The Two Gentlemen of Verona

by William Shakespeare, William Carroll (Editor)

The Two Gentlemen of Verona is commonly agreed to be Shakespeare's first comedy, and probably his first play. A comedy built around the confusions of doubling, cross-dressing, and identity, it is also a play about the ideal of male friendship and what happens to those friendships when men fall in love.

William Carroll's engaging introduction focuses on the traditions and sources that stand behind the play and explores Shakespeare's unique and bold treatment of them. Carroll first explores the early modern discourse of male friendship and relates it to the play's unsettling ending. Special attention is given to the strong female figure of Julia and the controversial final scene. He goes on to discuss various other relevant topics: the influence of the Prodigal Son story on the play, the problem of using a boy in drag (for the first time in a Shakespearean comedy) to depict Julia, and Shakespeare's debt to Ovid and John Lyly in using the theme of metamorphosis. Next, the editor explores the use of letters; the portrayal and breed of Crab, the play's infamous dog; the complex geography of the story; and the play's dramaturgy. Carroll concludes with an extensive look at the play's theatrical and critical afterlife, and a discussion of the original text and date. This edition of The Two Gentlemen of Verona also includes one appendix (a casting chart), and a list of abbreviations and references.

The Arden Shakespeare has developed a reputation as the pre-eminent critical edition of Shakespeare for its exceptional scholarship, reflected in the thoroughness of each volume. An introduction comprehensively contextualizes the play, chronicling the history and culture that surrounded and influenced Shakespeare at the time of its writing and performance, and closely surveying critical approaches to the work. Detailed appendices address problems like dating and casting, and analyze the differing Quarto and Folio sources. A full commentary by one or more of the play's foremost contemporary scholars illuminates the text, glossing unfamiliar terms and drawing from an abundance of research and expertise to explain allusions and significant background information. Highly informative and accessible, Arden offers the fullest experience of Shakespeare available to a reader.

Genres: Classics, Plays, Shakespeare, Drama, Fiction, Theatre, Literature

315 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1594

About the author

William Shakespeare was an English playwright, poet, and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon" (or simply "the Bard"). His extant works, including collaborations, consist of some 39 plays, 154 sonnets, three long narrative poems, and a few other verses, some of uncertain authorship. His plays have been translated into every major living language and are performed more often than those of any other playwright. Shakespeare remains arguably the most influential writer in the English language, and his works continue to be studied and reinterpreted.
Shakespeare was born and raised in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire. At the age of 18, he married Anne Hathaway, with whom he had three children: Susanna, and twins Hamnet and Judith. Sometime between 1585 and 1592, he began a successful career in London as an actor, writer, and part-owner ("sharer") of a playing company called the Lord Chamberlain's Men, later known as the King's Men after the ascension of King James VI and I of Scotland to the English throne. At age 49 (around 1613), he appears to have retired to Stratford, where he died three years later. Few records of Shakespeare's private life survive; this has stimulated considerable speculation about such matters as his physical appearance, his sexuality, his religious beliefs, and even certain fringe theories as to whether the works attributed to him were written by others.
Shakespeare produced most of his known works between 1589 and 1613. His early plays were primarily comedies and histories and are regarded as some of the best works produced in these genres. He then wrote mainly tragedies until 1608, among them Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, Othello, King Lear, and Macbeth, all considered to be among the finest works in the English language. In the last phase of his life, he wrote tragicomedies (also known as romances) and collaborated with other playwrights.
Many of Shakespeare's plays were published in editions of varying quality and accuracy during his lifetime. However, in 1623, John Heminge and Henry Condell, two fellow actors and friends of Shakespeare's, published a more definitive text known as the First Folio, a posthumous collected edition of Shakespeare's dramatic works that includes 36 of his plays. Its Preface was a prescient poem by Ben Jonson, a former rival of Shakespeare, that hailed Shakespeare with the now famous epithet: "not of an age, but for all time".

Reviews

[Barry Pierce · Rating 3 out of 5]

There is literally a whole monologue in which a guy complains about his dog pissing on everything.

[Bill Kerwin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Early in Two Gentlemen of Verona, a character refers to a "shallow tale of deep love," but the play he himself inhabits is something worse, at least where the affection of these two gentlemen are concerned: it is a shallow tale of shallow love.

Proteus shifts his love from one woman to another as quickly as he changes cities, and Valentine is prepared to give up the woman he loves to his friend Proteus, a person who has betrayed his trust and threatened his beloved with rape, all because Proteus tenders a perfunctory apology only after he is caught in the act.

Through all of this, the gentlewomen Julia and Sylvia persist in loving their unworthy men with surprisingly little protest. These four well-born characters are so poorly developed--little more than sketches, really--that their shallowness and odd behavior seem more the fault of poor dramaturgy than a commentary on upper-class manners and morals. (Some critics think this play may be Shakespeare's first effort, and I am inclined to think they may be right.)

And yet . . . and yet . . . there's a lot here to like if you're a fan of Shakespearean comedy. All the elements of the classic Shakespearean comic romance are here: topsy-turvy loves, a girl dressed as a boy, comic suitors, a lovely song, a fairy tale forest inhabited by unusual beings (in this case a bunch of Robin Hood types) where surprising things happen, and a pat (perhaps too pat) happy ending. And then, of course, there are the clowns.

