In order to understand the moral implications of the bed-trick in Shakespeare's All's Well That Ends Well, one must examine who is involved in the scheme and to what end. Once this is clear, it becomes obvious that the bed-trick has no moral message in and of itself; rather, the bed-trick is, according to William Bowman, "a morally neutral device" used by Shakespeare in a "moral context." The bed-trick is an off-stage event that contributes to the play's characterization as a "problem comedy," not only because of the not-so-happy ending, but because it deceives the audience into thinking the trickster's intentions are fully justified.
             It is generally accepted that comedy should be responsive to the desires of the audience, that it have a moral function, and that it supply a happy ending. All's Well That Ends Well in a sense does respond to the needs of the audience by bringing two potential lovers together. The main character, Helena, obtains the one person she has yearned for all her life, Count Bertram. The one thing that the play is lacking is the typical comedic happy ending due to the fact that Helena and Bertram are united solely because of Helena's manipulation of certain situations.
             The first situation Helena finds herself in is that she wants to earn a husband. In order to do so, she plans to heal the sick King in order to be repaid with the man of her choice. Helena is successful, and her reward is the choice of any man in the kingdom. Helena chooses Count Bertram. The Count, however, in no way desires Helena, and he is forced by the King to marry her. To avoid having to consummate the marriage, Bertram goes to war. While there, he begins to woo an Italian maiden named Diana. His plan is to bed Diana without being obligated to her later. Helena ends up in Italy, happens upon Diana and finds out about Bertram's scheme. This is the second situation Helena finds herself in. How is she to thwart her husband's intensions towa...