The Two Gentlemen of Verona story
The Two Gentlemen of Verona is a comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1589 and 1593. It is considered by some to be Shakespeare's first play,[a] and is often seen as showing his first tentative steps in laying out some of the themes and motifs with which he would later deal in more detail; for example, it is the first of his plays in which a heroine dresses as a boy. The play deals with the themes of friendship and infidelity, the conflict between friendship and love, and the foolish behaviour of people in love. 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.
15 total · 3 choice · 7 major · 5 minor
| Theme | Level | Motivation |
|---|---|---|
| infatuation | choice | Proteus and Julia; Valentine and Silvia; Proteus and Silvia |
| love vs. friendship | choice | Valentine and Proteus are fast friends but finds themselves competing for Silvia and must choose whether to pursue love or retain their friendship. |
| romantic courtship | choice | A point of the story was to show how foolishly humans can behave when in love. |
| betrayal | major | Proteus notably betrayed the trust and friendship of Valentine |
| falling out of friendship | major | Valentine and Proteus fell out over a woman |
| friendship | major | Valentine and Proteus |
| gender bending | major | Julia posed as a boy |
| love triangle | major | Valentine, Silvia, Proteus |
| remorse | major | Proteus came to feel remorse for his abundantly uncouth behavior (being inconstant, lying, betraying friendship, threatening rape) |
| unrequited love | major | Julia was devastated after she learned she had been spurned by Proteus, but followed him in hope; foolish Thurio pined for Silvia who wanted nothing to do with him |