Two Gentlemen of Verona (Spanish)| Two Gentlemen of Verona |
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Period written:
1592-1594 First known performance: The two gentlemen are Valentine and Proteus. Valentine leaves Verona to visit Milan to gain life experience. He leaves behind his best friend, Proteus, first chiding Proteus for concentrating more on matters of love than matters of the mind. As fate would design it, Proteus' father agrees with Valentine and soon sends Proteus to Milan. After a tearful goodbye with his beloved, Julia, Proteus finds Valentine in love with Silvia, the daughter of the Duke. Unfortunately, Proteus also falls for Silvia and does everything he can to clear his own path to her. While Proteus is figuring out how to win Silvia over, back in Verona, Julia decides to join her lover and travels to Milan dressed as a boy. There she discovers Proteus' betrayal and becomes his page until she can figure out what to do. The play concludes in a tense confrontation in a forest, where Proteus attempts to rape Silvia. Valentine saves her, but then 'gives' her to Proteus in the name of friendship. Julia faints, revealing her identity in the process. Proteus remembers his love for Julia and returns to her. In the comic subplot, even Launce finds romance, whereupon he devises a comic resume of the attributes of a lower-class girl "whose faults exceed her hairs." Discuss this play in our forums.
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