Launce, the principal clown of Two Gentlemen of Verona is the best thing in the play. He is so sweet toward his dog Crab and so practical in his views on the choice of a mate that he puts all the upper-class characters to shame. He lingers in our memory long after the two shallow gentlemen of Verona and their unfortunate loves have departed. And--even though this is an early play--I cannot keep from harboring the suspicion that Launce was created to do exactly this: to place the "gentlemen" of the title in ironic quotations and reveal Proteus and Valentine for the empty suits they are.

[Michael Finocchiaro · Rating 4 out of 5]

Allegedly, Shakespeare’s first play, Two Gentleman of Verona is a farcical love story complete with a cross-dressing lover, à loquacious dog owner, and many humorous scenes. One must look past the two anti-Semitic references and the misogyny of the story and deign to appreciate the clever dialogues. This is not Shakespeare’s best work, but as one of his earliest works, it does feature many devices that he will exploit later (mistaken identity, voice offs, mix of blind verse and rhyming poetry as well as poems inside the play). It remains an interesting play and a fun read.

Fino's Reviews of Shakespeare and Shakespearean Criticism
Comedies
The Comedy of Errors (1592-1593
The Taming of the Shrew (1593-1594)
The Two Gentlemen of Verona (1594-1595)
Love's Labour's Lost (1594-1595)
A Midsummer Night's Dream (1595-1596)
The Merchant of Venice (1596-1597)
Much Ado About Nothing (1598-1599)
As You Like It (1599-1600)
Twelfth Night (1599-1600)
The Merry Wives of Windsor (1600-1601)
All's Well That Ends Well (1602-1603)
Measure for Measure (1604-1605)
Cymbeline (1609-1610)
A Winter's Tale (1610-1611)
The Tempest (1611-1612)
Two Noble Kinsmen (1612-1613)

Histories
Henry VI Part I (1589-1590)
Henry VI Part II (1590-1591)
Henry VI Part III (1590-1591)
Richard III (1593-1594)
Richard II (1595-1596)
King John (1596-1597)
Edward III (1596-1597)
Henry IV Part I (1597-1598)
Henry IV Part II (1597-1598)
Henry V (1598-1599)
Henry VIII (1612-1612)

Tragedies
Titus Andronicus (1592-1593)
Romeo and Juliet (1594-1595)
Julius Caesar (1599-1600)
Hamlet (1600-1601)
Troilus and Cressida (1601-1602)
Othello (1604-1605)
King Lear (1605-1606)
Macbeth (1605-1606)
Anthony and Cleopatra (1606-1607)
Coriolanus (1607-1608)
Timon of Athens (1607-1608)
Pericles (1608-1609)

Shakespearean Criticism
The Wheel of Fire by Wilson Knight
A Natural Perspective by Northrop Frye
Shakespeare After All by Marjorie Garber
Shakespeare's Roman Plays and Their Background by M W MacCallum
Shakespearean Criticism 1919-1935 compiled by Anne Ridler
Shakespearean Tragedy by A.C. Bradley
Shakespeare's Sexual Comedy by Hugh M. Richmond
Shakespeare: The Comedies by R.P. Draper
Tyrant: Shakespeare on Politics by Stephen Greenblatt
1599: A Year in the Life of William Shakespeare by James Shapiro

Collections of Shakespeare
Venus and Adonis, the Rape of Lucrece and Other Poems
Shakespeare's Sonnets and a Lover's Complaint
The Complete Oxford Shakespeare

[Calista · Rating 2 out of 5]

The ending on this one is strange indeed. That ending really makes the book hard to accept as a modern reader. I read some commentary and people were speaking of this being about friendship between men and how important that was, but it excuses rape. It really soured the book for me and I can't say I enjoy this much. Some say that the ending was not well liked and someone rewrote the ending after his death - but is this really a better ending. I can't recommend this book.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Metamorphoses in love and friendship, and a dog called Crab

Shakespeare’s first play, a comedy on friendship, love, deception and character change, shows the wit and humour, the funny dialogues and fast-paced, two-faced action that will soon crown him the uncontested king of drama. With the forgiving, unifying prospect of a double marriage after dramatic conflict, “one feast, one house, one mutual happiness”, it has a catchy, sweet happy ending.

What will stay with me from this reading, apart from the pleasure I always feel after immersing myself in the linguistic brilliance of Shakespeare? What makes “The Two Gentlemen Of Verona” special to me?

I will have to answer: A Dog Called Crab!

Rarely have I been more amused than when Lance, his frustrated owner, held a speech to the most heartless dog in the world, thus mirroring the carelessness of human beings in their close relationships in an inimitable, Shakespearean way. The dog Crab will be my special treasure from this Shakespeare play, the very first pearl on that long string:

“I think Crab, my dog, be the sourest-natured dog that lives. My mother weeping, my father wailing, my sister crying, our maid howling, our cat wringing her hands, and all our house in a great perplexity, yet did not this cruel-hearted cur shed one tear. He is a stone, a very pebble-stone, and has no more pity in him than a dog.”

