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whatever Bertram wishes.
ACT 2 SCENE 5
    Lines 1–51: Lafew is discussing Parolles with Bertram who assures him that Parolles is a “valiant” soldier. Lafew is unconvinced and continues to mock Parolles. Bertram asks if Helen is going away as he has ordered her to and Parolles confirms that she is. Bertram says he will leave for the wars himself then. Parolles denies that there is any ill feeling between himself and Lafew and Bertram is convinced that Lafew is mistaken in his estimate of his friend. Lafew’s opinion is that “The soul of this man is his clothes” though, and he warns Bertram not to trust him in important matters. Parolles dismisses Lafew as an “idle lord” and Bertram agrees. Seeing Helen coming toward him, Bertram exclaims: “Here comes my clog.”
    Lines 52–98: Helen says she has spoken to the King who has given her permission to leave, but he wishes to speak to Bertram. Bertram says he’ll do as he asks. He then excuses himself, saying he wasn’t prepared for “such a business” and is “unsettled.” He asks her to go home and gives her a letter for his mother. He’ll see her in two days. She repeats that she knows she isn’t worthy but would ask a small thing of him. She changes her mind and then says, “Strangers and foes do sunder, and not kiss,” but he tells her to hurry. After she’s gone, he vows he’ll never go home while he can “shake [his] sword or hear the drum.”
ACT 3 SCENE 1
    The Duke of Florence has explained the cause of the war to the two French lords. They agree that it seems a just war on his part but cannot say why the French king refused to ally France with Florence,however they are sure that the young French knights will all want to fight with him. The Duke says they will be welcome and he will honor them.
ACT 3 SCENE 2
    Lines 1–29: Lavatch has told the Countess about recent events in Paris. She’s delighted with the way things have turned out, except that Bertram hasn’t returned with Helen. Lavatch describes him as “a very melancholy man.” The Countess reads the letter from her son while Lavatch explains that he no longer wishes to marry, having seen the women at court. He leaves and, now alone, the Countess reads Bertram’s letter aloud in which he says that he’s “wedded” but not “bedded” Helen and never intends to. He has “run away” and wants her to know the truth from him first. She’s disgusted by his impetuous, immature behavior, which shows contempt for the King’s favor and Helen’s virtue.
    Lines 30–64: Lavatch returns to tell the Countess that Helen and two lords have returned with bad news. Helen says Bertram has run away and the lords confirm that he has gone to fight for the Duke of Florence. Helen relates Bertram’s letter to her which says he’ll never be her husband until she can “get the ring upon my finger” and prove that she’s pregnant by him: “show me a child begotten of thy body that I am father to.” The Countess tells Helen to cheer up—half the griefs are hers since he’s her son, but now she washes her hands of him and Helen is her only child.
    Lines 65–132: The Countess inquires if Bertram has gone to Florence to be a soldier and the lords confirm it and assure her that the Duke of Florence will honor him. Helen bitterly quotes another line from Bertram’s letter which says, “Till I have no wife I have nothing in France.” The lords try to make light of the words, but the Countess exclaims that there’s nothing in France too good for him except Helen, who deserves a lord that twenty such “rude boys” might serve. She asks who is with Bertram, if it’s Parolles, and when the lords admit it is, calls him “A very tainted fellow, and full of wickedness.” He is a bad influence on Bertram. She gives them