The Two Gentlemen of Verona


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).


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.”
