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    Two Gentlemen of Verona, with line numbers
    Two Gentlemen of Verona, with line numbers
    Two Gentlemen of Verona, with line numbers
    Ebook121 pages1 hour

    Two Gentlemen of Verona, with line numbers

    By William Shakespeare

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    About this ebook

    Classic Shakespearean comedy. According to Wikipedia: "The Two Gentlemen of Verona is a comedy by William Shakespeare from early in his career. It has the smallest cast of any of Shakespeare's plays, and is the first of his plays in which a heroine dresses as a boy. It deals with the themes of friendship and infidelity. 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."
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherSeltzer Books
    Release dateMar 1, 2018
    ISBN9781455358861
    Two Gentlemen of Verona, with line numbers
    Author

    William Shakespeare

    William Shakespeare was an English poet, playwright, and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest dramatist in the English language. Shakespeare is often called England’s national poet and the “Bard of Avon.”  

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    Reviews for Two Gentlemen of Verona, with line numbers

    3.5/5

    276 ratings9 reviews

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    • 4/5
      Not your usual Shakespeare play, but worthy.
    • 4/5
      It’s easy to see it’s one of Shakespeare’s earliest. The prose and poetry aren’t as polished, and it prefigured many of his later, better plays in some of the phrasing, and the cross-dressing of a female character in love. Its ending is neatly tied up, though surprising in some of the particulars, like a threat of rape and an overquick, overgenerous forgiveness. For completists, or in anticipation of a production, which is why I read it.
    • 3/5
      Though it seems rather presumptuous to criticize Shakespeare, The Two Gentlemen of Verona is not one of the Bard's greatest works. Though an enjoyable read with some truly humorous moments and one particularly beautiful bit of verse (III.i.170-187), the end is hastily tied together and the characters very unbelievable. Still, as one of Shakespeare's earliest works, it is an interesting look at his development as a playwright.
    • 4/5
      When I taught Shakespeare, I would often start with TGV, on the second class myself doingLaunce and his dog Crab, along with removable shoes, a cane--and for a couple years, our English Sheepdog Ugo. The first year he did okay, the second year he headed fro the classroom door, to leavefor a treat from my wife who drove him there. The Launce scenes really take a pro with the props and the stage business: taking off one's shoes,demonstrating the sad scene of parting by designating one of the shoes for each parent etc, meanwhile reprimanding the dog fro being unsentimental. An added tincture of interest for me was the play's MIlan references: Ugo came from Milan,where my daughter has lived for many years.
    • 3/5
      While "The Two Gentlemen of Verona" is not considered one of William Shakespeare's greatest works, I still found it to be a pretty enjoyable play. It was one of the bard's earlier comedies so much of it is used again later in this other, stronger works.The story follows Proteus and Valentine, two gentlemen who fall in love with ladies and troubles ensue. There is the typical Shakespeare disguise thrown in for good measure too.This play is pretty readable and was fairly amusing. The ending was kind of forced and wrapped everything up a little too prettily, but other wise I liked this one.
    • 3/5
      One rates Shakespeare plays to acknowledge that in art, there are varying responses to the same work. For the drama, "Is this the right director and cast, are the costumes correct, did the spirit of the author's original intent come through?" there's a different set of criteria for single poems, or paintings. Some modest thoughts follow. This is early Shakespeare, and quite readable, but a test bed for a lot of better stuff that came later. Not many famous quotes/clichés in this one, but a workable script.Read seven times.
    • 4/5
      This is an interesting play in the world of Shakespeare, though not one of his strongest. It is assumed to be one of his first plays. It has one of his smallest casts and it contains one of the biggest jerks in the whole of Shakespearean literature. The two gentlemen of the title are Valentine and Proteus, best friends living in Verona. One of the two, Proteus, is deeply in love with a woman named Julia. The other, Valentine, is sent to Milan at his father’s bidding, where he falls in love with the Duke’s daughter, Silvia. The horrid Proteus follows Valentine and despite swearing his undying love to Julia, he quickly falls in love with Silvia. Not only is he betraying Julia with this infatuation, he is betrays his best friend. He is a selfish and horrible man and it’s hard to understand why Julia would remain true to him. My favorite scene in the play is between Julia and Silvia. The women find common ground where Silvia expresses her disgust with Proteus for abandoning the woman he swore to love. She had no idea that she was telling this to that same woman and it touches Julia deeply. The play shares a dozen similarities with Shakespeare’s later work. It has a woman following the man she loves and meeting him in disguise when he falls for someone new from All’s Well That Ends Well. It has Thurio, a useless lover picked by the girl’s family ala Paris from Romeo and Juliet. It also has a bit from Twelfth Night with a woman pretending to be the male servant of the man she loves. These elements don’t work well together to make a great play, but each bit is an interesting plot point that is used more successfully in a later play. BOTTOM LINE: This play is definitely a precursor to some of the great work that came later, but it doesn’t have the strongest plot. It contains hilarious puns and beautiful lines. Unfortunately the flip-flopping Proteus’ happy ending is not satisfying to audiences and the play is rarely preformed live. “She is mine own, And I as rich in having such a jewel As twenty seas, if all their sand were pearl, The water nectar, and the rocks pure gold.” 
    • 4/5
      One of my favorite comedies.
    • 4/5
      Essential scholarly edition of this early Shakespeare play.

