Shakespeare's Wit and Humor Author:William Shakespeare General Books publication date: 2009 Original publication date: 1912 Original Publisher: G. W. Jacobs Notes: This is a black and white OCR reprint of the original. It has no illustrations and there may be typos or missing text. When you buy the General Books edition of this book you get free trial access to Million-Books.com where you can se... more »lect from more than a million books for free. Excerpt: THE TWO GENTLEMEN OF VERONA " The Two Gentlemen of Verona " is believed to have been based upon a Spanish play of an earlier period, having a similar story. Proteus and Valentine dwell in Verona and are close friends. Valentine goes to Milan, where he pays court to Silvia, daughter of the Duke of Milan. Thither, after a time, Proteus is sent by his father, against his own inclination, for he is very much enamoured of Julia, a lady of Verona. But Proteus no sooner sees Silvia than he conceives a passion for her, and treacherously aims to win her from his friend Valentine, abandoning his former love for Julia. The duke is bent on marrying his daughter to one Thurio, and Valentine plans an elopement, of which Proteus warns her father. The elopement is prevented, and Valentine is banished by the indignant duke. Proteus then pretends to aid Thurio, but secretly presses his own suit to Silvia, who scornfully repels himand reproaches him for his treachery. She ventures forth, in the company of a friend, to seek Valentine, who has fallen into the hands of outlaws, banished gentlemen like himself, and has agreed to become their leader. Meanwhile the forlorn Julia has repaired to Milan in the disguise of a youth, and enters the service of Proteus, whose perfidy she thus discovers. But she still conceals her identity, under the name of Sebastian, and remains faithful to him. Together they depart from Milan to seek Silvia, and they find her in the forest inhabited by the outlaws. Being again repulsed by Silvia, Proteus threatens her with violence, and is overheard by Valentine,...« less