The orphaned Helena, daughter of a famous physician, uses her inherited medical knowledge to cure the ailing King of France, and as her reward demands the hand of the young nobleman Bertram. But Bertram rejects his unwanted bride and flees to the wars in Italy, declaring he will never accept her unless she can obtain his family ring and bear his child — conditions he believes impossible. Helena's resourceful pursuit of her reluctant husband tests the boundaries of love, class, and consent. Shakespeare's thorny 'problem play' challenges audiences to decide whether its ending is truly happy.
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