Dogs do what dogs do, and that goes for the ones that are human as well.

[Riku Sayuj · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Two Cads of Verona

Will’s first tentative venture - and it tells a lot about the play that one of the reasons it is considered so is precisely because of the quality of the play! The critics just couldn’t imagine that Shakespeare would stumble and stoop and be so clumsy once he knew his way around the theater. What can I say, it was cute. Yup, cute, if I should leave it at that, and more if I need not...

Friendship, Betrayal, Love, Displacement and finally Reconciliation: these themes are present in nascent undeveloped forms. But they convey no depth and no “invention of the human”. They do not move the reader’s soul like they do in more powerful plays.

In fact, one could argue that The Merchant of Venice picks up some of the aspects of this play such as supposedly-loyal-friendship & loyal-lover-in-disguise; and perhaps King Lear and Othello the aspect of betrayal-by-best-buddy; perhaps even A Midsummer Night’s Dream’s exploration of the restorative virtues of a magical displacement from the ordinary to restore order to the world — but they all do so without the irritating naivete of the betrayer, the cloyingly easy reconciliation or the jarring effects induced by the transition, respectively. Besides, they do so with much better dramatic structure/tension and dialogues which are not best forgotten.

Add to all this that the “Gentlemen” of the play are so far from being gentlemen of any sort - the play is filled with either idiocy or lies/betrayal by one of the two heroes, including an act of rape and immediate forgiveness, in addition to assorted instances of general unconcern for the female view of things. It is hard to not be a bit angry at Shakespeare for being so callous — unless we take refuge in the calming words of critics who assure us that Shakespeare was deftly playing male-male friendship against male-female love in this play — and here friendship emerges superior to love, which was merely an unnecessary disturbance in the orderly world of friendship (Typically explored in the juvenile “love-triangle” moves where a girl comes between two guy friends, and one has to sacrifice for the other). It might even be believable, this theory, if we imagine a very young Shakespeare writing the play (or planning the play) while skeptical of love, but with full knowledge of the joys of friendship. That is stretching it though, and I remain as disturbed by the ending of the play as I would have been if Othello had hugged Iago, forgiven him for his crimes and told him that if he wanted Desdemona, all he had to do was just ask. Friendship trumps love, right?

PROTEUS
My shame and guilt confounds me.
Forgive me, Valentine: if hearty sorrow
Be a sufficient ransom for offence,
I tender 't here; I do as truly suffer
As e'er I did commit.

VALENTINE
Then I am paid;
And once again I do receive thee honest.
Who by repentance is not satisfied
Is nor of heaven nor earth, for these are pleased.
By penitence the Eternal's wrath's appeased:
And, that my love may appear plain and free,
All that was mine in Silvia I give thee.

Despite all this, the play is fascinating in a historical context, if we move outside the play itself and look at the oeuvre. Then this could be a place where we can know a bit more about the master playwright’s craft than in other plays, for here some of the method shows through and that is worth revisiting the play for. As Charles Nicholl says:

“The play has its flaws, but in a sense they are part of its fascination. While the technical mastery of his mature comedies leaves one gasping, The Two Gentlemen has a kind of guileless transparency; it lets us in on its secrets. We see the young (or youngish) Shakespeare at work, the apprentice poet carefully blending the ingredients of love, confusion and drollery that will become familiar in subsequent comedies.”

[Kelly · Rating 2 out of 5]

This one was promising when it started out. The premise is essentially: two overprivileged self-centered teenage boys (Valentine and Proteus) go on study abroad. They are of course polar opposite best friends, natch, with very silly personal servants to comment on their even sillier masters' actions. One of them is a believer in the Power of Love and wants to stay home with the lady he SWOONS, he DIES for (for awhile anyway....), the other one doesn't believe in love and wants to go off adventuring- but then falls in love! Hijinx ensue! Usually coming of age stuff annoys me, but this was a good set up. Unfortunately, once Shakespeare got to the point where he had to, you know, create a Conflict to be Resolved!... it all got very confused and went pretty quickly downhill into a bunch of tangled, underdeveloped nonsense.

But! That said, this is an early Shakespeare comedy, so obviously one has to cut him a lot of slack. I would pretty much only say to read this if you have an interest in seeing Shakespeare's development as a writer- this shows where some of the ideas for his later comedies come from. Julia is a pathetic Helena in Rosalind-like disguise, and her plotline is a condensed version of the cross-dressing angst to come in Twelfth Night and As You Like It. Unfortunately, her guy (Proteus) is more like Demetrius than Orlando. (Except, hilariously, Shakespeare doesn't even bother with a love potion to explain his end re-conversion. He's just all, "Men are dogs, dude, right, right??" and has the guy basically accepting that although he might want to, he's not going to do any better than Julia, and her totally buying it.) Silvia, the other love interest female, is a boringly perfect version of Hermia, and her dude, Valentine, is actually a more interesting version of Lysander. (There are outlaws involved, that's all I'm saying.) It's hard not to recognize the early, unpolished beginnings of a loooot of dialogue from the above mentioned, much better comedies.

The two low comedy servants are pretty much the best part of the play. Speed's monologue, especially. You'll know which one I mean when you hit it.

[Medisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

اگرچه والنتین، جولیا، سیلویا و اون دو خدمتکار ابله رو دوست داشتم اما پروتئوس به تنهایی باعث نفرتم به این نمایشنامه شد، به نظرم کاری که این مرد کرد اصلاً قابل بخشش نبود و صد البته‌ که شایسته این پایان خوش نبود.

[Ali Ahmadi · Rating 2 out of 5]

داستان دو دوست که یکی عاشق و دل‌شکسته‌ست و دیگری که عشق را بازیچه می‌داند و مانع رشد عقل و می‌خواهد در دربار دوک میلان مدارج ترقی را یک به یک طی کند. اما دست سرنوشت نه تنها اولی را هم به کاخ دوک می‌فرستد و که سودای عشق را به دل دومی هم می‌اندازد. و این آغاز گره داستانی نمایشنامه‌ است. 

دو نجیب‌زاده‌ی ورونایی روایتی از جامعه‌ی هوموسوشال دوران ملکه الیزابت است که ارزشمندترینِ چیزها در آن دوستی‌های مردانه‌اند و روابط دگرجنس‌گرایانه هم شرّی لازم که به هر حال برای ادامه‌ی نسل به آن‌ها نیاز است. با اینکه عشق سکولار زن و مرد از چند قرن قبل‌تر و دوران عشق‌های شهسوارانه
—(Courtly love)—
و اشعار پترارک و چاسر به شکلی جدی به ادبیات اروپا وارد شده، اما همچنان در مرتبه‌ای بسیار پایین‌تر از دوستی مردانه است. این را در همین نمایشنامه‌ هم می‌بینیم که تنش اصلی آن را زنانی می‌سازند که به شکلی ناخواسته با برانگیختن حس حسادت میانه‌ی دو دوست را به‌هم می‌زنند. البته جای نگرانی نیست. شکسپیر راه این را می‌داند که چطور دل همه را به‌دست بیاورد.

رد هر آنچه که کمدی‌های معروف‌تر شکسپیر را ماندگار کرده در اینجا پیدا می‌کنیم، اما در شکلی ابتدایی و خام. تقابل عشق و عقل، هویت‌های پنهان پشت نقاب،‌ سؤ تفاهم و خیانت، جنگل‌های پرمخاطره و جادویی، بازی‌های زبانی با کلمات جناس‌دار و شخصیت‌های لوده و مضحک اغراق‌آمیز —مثل خدمتکاری که در عشق یک‌طرفه به سگش می‌سوزد. اما همه‌ی اینها در کنار اشتباهات ریز و درشت داستانی. مثلن این که دو دوست با کشتی از ورونا به میلان می‌روند، در حالی که موقعیت این دو شهر چیزی‌ست مثل مشهد و تهران. (واقعن شکسپیر ایتالیا را از نزدیک دیده بوده؟) نام شهر‌ها به اشتباه به‌جای هم به کار می‌روند و دوک میلان بعضی‌ وقت‌‌ها دوک است و بعضی وقت‌ها امپراتور. حضور بسیاری از شخصیت‌ها در یک صحنه‌ی طولانی به یکی دو جمله‌ی تزئینی محدود می‌شود و بدتر از همه پایانی‌ست که در دو صفحه به شکلی بسیار باورناپذیر —و حتا از جهتی زننده— جمع می‌شود. 

البته هدف هم از خواندن همین بود که ببینم اولین کمدی (و احتمالن اولین نمایشنامه‌ی شکسپیر) چطور و چه‌ اندازه با کارهای بالغش — که به‌زودی سراغشان می‌روم— فرق دارند. بلاخره هر کسی از جایی شروع می‌کند، شکسپیر هم از دو نجیب‌زاده‌ی ورونایی.

[Maria Clara · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5/Un relato muy pobre...

[Darwin8u · Rating 2 out of 5]

"That man that hath a tongue, I say is no man,
If with his tongue he cannot win a woman.
-- William Shakespeare, The Two Gentlemen of Verona, Act III, Scene I



The first play in my First Folio journey is 'The Two Gentlemen of Verona'. The Bard is often held up as a genius when writing about human nature. This, his first play, has its moments and certainly its characters, but the ending especially shows that Shakespeare's brilliance came line-upon-line and not all at once. The ending seemed too much like a clip-on bow tie: too balanced, too perfect, too forgiving, too fake. It didn't ring true.

That said, the play isn't a complete disaster. This comedy of love did provide us with a cross-dressing Julia (Shakespeare will return to this), and servants that are often wiser than their masters. Speed and Launce were especially nice characters.

There were also several nice lines, specifically:

- "Fire that's closest kept burns most of all."
- "Till I have found each letter in the letter."
- "For truth hath better deeds than words to grace it."
- "To her whose worth makes other worthies nothing."
- "Love, lend me wings to make my purpose swift,
As thou has lent me wit to pot this drift."

[Eliza · Rating 2 out of 5]

1/5 Stars

Yeah... no thank you. I had to read this in my Shakespeare class this week, and let me tell you, as Shakespeare's first play, it's not his best. Midsummer's Night Dream is far better, and I would recommend anyone read that (if you want to read something by Shakespeare).