    Book preview

    Two Gentlemen of Verona, with line numbers - William Shakespeare

    The Two Gentlemen Of Verona By William Shakespeare

    published by Samizdat Express, Orange, CT, USA

    established in 1974, offering over 14,000 books

    Other comedies by William Shakespeare:

    All's Well That Ends Well

    As You Like It

    The Comedy of Errors

    Love's Labour's Lost

    Measure for Measure

    The Merchant of Venice

    The Merry Wives of Windsor

    A Midsummer Night's Dream

    Much Ado About Nothing

    The Taming of the Shrew

    Twelfth Night

    feedback welcome: info@samizdat.com

    visit us at samizdat.com

    Dramatis Personae

    The Two Gentlemen Of Verona

    Act I

    Scene I Verona. An Open Place.

    Scene II The Same. Garden Of Julia's House.

    Scene III The Same. Antonio's House.

    Act II

    Scene I Milan. The Duke's Palace.

    Scene II Verona. Julia's House.

    Scene III The Same. A Street.

    Scene IV Milan. The Duke's Palace.

    Scene V The Same. A Street.

    Scene VI The Same. The Duke's Palace.

    Scene VIIi Verona. Julia's House.

    Act III

    Scene I Milan. The Duke's Palace.

    Scene II The Same. The Duke's Palace.

    Act IV

    Scene I The Frontiers Of Mantua. A Forest.

    Scene II Milan. Outside The Duke's Palace, Under Silvia's Chamber.

    Scene III The Same.

    Scene IV The Same.

    Act V

    Scene I Milan. An Abbey.

    Scene II The Same. The Duke's Palace.

    Scene III The Frontiers Of Mantua. The Forest.

    Scene IV Another Part Of The Forest.

    DRAMATIS PERSONAE

    Duke Of Milan, Father To Silvia. (Duke:)

    The Two Gentlemen

    Valentine

    Proteus

    Antonio, Father To Proteus.

    Thurio, A Foolish Rival To Valentine.

    Eglamour, Agent For Silvia In Her Escape.

    Host Where Julia Lodges. (Host:)

    Outlaws With Valentine.

     (First Outlaw:)

     (Second Outlaw:)

     (Third Outlaw:)

    Speed ,A Clownish Servant To Valentine.

    Launce, The Like To Proteus.

    Panthino, Servant To Antonio.

    Julia, Beloved Of Proteus.

    Silvia, Beloved Of Valentine.

