The Two Gentlemen of Verona by William Shakespeare
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ASF Study Materials for The Two Gentlemen of Verona by William Shakespeare Director Greta Lambert Study materials written by Set Design Rob Wolin Susan Willis, ASF Dramaturg Costume Design Elizabeth Novak [email protected] Lighting Design Tom Rodman Contact ASF at: www.asf.net Sound Design Will Burns 1.800.841-4273 1 The Two Gentlemen of Verona by William Shakespeare Welcome to The Two Gentlemen of Verona — a Tale of Friendship and Love Shakespeare knows young love—we immediately think of Romeo and Juliet and the host of romantic comedies he penned. The Characters in the Tour truism is that "the course of true love never did in Verona: run smooth," for the Bard rarely gives any of his Valentine, a young gentleman young lovers an easy time on their way to the altar. Speed, Valentine's page Challenges and hardships season the lovers— Proteus, a young gentleman, their affections are mangled, their friendships Valentine's best friend tested, their self-knowledge questioned, and Launce, his servant their behavior turned unrecognizable even to Crab, Launce's dog, a mutt themselves. Why? Because they are young Julia, the girl Proteus loves and in love, so both inside and out things seem Lucetta, her maid confusing, uncertain, and unsettling. Antonio, Proteus's father In this play, Shakespeare sets his scene in fair Verona, or at least starts it there. Verona in Milan: is home to the two gents who now must leave The Duke, Silvia's father and make their way in the larger outside world Silvia, Valentine's beloved of the Milanese court, where ambition and love Sir Thurio, a wealthy nobleman will entangle and complicate their lives—and in love with Silvia the lives of the young women who love them. After all, what's the worst thing that could in the forest: happen when a guy introduces his best friend Proteus's servant Launce scolding Crab, Outlaws to his new fiancée? Yes, indeed. The friend his dog (Sir John Gilbert) behaves like a cur and tries to steal the girl. That Place: Verona, Milan, and a is the crux of this play—friendship, young love, forest on the way to Mantua an elopement plot, betrayal by one, loyalty in Time: 1960s others, and a high stakes ending that manages … and Welcome to Our Tour! to test all the lovers and still get them to the altar. Shakespeare not only knows young love; Our love of Shakespeare runs deep at ASF, Cover: Valentine introducing Silvia he knows good theatre, too. and we are happy to share it with schools across to Proteus (Walter Crane) Alabama and our neighboring states, because there is just nothing like the powerful effect of seeing Shakespeare live. This version of Shakespeare's play trims The Two Gentlemen of Verona to fit a one-hour class period while keeping the great characters, the verse, and the compelling comic action. Directed by ASF's Greta Lambert, herself a renowned Shakespeare actress, the touring show features eight actors chosen from New York auditions who join the ASF company for the 2016-17 season. These eight will perform all the roles in the play, doubling or tripling roles just as Shakespeare's own company did. They bring you a complete theatre with set, costumes, props, and actors in a van and a trailer. In addition, we offer your students a series of workshops following the play, so they can work with the actors on theatre skills and Shakespeare's Your acting company: L to R seated, Ann Flanigan, Kate language. We're excited to be headed your way Owens, Joshua Sottile, and Andre Revels; standing, Tirosh Schneider, Joe O'Malley, Javon Q. Minter, and Justy Kosek with the Bard! 2 The Two Gentlemen of Verona by William Shakespeare The Two Gentlemen of Verona Fact Sheet Genre: Usually called a romantic comedy, Plot: Valentine heads to the court in Milan, though it may more nearly be a comic while his best friend Proteus stays home romance in Verona, secretly wooing Julia. He just wins her love when his father sends him Date of composition: The first mention of to Milan. the play is in Francis Meres's 1598 list of At court, Valentine has fallen in love with the Shakespeare's comedies. Many 20th- Duke's daughter, Silvia, who returns his Milan Verona • • century critics dated the play as 1594-5, love although she has a rich suitor, Thurio, Mantua• but more recent scholars studying the text whom the Duke prefers. When Valentine with computers have argued for a date introduces the newly-arrived Proteus to nearer to the closing of the theatres in Silvia, he is instantly smitten. He debates 1592-3 due to plague, which would make his loyalties, but decides to betray his Two Gents one of Shakespeare's earliest friend's elopement plans to the Duke in comedies. order to woo Silvia for himself. His betrayal works, and Valentine is banished, then Length: 2294 lines in 20 scenes. The text is captured by outlaws and made their chief. 