The Two Gentlemen of Verona Response

Ana Valencia

Theatre 20 A

May 9, 2017

The Two Gentlemen of Verona Response

The play The Two Gentlemen of Verona is about a two very good friends, Valentine and Proteus, in Verona who are separating because one has to go to Milan to explore. He asked his best friend to come with him, but he refuses because the woman he is in love with, Julia, is there. Later, proteus’ father decides to send him to Milan, and he is to leave the next day. He meets with Julia to say their goodbyes and exchange rings to prove their love. Once Proteus is in Milan he finds out that Valentine is already in love with the Duke’s daughter, Silvia. Soon after meeting her Progeus falls in love with her as well, but the Duke has already chosen someone for Silvia to marry. After suspecting that Silvia and Valentine are in love he locks Silvia away and later on banishes Valentine. Proteus then pretends to help Thurio in his goal to get Silvia's love meanwhile he is trying to get Silvia to fall in love with himself instead. Meanwhile Julia has come to Milan to find Proteus and dresses like a man named Sebastian to disguise herself. She soon finds out that Proteus is in love with another and is stuck helping him get Silvia's love. Silvia runs away with the help of a friend in order to find Valentine who had been cast as the leader of the forest pirates or else he'd die. When his gang finds Silvia they are reunited in the forest and proclaim their love for each other. And Sebastian admits he is Julia and is forgives Proteus for what he has done The play has the recurring theme “love” and misogyny.

Each character is in love with another creating love triangles in every which way. Proteus is in love with Silvia, but Silvia is in love with Valentine, and Julia is in love with Proteus, but he is now in love with Silvia. Then there's Thurio who is in love with Silvia as well, and was promised to marry her by her father, Duke of Milan. Love is a strong theme in the play and it is what drives each character. Everything they do from the moment the play begins to the moments the play ends has love to blame.

Along with love we have women being treated as objects, the men do in the play what others would do with their belongings, such as give them away. As I mentioned before, Silvia is promised to Thurio by her father, I can only guess without her consent due to the fact she is not in love with him and she wants to marry