    Lucetta, Waiting-Woman To Julia.

    Servants, Musicians.

    SCENE Verona; Milan; the frontiers of Mantua.

    THE TWO GENTLEMEN OF VERONA

    ACT I

    SCENE I Verona. An open place.

    [Enter VALENTINE and PROTEUS]

    (1) VALENTINE Cease to persuade, my loving Proteus:

     Home-keeping youth have ever homely wits.

     Were't not affection chains thy tender days

     To the sweet glances of thy honour'd love,

     I rather would entreat thy company

     To see the wonders of the world abroad,

     Than, living dully sluggardized at home,

     Wear out thy youth with shapeless idleness.

     But since thou lovest, love still and thrive therein,

    (10) Even as I would when I to love begin.

    PROTEUS Wilt thou be gone? Sweet Valentine, adieu!

     Think on thy Proteus, when thou haply seest

     Some rare note-worthy object in thy travel:

     Wish me partaker in thy happiness

     When thou dost meet good hap; and in thy danger,

     If ever danger do environ thee,

     Commend thy grievance to my holy prayers,

     For I will be thy beadsman, Valentine.

    VALENTINE And on a love-book pray for my success?

    (20) PROTEUS Upon some book I love I'll pray for thee.

    VALENTINE That's on some shallow story of deep love:

     How young Leander cross'd the Hellespont.

    PROTEUS That's a deep story of a deeper love:

     For he was more than over shoes in love.

    VALENTINE 'Tis true; for you are over boots in love,

     And yet you never swum the Hellespont.

    PROTEUS Over the boots? nay, give me not the boots.

    VALENTINE No, I will not, for it boots thee not.

    PROTEUS           What?

    VALENTINE To be in love, where scorn is bought with groans;

    (30) Coy looks with heart-sore sighs; one fading moment's mirth

     With twenty watchful, weary, tedious nights:

     If haply won, perhaps a hapless gain;

     If lost, why then a grievous labour won;

     However, but a folly bought with wit,

     Or else a wit by folly vanquished.

    PROTEUS So, by your circumstance, you call me fool.

    VALENTINE So, by your circumstance, I fear you'll prove.

    PROTEUS 'Tis love you cavil at: I am not Love.

    VALENTINE Love is your master, for he masters you:

    (40) And he that is so yoked by a fool,

     Methinks, should not be chronicled for wise.

    PROTEUS Yet writers say, as in the sweetest bud

     The eating canker dwells, so eating love

     Inhabits in the finest wits of all.

    VALENTINE And writers say, as the most forward bud

     Is eaten by the canker ere it blow,

     Even so by love the young and tender wit

     Is turn'd to folly, blasting in the bud,

     Losing his verdure even in the prime

    (50) And all the fair effects of future hopes.

     But wherefore waste I time to counsel thee,

     That art a votary to fond desire?

     Once more adieu! my father at the road

     Expects my coming, there to see me shipp'd.

    PROTEUS And thither will I bring thee, Valentine.

    VALENTINE Sweet Proteus, no; now let us take our leave.

     To Milan let me hear from thee by letters

     Of thy success in love, and what news else

     Betideth here in absence of thy friend;

    (60) And likewise will visit thee with mine.

    PROTEUS All happiness bechance to thee in Milan!

    VALENTINE As much to you at home! and so, farewell.

    [Exit]

    PROTEUS He after honour hunts, I after love:

     He leaves his friends to dignify them more,

     I leave myself, my friends and all, for love.

     Thou, Julia, thou hast metamorphosed me,

     Made me neglect my studies, lose my time,

     War with good counsel, set the world at nought;

     Made wit with musing weak, heart sick with thought.

    [Enter SPEED]

    (70) SPEED Sir Proteus, save you! Saw you my master?

    PROTEUS But now he parted hence, to embark for Milan.

    SPEED Twenty to one then he is shipp'd already,

     And I have play'd the sheep

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