82% verse and 18% prose. Missing her beloved, Julia follows Proteus to Map of northern Italy— Milan disguised as a page only to discover Verona to Milan is 90 miles Setting: Verona, Milan, and a forest him wooing Silvia. Because his own servant Launce has lost the gift Proteus Longest roles in the play: Proteus, Valentine, sent Silvia—a small dog, for which Launce Julia substituted his own mangy mutt—Proteus hires the new page to take a letter to Silvia Sources: The play combines two common and get her picture. When the women types of tales: those of inconstancy in love meet, loyal Silvia tells the page she pities and those of friendship triumphant. the woman Proteus is abandoning. Silvia The play's inconstant lover theme likely then decides follow Valentine, leaving in comes from Jorge de Montemayor's the protection of Sir Eglamour. Spanish pastoral Diana Enamorada The outlaws capture Silvia, but she is (c. 1559), which parallels the Julia and rescued by Proteus, who is pursuing her Proteus plot. along with his page (Julia), the Duke, and The perfect friendship tradition appears in Thurio. When Proteus tries to assault Damon and Pythias in the ancient world, Silvia, Valentine intervenes and rejects his and in Chaucer's "Knight's Tale," in which friend, who realizes his many wrongs and cousins fight over love of a woman, but asks pardon. Just as the young men begin many scholars point to Sir Thomas Elyot's to pledge new fidelity, the disguised Julia tale of Titus and Gisippus (taken from faints and her identity is revealed. Proteus Boccaccio), in which Titus so loves his recognizes his true love for her and begs friend's fiancée that Gisippus allows him her forgiveness, too, and the Duke finally to consummate the marriage and take his allows both sets of lovers to marry. wife. Thurio stems from the braggart soldier and Things to look for: the Duke from the blocking father of the • Whether Proteus is forgiveable—is he a ancient and commedia dell'arte traditions. confused teen or a villain? • How the women negotiate the last scene, Words and Contexts That Have Changed: which offers these characters large • In our world, when a male refers to his challenges with few lines in key places. "What, didst thou offer her this "mistress," we assume he is having an • How the dog is played (what kind of from me?" Proteus exclaims. illicit sexual relationship. In the courtly love dog, how like Launce it looks, how like Sweets from the sweet, in rhetoric of the Renaissance, however, the Proteus's behavior its behavior is)—and Shakespeare's terms? (Sir term comes from chivalry via Petrarch—it whether it's a biological dog at all, or, like John Gilbert) is "mistress/servant." The lover admires Julia disguised as a page, someone in and serves his lady (seen on a social/ "canine clothing." spiritual pedestal), who challenges and inspires him to become a worthier man. 3 The Two Gentlemen of Verona by William Shakespeare Genre Issues: Comedy or Romance? Comedy and romance share an essential ROMANCE pattern of separation and reunion, and that The Norton Anthology of English Literature pattern accurately describes the action of The describes romances as "narratives of separation, Two Gentlemen of Verona. The details of each errancy, and loss" that "satisfy our deepest genre, however, offer us quite different journeys imaginative desires" as they "therapeutically to that reunion. deliver endings of reintegration, recovery, and COMEDY return. That which was lost is found." This Unlike tragedy, which focuses on the description fits Two Gents well and highlights individual, comedy emphasizes the group, different aspects of the story than does the often a family. Two Gents almost immediately standard definition of comedy. separates its gentlemen from their families, Comedy focuses on the lovers and however, so the "group" more nearly seems to marriage; romance focuses on identity, tests, be the duo of friends headed to Milan, along with and learning from expulsion so that one can their attendants. This small group also becomes be reintegrated. As well as Valentine, romance attached to the women each loves, women who might privilege Proteus, for ultimately it is not might join or alter the friendship group. the women who shatter the friendship bond The classical tradition of comedy that flows but one of the friends. Proteus falls into the into the Renaissance pits young lovers against very rivalry and selfishness ("errancy") that the father—it is a battle over who picks the friendship is supposed to transcend, and as spouse.