The Two Gentlemen of Verona
The Two Gentlemen of Verona, an early play in five acts by William Shakespeare, written perhaps in 1590–94 and published in the First Folio of 1623 from an authorial manuscript. It is a pastoral story about two young friends who travel to Milan, where they are educated in courtly behaviour.
The main source of the play’s plot was a translation of a long Spanish prose romance titled Los siete libros de la Diana (1559?; The Seven Books of the Diana) by Jorge de Montemayor. Shakespeare is thought to have adapted the relationship of the two gentlemen of the title and the ending of the play from various possible sources, including Richard Edwards’s play Damon and Pythias (1565), Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Knight’s Tale in The Canterbury Tales, and especially the story of Titus and Gisippus in Sir Thomas Elyot’s The Boke Named the Governour (1531).
Valentine (one of the two gentlemen of the title) opens the play by chiding his closest friend, Proteus (the other gentleman), for remaining idly at home with his beloved Julia rather than venturing to Milan with him. Shortly thereafter Proteus’s plans change, because of his father’s insistence, and he too heads for Milan after proclaiming his undying love and fidelity to Julia.
Mayhem erupts in the third act after the fickle Proteus arrives in Milan and abruptly becomes enamoured with Silvia, the Duke’s fair daughter, with whom Valentine plans secretly to elope. Proteus treacherously betrays Valentine’s plan to the Duke, who promptly banishes Valentine. The Duke is assisted in all this by Thurio, a wealthy and most unwelcome suitor to Silvia. Concurrently, Julia disguises herself as a boy and travels to Milan to be reunited with Proteus, only to discover him wooing Silvia for himself.
As the love entanglements ensue, the setting shifts from the civilized city to the forest. Silvia sets out to find Valentine, who has been captured by bandits and has agreed to become their leader. Silvia is accosted by the outlaws but is rescued by Proteus, who has been relentlessly following her with his page, the still-disguised Julia. Proteus then attempts to rape Silvia but is prevented by Valentine. The latter shames Proteus into penitence for his ruthless actions and inconstancy. In an extreme show of forgiveness, Valentine offers to give up Silvia for Proteus, causing Julia to faint and her identity to be revealed. In the end, the men resolve to marry their original loves and live in “mutual happiness.”
For a discussion of this play within the context of Shakespeare’s entire corpus, see William Shakespeare: Shakespeare’s plays and poems.