Otherwise, this wasn't too good.
Though there was one part that made me laugh - but that was it.

[Hailey (Hailey in Bookland) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is probably one of, if not my least favourite of Shakespeare's plays I've read thus far. I don't know if it was the storyline or the characters, but something about it just was not enjoyable for me.

[Oguz Akturk · Rating 4 out of 5]

YouTube kanalımda Shakespeare'in hayatı, mutlaka okunması gereken kitapları ve kronolojik okuma sırası hakkında bilgi edinebilirsiniz: https://youtu.be/rGxh2RVjmNU

Shakespeare serüvenime Bismillah diyerek büyük bir heyecanla, Alfa Yayınları'ndan çıkan Shakespeare Kitabı'ndan karşılaştırmalı okumalar da yaparak başlamış bulunuyorum. Bu süreçte okuyacağım 40-45 adet Shakespeare kitabına incelemeler bırakarak Goodreads'e amme hizmetinde bulunmak istiyorum.

Veronalı İki Soylu Delikanlı kitabını anlayabilmek için kendimize şu soruları sormamız gerekiyor:
- Bir tane seçeneğimiz olsaydı kendimizden daha yakın hissettiğimiz arkadaşımızı mı seçerdik yoksa aşık olduğumuz insanı mı?
- Bir erkeğin kadına karşı hissettikleri, bir erkeğe karşı da hissettikleri kadar olabilir mi?
- Bir insan aşkı uğruna arkadaşına ihanet eder mi?

Bu ve bunun gibi soruların hepsine Shakespeare'in bu kitapta verdiği bir cevap var:

"Aşk bir çocuk gibidir, erişebileceği her şeyi ele geçirmek ister." (s. 58)

Benim de şu an çocuk gibi olan bir arkadaşım var, size biraz dert yanayım 1k.. Çocukla liseden beri konuşuyoruz, yediğimiz içtiğimiz ayrı gitmezken çocuk evleneceğim diye tutturdu. E iyi güzel evlensin harika ama bizi niye unuttu? Eskiden neredeyse haftada 2 kere buluştuğumuz adam şimdi arkadaş grubumuzu evliliğine bile çağırmadı abi. Bu kitaptaki Valentine ile Proteus arasında geçen muhabbet de tam olarak bu işte. Bir insan aşkı uğruna arkadaşlarını ardında bırakmayı göze alır mı? Bu soruyu kendimize her geçen gün yeni heveslerle savrulan benliğimize sormamız gerekiyor. Aşklar çok yüksek ihtimal geçicidir fakat arkadaşlığın bağları pek çok şeyden daha sağlamdır.

Aşkın insana taktığı ekstra bir gözlük var sanki ve dünyayı o gözlükle görmeye başlayınca esas gözlerinin eski halinle neye kıymet verdiğini unutuyorsun. Seni sanal bir dünyada yaşatıyor ve aşkına yönelmişlikten başka bir şey düşünmemeye odaklanabiliyorsun. Fakat Hesiodos ve Shakespeare'in esas kime aşık olmamız gerektiği konusunda iki öğüdünü paylaşmak istiyorum:

"Sende olanla yetindin mi işin yolundadır,
Sende olmayanı özlemeye başladın mı için için,
İşte o felaket: İyi düşün bunun üstüne!"

[İşler ve Günler, Hesiodos, s. 62, TİB Kültür Yayınları]

"İnsanın kendi için duyduğu aşk her şeyden değerlidir."

[Veronalı İki Soylu Delikanlı, William Shakespeare, s. 47, TİB Kültür Yayınları]

Sende olanla yetin güzel kardeşim. Tabii ki de hayatını güzelleştirmek için başkalarıyla tanışacaksın, sen de yeri gelecek Tinder'da pek çok kişiyi sağa atacaksın ve tanımadığın onlarca insana yazıp pek çok kez umursanmayacaksın. Bunları yapmadan zaten zamanını verimli kullanmayı bilemiyor olacaksın. Proust, Kayıp Zamanın İzinde serisinde bunu demişti. Zamanını verimli kullanmak isteyen onu bomboş uğraşlarla önce o kadar harcamalıdır ki, zamanın kayıplığı bir boşluk hissi uyandırsın. Kendin için duyacağın aşk, başkalarına duyacağın aşktan çoğu kez daha önemli olacak. İyi düşün bunun üstüne!

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Arden Shakespeare series provides enormous insight into the history and understanding of Shakespeare's works. The analysis of Two Gentlemen of Verona is beyond reproach. The play itself is not remotely Shakespeare's best or even tenth best, and it's little wonder that it's comparatively infrequently produced. As a comedy, it's not very funny. As a piece about friendship, it's rather distressing. As a romance, it's unbelievable. That said, it's got some great turns of phrase--it's written by the greatest writer in the history of English, of course. If you're going to read a relatively unsatisfactory play, it should at least be by a genius.

[Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hilarious

[W.D. Clarke · Rating 3 out of 5]

Each subsequent "reading" (going from the text proper to the Archangel "Complete Shakespeare" audio edition, to the decent 1983 BBC stage-to-tv production) added half a star as I learned to appreciate the real merits of this debut more (as well as deprecate its numerous-enough faults not quite as much) than I did at first...but this is very much a “Oh, I can see Twelfth Night in the Bard's future”, kindof thang—YMM(obviously)V.

If there is no denying Dr. Johnson's charge that “a quibble was to [Shakespeare] the fatal Cleopatra for which he lost the world, and was content to lose it” (this is a play of much quibbling, perhaps overmuch), it is nevertheless in such scenes where we the audience also get to have a fair bit of fun, since as usual it is the lower classes who quibble in (semi-) jest, at the patricians' expense, and rightly so...

It is also a play where Shakespeare sets “a real dog among pretend people”*** but ain't that always the case?! As servant Crabbe relates about the true relation between (inconstant) masters and (devoted) servants, that his dog is the former, and he certainly the all-surrering latter, so I too thereby “felt seen” and have also learned, and grown to accept (and now sing with Iggy and the Stooges) that, as far as my own pups are concerned, at least, I'm their dog.

***Quotations from the excellent Introduction§ to the Oxford Shakespeare edition, which also (unlike the Arden) has just the right amount of editorial notes, for humans as opposed to academics I mean!

§All such “Introductions” shall be known as “Afterwords”, when I'm elected King!

[Yas · Rating 4 out of 5]

مرتبه: 2
پروتیوس عوضی. والنتین احمق. جولیا عزیزم خیلی خری.
سیلویا واقعا خانمی♡

[leynes · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a play! Deeply undervalued and overlooked! The Two Gentlemen of Verona is often regarded as one of Shakespeare's weakest plays and I seriously don't understand why ... haven't ya'll read the ridiculousness that was Love's Labour's Lost or the ultimate bore that was Henry IV: Part Two?? Get your life in order, people!

The Two Gentlemen of Verona is a perfectly fine play and a great starting point if you're interested in getting into the Bard's work btw. It has the smallest named cast of any play by Shakespeare and is therefore super accessible and easy to navigate. Remembering the 13 characters of The Two Gentlemen of Verona is so much easier than keeping up with the 50+ characters in Henry VI, Part Two (yikes!). I am no super human, give me a break! On top of that, The Two Gentlemen of Verona is believed to be Shakespeare's earliest play and therefore lays a great base for what is to come, especially if you look at certain tropes that keep re-appearing in Willy's comedies, for example the heroine dressing as a boy (we love a woke queen!), friendship and infidelity and lots of miscommunication. If you thought that Romeo switched alliances quick (from Rosaline to Juliet), buckle up your seatbelts because Proteus will take you on a wild ride.

The Two Gentlemen of Verona starts out in a very calm and sorted fashion. Proteus is madly in love with Julia and she's also in love with him. Valentine has the hots for the Duke of Milan's daughter, Silvia, and is happy that he's able to finally travel to Milan now. The two friends say their farewells and are seemingly headed toward different paths. But then Proteus' father sends him to Milan as well ... and the whole mess begins. For no fucking reason at all, Proteus decides to be in love with Silvia as well and claim her for himself. He even tells her of Julia and that he has completely disregarded her (...kinda rude if you take into consideration that Julia is still in Verona, swooning over his love letters and the fucking ring that he gave her before his departure). Silvia immediately realises that Proteus ain't worth shit and that he's just trying to frame his best friend, so that Valentine would be banished from Milan. His plan actually succeeds because Silvia is the only sane soul in this entire play and her father a raving lunatic. Oh, and not to forget that Julia out of desperation dresses up as a boy to stalk Proteus in Milan (what a mood!) and is disheartened by his cheating nature.

BUT this wouldn't be a comedy if everything didn't end in a happy "let's all get married anyways!" ending during which Julia forgives Proteus, and Proteus is gracious enough to "give" Silvia to Valentine after attempting to rape her (yeah you heard that right). It's one of the most bizarre and disturbing endings I've ever read. Even Valentine is obnoxious in this, since he only calls Proteus out for being a lousy friend (for trying to steal Silvia from him) but not for Proteus' attempted rape (we love misogynist societies in which women are passed on as gifts between men, amiright?). So, the ending is a huge mess. Not gonna lie.

From a modern perspective, it's kinda funny (aka ridiculous) how shitty these men are. Proteus is just batshit crazy and not worth a damn ... but somehow Julia doesn't care about his flaws and shitty actions (the betrayal, the cheating, the attempted rape ...) at all and is just happy to marry him. Same goes for Valentine, who's a pretentious little shithead who can't get his head out of his ass, but somehow Silvia doesn't care that he didn't care that she nearly got raped by his best friend. Like, what? Willy, m'boy, what have you been smoking? Just when I thought The Taming of the Shrew was bad. LOL.

Overall, I'd say the main strength of this play is that it's finally a comedy that is actually fun; one that'll make you laugh. I've read my fair share of the Bard's comedies and most of them aren't as funny as The Two Gentlemen of Verona. The banter between the bickering couples is great, the banter between the gentlemen and their servants is hilarious (Speed, Valentine's servant, is probably my favorite character in this play!). It also helped that I watched this amazing stage adaptation, that all of you should see. The acting was top notch, the comedic timing was off the roots and overall, it was just so much fun to watch. So, the reason why I rated this play so highly is simply because I find it super accessible and actually rather funny.

