The Two Gentlemen of Verona is a comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1589 and 1593. It is considered by some to be Shakespeare's first play,
and is often seen as showing his first tentative steps in laying out
some of the themes and motifs with which he would later deal in more
detail; for example, it is the first of his plays in which a heroine
dresses as a boy. The play deals with the themes of friendship and infidelity, the conflict between friendship and love, and the foolish behaviour of people in love. The highlight of the play is considered by some to be Launce, the clownish servant of Proteus, and his dog Crab, to whom "the most scene-stealing non-speaking role in the canon" has been attributed.
Two Gentlemen is often regarded as one of Shakespeare's weakest plays. It has the smallest named cast of any play by Shakespeare
Synopsis:
As the play begins, Valentine is preparing to leave Verona for Milan
so as to broaden his horizons. He begs his best friend, Proteus, to come
with him, but Proteus is in love with Julia, and refuses to leave.
Disappointed, Valentine bids Proteus farewell and goes on alone.
Meanwhile, Julia is discussing Proteus with her maid, Lucetta, who tells
Julia that she thinks Proteus is fond of her. Julia, however, acts
coyly, embarrassed to admit that she likes him. Lucetta then produces a
letter; she will not say who gave it to her, but teases Julia that it
was Valentine's servant, Speed, who brought it from Proteus. Julia,
still unwilling to reveal her love in front of Lucetta, angrily tears up
the letter. She sends Lucetta away, but then, realising her own
rashness, she picks up the fragments of the letter and kisses them,
trying to piece them back together.
Meanwhile, Proteus' father has decided that Proteus should travel to
Milan and join Valentine. He orders that Proteus must leave the next
day, prompting a tearful farewell with Julia, to whom Proteus swears
eternal love. The two exchange rings and vows and Proteus promises to
return as soon as he can.
In Milan, Proteus finds Valentine in love with the Duke's daughter,
Silvia. Despite being in love with Julia, Proteus falls instantly in
love with Silvia and vows to win her. Unaware of Proteus' feelings,
Valentine tells him the Duke wants Silvia to marry the foppish
but wealthy Thurio, against her wishes. Because the Duke suspects that
his daughter and Valentine are in love, he locks her nightly in a tower,
to which he keeps the only key. However, Valentine tells Proteus that
he plans to free her by means of a corded ladder, and together, they
will elope. Proteus immediately informs the Duke, who subsequently
captures and banishes Valentine. While wandering outside Milan, Valentine runs afoul of a band of outlaws,
who claim they are also exiled gentlemen. Valentine lies, saying he was
banished for killing a man in a fair fight, and the outlaws elect him
their leader.
Meanwhile, in Verona, Julia decides to join her lover in Milan. She
convinces Lucetta to dress her in boy's clothes and help her fix her
hair so she will not be harmed on the journey. Once in Milan, Julia
quickly discovers Proteus' love for Silvia, watching him attempt to
serenade her. She contrives to become his page boy
– Sebastian – until she can decide upon a course of action. Proteus
sends Sebastian to Silvia with a gift of the same ring that Julia gave
to him before he left Verona, but Julia learns that Silvia scorns
Proteus' affections and is disgusted that he would forget about his love
back home, i.e. Julia herself. Silvia deeply mourns the loss of
Valentine, who Proteus has told her is rumoured dead.
Not persuaded of Valentine's death, Silvia determines to flee the
city with the help of Sir Eglamour. They escape into the forest but when
they are confronted by the outlaws, Eglamour flees and Silvia is taken
captive. The outlaws head to their leader (Valentine), but on the way,
they encounter Proteus and Julia (still disguised as Sebastian). Proteus
rescues Silvia, and then pursues her deeper into the forest. Secretly
observed by Valentine, Proteus attempts to persuade Silvia that he loves
her, but she rejects his advances.
Proteus insinuates that he will rape her ("I'll force thee yield to
my desire"), but at this point, Valentine intervenes and denounces
Proteus. Horrified at what has happened, Proteus vows that the hate
Valentine feels for him is nothing compared to the hate he feels for
himself. Convinced that Proteus' repentance
is genuine, Valentine forgives him and seems to offer Silvia to him. At
this point, overwhelmed, Julia faints, revealing her true identity.
Upon seeing her, Proteus suddenly remembers his love for her and vows
fidelity to her once again. The Duke and Thurio are brought as prisoners
by the outlaws. Seeing Silvia, Thurio claims her as his, but Valentine
warns Thurio that if he makes one move toward her, he will kill him.
Terrified, Thurio renounces Silvia. The Duke, disgusted with Thurio's
cowardice and impressed by Valentine's actions, approves his and
Silvia's love, and consents to their marriage. The two couples are
happily united, and the Duke pardons the outlaws, telling them they may
return to Milan
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