's skills. The reference to “dance canary” Shakespeare makes here is also an allusion. "Canary" refers to a lively court dance of the time, which involved a great deal of leaping and prancing and some precise, measured steps. Being able to "dance canary" implied a great range of possible movement. If the King of France could "dance canary," it would be an excellent indication of his path to recovery.

Mariana employs hyperbolic language as she emphasizes the catastrophic potential consequences of succumbing to men’s deceitful behavior. Telling Diana to “[b]eware of them,” she describes the potential consequences of being taken in by “promises, enticements, oaths” and “tokens,” referring to the “wrack of maidenhood.” A “wrack” is an old-fashioned term for the shell of a destroyed ship, made of “limed” (waterproofed) wood. The “liming” here also refers to “birdlime,” a sticky substance that was spread on twigs to trap birds trying to use them for nests. In this doubled metaphor, Mariana both compares the ruin of a young woman’s innocence to a shipwreck, and the lures of men to sticky snares. The use of hyperbole paints a vivid picture of the devastation that could befall Diana if she is taken in by deceitful promises, or succumbs to sexual advances.

Shakespeare also uses Diana’s name as an allusion in this passage. The character shares her name with the Roman goddess of virginity and hunting. This allusion adds a layer of significance to Mariana’s warning. When she uses Diana’s name, she aligns the girl with these qualities, as Diana is the epitome of chastity. In this context, invoking the goddess Diana serves as a reminder of the values and virtues associated with that name. It’s also an admonition to uphold these virtues against the wiles of men.

The phrase "they begin to smoke me" (as it’s used here) is an idiom. When Parolles says this, it means that he fears that Bertram and his companions are beginning to suspect his true nature. It’s a reference to “smoking” a hiding place in order to drive someone out by making the air unbreathable. Parolles is backed into a corner by his own lies, and fears being forced to admit them.

Shakespeare further captures Parolles’ state of anxiety by personifying both the “disgraces” that plague him, and his own tongue. This approach makes inanimate concepts like “disgrace” and “tongue” seem like living things with their own will and motivation. When Parolles says "disgraces have of late knocked too often at my door," he's saying that he’s been getting into trouble frequently in the recent past. He also talks about his “tongue being too foolhardy,” which means he can’t control what he says. Both of these moments place the blame for Parolles’s dire situation away from the man himself. His tongue and his “disgraces,” in his opinion, act in ways he can’t control.

When Parolles mentions his “heart” having “the fear of Mars before it,” Shakespeare is making a reference to Mars, the Roman god of war. Parolles is a military man and he’s been misrepresenting himself to his fellow soldiers. By invoking Mars, he expresses just how scared he is of his comrades finding out about his lies and cowardice.

The Fool's mention of a velvet patch is an allusion to a fashion in Elizabethan times, where people used small cloth or leather patches affixed with glue to cover scars or imperfections. Because vaccinations weren’t yet available, many people had pockmarks, chancres, or scabs from diseases like smallpox and measles at this time. The fool suggests that Bertram’s patches could be covering up honorable scars: they could also be concealing the less honorable marks of venereal disease. This allusion also carries symbolic weight, hinting to the Countess that Bertram is hiding something beneath a facade.

Additionally, the Fool uses vivid tactile imagery to describe the patch of velvet. The sensory language of the fabric’s plushness on one cheek, compared to the worn bareness on the other cheek is another reference to Bertram’s "two" natures. The difference between them points to the complexity of his character. In this play, Bertram’s patches are a physical representation of his tendency to conceal things. The Fool—a wise character who uses humor to reveal truths—suggests Bertram’s dual nature and his potential for bad behavior with this comment.

Lafew and the Fool employ metaphor and imagery here to compare women to leaves of salad or herbs. While most women are implied to be unremarkable lettuce leaves, Helen is far more than that: she is “sweet marjoram” or “the herb of grace.” The men imply that Helen is the rarest and most gracious of women. The sensory language of smell is also present through the mention of these herbs, evoking the freshness and grace associated with Helen’s character. 

The visual imagery here also involves a dirty joke, as “salad” leaves refer to women’s labia. By saying that Helen isn’t a herb for eating (she is a “nose-herb,” or one only for smelling), Lafew implies her purity and virginity.

The Fool also makes an allusion to Nebuchadnezzar in this passage, an ancient Babylonian king. This figure, according to biblical accounts, spent a period living like an animal and eating grass. This allusion humorously ties into the metaphor and imagery of herbs and salads, as well as the sex jokes. It also implies that the Fool doesn’t have much success with women’s “salads.”