The Two Gentlemen of Verona, William Shakespeare [the speed reading book TXT] 📗

The Two Gentlemen of Verona

By William Shakespeare.

Table of Contents Titlepage Imprint Dramatis Personae The Two Gentlemen of Verona Act I Scene I Scene II Scene III Act II Scene I Scene II Scene III Scene IV Scene V Scene VI Scene VII Act III Scene I Scene II Act IV Scene I Scene II Scene III Scene IV Act V Scene I Scene II Scene III Scene IV Colophon Uncopyright Imprint

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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