TWO GENTLEMEN OF VERONA, THE

The eponymous "two gentlemen" in question--Valentine and Proteus--are in love with, respectively, Silvia and Julia. Despite the promise of constancy made to Julia by Proteus, while he is away assisting his friend Valentine he also falls for Silvia. Thwarting their elopement plans, Proteus attempts to manipulate the circumstances to win the girl, losing the friendship of Valentine in the process. True to the conventions of comedy, though, all is set right between the friends and the lovers before the curtain falls. One of Shakespeare's first forays into comedy, Two gentlemen of Verona is not among his most accomplished works, although his later skill in drawing comic portraits is foreshadowed here.