Love makes men and women do some pretty strange things in Two Gentlemen of Verona. It turns men and women into fickle creatures and has the potential to transform men into unrecognizable and lovesick fools, or worse. At the same time, in Valentine and Silvia, we see two young lovers willing to risk everything to be together – an idea that Shakespeare will later develop in Romeo and Juliet . Romantic love between men and women, of course, is also pitted against the bonds of male friendship.
Questions About Love
- Why does Proteus stay behind in Verona instead of traveling the "world" with Valentine?
- Why does Silvia ask Valentine to write a love letter to her "friend"?
- How does romantic love get in the way of friendship in the play?
- Why does Proteus fall back in love with Julia and why does he take her back?
Chew on This
In the play, love turns men and women into fickle creatures.
Lance's devotion to his ungrateful dog Crab is a parody of the romantic relationships in the play.
Although the play ends with the promise of a double wedding, romantic love in Two Gentlemen of Verona plays second fiddle to male friendship.