Alice Shalvi and J. A. Bryant argue that since Helena is legally Bertram's wife, her use of the bed-trick is lawful. Bertram set before her impossible demands, and the bed-trick proves a useful and legal way of meeting those demands. Eileen Z. Cohen notes that the disguise of the bed-trick solidifies the marriage between Helena and Bertram, and Helena saves Bertram in the process. Shalvi adds Diana to the people whom Helena saves- she saves Diana's virtue as a virgin as well as Bertram from the shame of adultery.
Michael Shapiro, Maurice Charney, Julia Briggs, and Janet Adelman take a different approach toward the bed-trick, doubting its efficacy. Shapiro argues that although the bed-trick surely allows Helena to meet Bertram's demands, she is not convinced herself that her actions are entirely legal. Charney finds the substitution.....
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