[Alan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Launce and his dog Crab are among the funniest scenes Shakespeare ever wrote, so this early play is proof of my claim that Shakespeare's a naturally comedic writer. Yes, he learned to write resonant, exalted lines from
Marlowe, but he seemed not to have imitated any specific comic writer except Plautus, who has no dog scenes I have ever read--though I did not read all of Plautus in my graduate Latin course on him.
In my Shakespeare course for several years I began with TGV; in fact, a couple years I brought my dog Ugo, an Italian-born English Sheepdog, and would try to enact the scene first class--or maybe second.
The first year Ugo obeyed, more or less, as I/Launce berated him for not shedding a tear when we left my family. I found it a challenging part, written for pro's: Launce takes off both his shoes to represent his mother and father--his mother "has the worser sole." Then he takes off his hat, and his cane to represent--you get the idea. Shakespeare wrote for professional actors, not for a late 20C English prof wanna-be actor.
Later, Crab features in another scene of reprimand, this time for "all I've done for you, you ungrateful cur"--specifically, Launce took the beating for an event at a large palace dinner. Crab was under the table eating table scraps, I think, when he farted. Everybody was questioned as to the source of the miasmic infusion, and Launce took the blame, for which he was beaten out of the hall.
The next year I brought Ugo to my course beginning in January, as I tried to coax him to "center stage," he went straight to the classroom door, which I had slickly closed, because he knew my wife was standing outside with a dogtreat after his performance.
I did see the scene well performed once at Brandeis, with a live dog; I've also seen it with stuffed dogs. The Brandeis production had everybody in Italian-American accents, which livened the play for local audiences. But I must say I felt sympathy for the Brandeis human actors, on stage with an automatic upstager. From that time on, I've felt the bravest act an actor can do: enter onstage when a dog will join the scene.

[Cindy Rollins · Rating 4 out of 5]

(2020 update: And thus begins my year (or two or three) of watching and reading along through the entire Shakespearean canon. I watched the only producation available. The 1983 production which I found on the Broadway HD channel on Amazon. I was reminded how many of Shakespeare's following plays picked up themes from this one, as if he said, "Let's try that one more time this way."
It was a good production, faithful and well-acted. Now on to The Taming of the Shrew.)

#20for2020reads A Shakespeare Play-2

I read this as part of the First Things post about reading through Shakespeare in one year. So far I am on schedule although I am not stressing about the schedule just reading the next day no matter what day it is.

About this particular play-it is one of Shakespeare's simplest plays and one of his earlier ones. It leaves me wondering if it is some sort of apology for bad behavior:). It is a very good play to read with students just coming to Shakespeare because it is relatively innocent but with some of the familiar ideas of mix-ups so often employed by Shakespeare.

My favorite line from the play is when the gracious Valentine forgives his unfaithful friend Proteus with these words,
"Then I am paid;
And once again I do receive thee honest.
Who by repentance is not satisfied
Is nor of heaven nor earth, for these are pleased.
By penitence the Eternal's wrath's appeased:"

[Pink · Rating 3 out of 5]

This had the humour and brilliance of writing that I'd expect from Shakespeare. It surpassed my expectations, as I never hear this play mentioned very much. Perhaps it suffers from that one short, grim scene, where Proteus reveals himself at his worst. Although it's probably more the last act feeling like it's being played in fast forward. A great play, not quite developed enough, with a too rushed ending. Oh how lucky we are, that there was so much more to come.

[R.F. Gammon · Rating 2 out of 5]

It’s INSANE to me that even with someone as beloved and time tested as Shakesy P, i can TELL that this was his debut. There’s so much here that will reappear many, many times throughout his works, but in this one it’s just…bad. The characters are unlikable, the cross dressing is dumb, the decisions are goofy at best, the Fool character is pointless and grating. And yet…still the Bard. Still glad I read it. I don’t think I’ll ever read it again, tho.

Classics in 2026 #4

[Theo Logos · Rating 2 out of 5]

Two Gentlemen of Verona is a stupid, pretty little play. It has less substance and sense than a farcical sitcom -- a typical episode of Three's Company isn't this silly. Yet it is rescued by the beauty, wit, and poetry of the Bard's words. Shakespeare went on to write far better plays than this, but you may glimpse their shadow in this early effort.

[Matt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Proteus (center) engages the Duke (left) and Thurio (right) in philosophical musings about the merits of bejeweled codpieces, roofies, and girls who cross-dress: Hot or Not? Not pictured: Valentine a.k.a The Wing Man.

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pox of your love letters!

So… I guess I’m (re)reading some Shakespeare, new prettier editions and all, still, my very first thought is to pay attention to witticisms and insults??

More thoughts on this, when I’ve read more comedies and done being a 4yo!

