The Two Gentlemen of Verona

The Two Gentlemen of Verona

By William Shakespeare.

Table of Contents

1. Titlepage
2. Imprint
3. Dramatis Personae
4. The Two Gentlemen of Verona
   1. Act I
      1. Scene I
      2. Scene II
      3. Scene III
   2. Act II
      1. Scene I
      2. Scene II
      3. Scene III
      4. Scene IV
      5. Scene V
      6. Scene VI
      7. Scene VII
   3. Act III
      1. Scene I
      2. Scene II
   4. Act IV
      1. Scene I
      2. Scene II
      3. Scene III
      4. Scene IV
   5. Act V
      1. Scene I
      2. Scene II
      3. Scene III
      4. Scene IV
5. Colophon
6. Uncopyright

Imprint

This ebook is the product of many hours of hard work by volunteers for Standard Ebooks, and builds on the hard work of other literature lovers made possible by the public domain.

This particular ebook is based on a transcription produced for the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and on digital scans available at the HathiTrust Digital Library.

The writing and artwork within are believed to be in the U.S. public domain, and Standard Ebooks releases this ebook edition under the terms in the CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication. For full license information, see the Uncopyright at the end of this ebook.

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Dramatis Personae

• Duke of Milan, father to Silvia

• Valentine, Gentleman

• Proteus, Gentleman

• Antonio, father to Proteus

• Thurio, a foolish rival to Valentine

• Eglamour, agent for Silvia in her escape

• Host, where Julia lodges

• Outlaws, with Valentine

• 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.
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, 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?
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; 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: 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 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; And I 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.
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 in losing him.
Proteus	Indeed, a sheep doth very often stray, An if the shepherd be a while away.
Speed	You conclude that my master is a shepherd then and I a sheep?
Proteus	I do.
Speed	Why then, my horns are his horns, whether I wake or sleep.
Proteus	A silly answer and fitting well a sheep.
Speed	This proves me still a sheep.
Proteus	True; and thy master a shepherd.
Speed	Nay, that I can deny by a circumstance.
Proteus	It shall go hard but I’ll prove it by another.
Speed	The shepherd seeks the sheep, and not the sheep the shepherd; but I seek my master, and my master seeks not me: therefore