[Cindy Rollins · Rating 3 out of 5]

Two years ago I read the entire Shakespeare canon in one year. I knew I would do it again but wasn't sure how soon.
In fact, I grow old and I have a plan. This year I want to read through the canon using the Arkangel recordings and maybe next year I want to watch all the plays in one year. This seems doable. I have always enjoyed the Arkangel recordings and have heard they are among the best. It is also fun to hear familiar British actors' voices. In this recording several voices sounded familiar most especially Damien Lewis.

Today I finished the first play in the official canon The Two Gentlemen of Verona. Two years ago I gave this 4 stars and this time I feel it is only a 3. Perhaps reading the words made them sound more compelling. At the very least this is my third reading of this play and yet for some reason the fact that Proteus almost raped Sylvia and minutes later all is forgiven was a bit of stretch for me. Poor Julia. Best find someone else. Still it was a stage play not a Russian novel. No time for anything but the merest hint at repentance. Once again Valentine's forgiveness is admirable if not misguided.

PS. My favorite part of the story was when I was listening without earbuds while trying to get in my steps and Alex walked through and yelled, "Doth mother know you're wearing her drapes?"

[Afaf Ammar · Rating 3 out of 5]

مسرحية جميلة عن الصداقة، والحب، والخيانة، والخداع ...
عن صديقين من مدينة فيرونا ،،
بروتيو العاشق لفتاة هي جوليا،
وصديقه فالنتينو الذي كان لا يؤمن بالحب، ويكره أن تقوده عواطفه ليقع تحت سلطة الحب واستبداده.
فالنتينو يرسله والده إلى ميلان ليستكشف العالم ويكتسب خبرات جديدة في الحياة، فيفترق الصديقان لفترة، بعدها يقرر والد بروتيو أن يرسله أيضًا إلى ميلان ليلحق به، ويستكشف معه العالم والحياة ،،
في تلك الفترة التي سبقت وصول بروتيو إلى ميلان، كان فالنتينو الغير مؤمن بالحب، قد وقع في حب فتاة جميلة هي سيلفيا إبنة الدوق، وأحبته هي أيضًا، ليعترف بوجود الحب وقوته.
وبعد وصول بروتيو إلى ميلان وبعد أن اجتمع مع صديقه المقرب فالنتينو مرة أخرى، وعرف بحبه لسيلفيا وحبها له، طمع في حبها وتفريقهما، ونسى صداقته لفالنتينو، وخانه، وسلك كل طرق الخداع من أجل انتزاع حبيبته، وحاول التقرب كثيرًا من حبيبة صديقة، سيلفيا، وجعلها تحبه بالإكراه، ولكنها رفضت حبه.
ونسى جوليا، الفتاة التي تحبه حبًا صادقًا وتركها في فيرونا رهينة وعود حبه الخادع، من أجل أخرى هام بها وهي تهيم بغيره، وترفض حبه هو!
بعدها لحقت به جوليا إلى ميلان، تحت سطوة حبه الخادع، فلديها ألف وعد وسيل من الدموع يشهد على صدق حبه لها، لتشهد خداعه وخيانته بعينيها التي أحبته يومًا،
وتتوالى الأحداث بين الصديقين، مع الحبيبتين،
ودائمًا يكون النصر للصدق، والنُبل، والوفاء ...

16.07.2020

[Dania Abutaha · Rating 1 out of 5]

قويه...حتى النها...لا مهلا قبل النهايه تفرط...ان الحب سيد قاهر ...و ان التوبه لتخفف من غضب الرب نفسه...هاتان هما المغزى بدايه و نهايه كنت ساعطيها ٥ كامله و لكني حتما ساستبدلها بنجمه...
اضافه مهمه الى حد ما... اقرأها و اتذكر قصه نبي كريم اسمه يوسف...الم يأفل عهد الانبياء ام يطل علينا بين حين و اخر وفي كريم! و هل تتقاطع هذه الروايه باحداث شبيهه بروايه اخرى في مقاطع ما...كروميو و جولييت...حسنا...نجمه مره اخرى 😁

[Haaze · Rating 5 out of 5]

Charming! It is hard to imagine that this is the earliest Shakespeare play considering its complexity and characterization (at least in terms of surviving to the present). It is very fine indeed with a classic blend of love affairs, betrayal, loyalty, comedy and mistaken identities set in the Italian towns of Verona, Milan and Mantua. After reading the play I quickly proceeded with watching the excellent BBC production from their Shakespeare Project (1983). A delight from the beginning to the end! I definitely prefer plays being acted out on a stage (or equivalent) compared to the printed version. The play truly came alive!


Tessa Peake-Jones as Julia and Tyler Butterworth as Proteus

Shakespeare never disappoints in his play on words and ability to bring beauty to the English language. This particular play is filled with numerous moments of the introspection of broken hearts...

“To die, is to be banish'd from myself;
And Silvia is myself: banish'd from her,
Is self from self: a deadly banishment!
What light is light, if Silvia be not seen?
What joy is joy, if Silvia be not by?
Unless it be to think that she is by,
And feed upon the shadow of perfection.
Except I be by Silvia in the night,
There is no music in the nightingale;
Unless I look on Silvia in the day,
There is no day for me to look upon;
She is my essence, and I leave to be,
If I be not by her fair influence
Foster'd, illumin'd, cherish'd, kept alive.”

*deep sigh*