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Two Gentlemen of Verona
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Themes
The Restrictions of Courtly Love for Women
The concept of courtly love emerged in medieval and early modern European literature as a highly idealized system of rules and rituals governing the romantic relationships of the nobility that carries significant influence in the texts Shakespeare consulted while writing Two Gentlemen of Verona, in which the behavior, rituals, and expectations of courtly love feature prominently. In particular, Shakespeare’s characterization of the female characters suggests that ideals of courtly love placed restrictions on the behavior and lifestyle of noblewomen.
Julia’s obsession with her modesty and reputation is evidence of her awareness of the rules of courtly love, which idealized women as pure and ethereal. When she decides to travel to Milan to reunite with Proteus, Julia thinks critically about “how with [her] honor [she] may undertake the journey” (2.7.6-7). Her primary concern is her modesty and sexual autonomy, and she decides to dress like a boy in order to “prevent the loose encounters of lascivious men” (2.7.41-42). The fact that Julia believes the best way to preserve her modesty is to disguise herself as a boy suggests that the only way for women to be independent under the system of courtly love is to not be women. Even in disguise, Julia is obsessed with her reputation, asking her maid, Lucetta, to “fit [her] with such weeds as may become some well-reputed page” (2.7.42-43). Despite her attempts to find a “most mannerly” (2.7.58) disguise, Julia still worries that her trip to Milan “will make […] [her] scandalized” (2.7.61). Julia’s deep, continuous concern for her modesty and reputation underscore the restrictive nature of the social expectations and pressures of the courtly love system for young women.
The play’s resolution—in which Silvia’s betrothed forgives the man who, moments before, attempted to assault her—also demonstrates the restrictions of courtly love for women. For most of the play, Silvia devotes herself to the rituals, practices and expectations of courtly love by being polite but aloof to all of her suitors, including Thurio and Proteus. After Valentine’s banishment, however, she is openly hostile to Proteus, calling him “false perjured Proteus” (5.4.39) and insulting his virtue. Proteus reacts with violence, and Silvia’s last words in the play are “O God” (5.4.59) as Proteus begins to assault her. Crucially, Proteus apologizes to Valentine, not Silvia, for this transgression, and when Valentine accepts, Silvia delivers no additional dialogue. Silvia’s silence suggests that, although women are idealized within the system of courtly love, the restrictions of its rituals and ideals betray an implicit misogyny—in this case, robbing Silvia of both her autonomy and her voice.
The Importance of Loyalty Between Men
The romantic rivalry between Proteus and Valentine provides the engine that drives the plot of Two Gentlemen of Verona. Although the drama is ostensibly about the men’s love for Silvia, the text of the play suggests that Shakespeare’s true concern is the tension between the rivals. Proteus’s vocal anxiety about betraying Valentine and Valentine’s redemption of the outlaws both reflect contemporary beliefs about the importance of loyalty between men. Proteus’s first meeting with Silvia has an immediate impact on his relationship with Valentine: as he admits in a soliloquy: “my zeal to Valentine is cold; I love his lady too-too much, and that’s the reason I love him so little” (2.4.195-97). Here, Proteus explicitly attributes the downfall of his relationship with Valentine to their shared love for Silvia. Blaming his bad behavior on the allure of Silvia allows Proteus to justify breaking “the law of friendship” (3.1.5) by telling the Duke about Valentine’s plans to elope with Silvia. Throughout their conversation, Proteus attempts to convince the Duke that his decision to “cross [his] friend in his intended drift” (3.1.18) is not rooted in malice, but in loyalty: “love of [the Duke], not hate unto [his] friend, hath made [him] publisher of this pretence” (3.1.46-47). Here, Proteus justifies his betrayal claiming that his loyalty to the Duke exceeds his loyalty to Valentine. His focus on friendship and loyalty in these scenes reflects his understanding of the importance of loyalty between men. Ultimately, the fact that Proteus apologizes to Valentine and not Silvia suggests that, within the world of the play at least, loyalty between men is necessary for the restoration of order.
Through Valentine’s relationship with the Outlaws, Shakespeare valorizes his protagonist and offers a positive example of the importance of loyalty between men. The Outlaws are a serious threat in the forest beyond Milan, and later capture Sir Eglamour, a noted knight, and the Duke. However, the Outlaws are immediately charmed when they meet Valentine, calling him “a man of such perfection as we do in our quality much want” (4.1.54-55) and electing him as their King. At the end of the play, Valentine repays the Outlaws’ loyalty by asking the Duke to reaccept them into society, calling them “reformed, civil, full of good, and fit for great employment” (5.4.154-55). While demonstrably false—only moments ago, the Outlaws had captured the Duke—the statement demonstrates Valentine’s magnanimity and loyalty to the men who helped him survive exile. The fact that this is Valentine’s final act in the play reflects Shakespeare’s thematic interest in the importance of loyalty between men.
The Fickle Nature of Young Love
Although the women of Two Gentlemen of Verona are characterized by their loyalty, Proteus and Valentine’s individual journeys in love demonstrate the fickle nature of young love in men. Proteus’s betrayal of Julia in favor of Silvia offers to the most obvious example. At the beginning of the play, Proteus is totally devoted to Julia, at the risk of his own reputation: His love for her causes Proteus to “neglect [his] studies, lose [his] time, war with good counsel, set the world at naught” (1.1.66-68). When he leaves Verona, Proteus exchanges rings and vows with Julia, promising “true constancy” (2.2.8) for the rest of his life. However, as soon as Proteus arrives in the city, he falls in love with Silvia, Valentine’s beloved. Proteus describes his love for Julia as “a waxen image ‘gainst a fire [which] bears no impression of the thing it was” (2.4.193-94) after meeting Silvia. Later, the Duke uses a similar image to (incorrectly) predict that Silvia’s love for Valentine will melt like “a figure trenched in ice, which with an hour’s heat dissolves to water and doth lose his form” (3.2.6-8). Both similes suggest that young love cannot withstand external pressure without fundamentally changing in some way, emphasizing its fickle nature.
Although, unlike Proteus, Valentine is loyal to his beloved throughout the play, the speed with which he falls in love with Silvia also points to a capriciousness in the nature of young love. At the beginning of the play, Valentine is cynical about love, calling it “a folly bought with wit, or else a wit by folly vanquished” (1.1.34-35). He criticizes Proteus for being “yoked by a fool” (1.1.40), warning that “love is your master, for he masters you” (1.1.39). The emphasis on domination and mastery suggests that Valentine sees love as a threat to his sense of self. Valentine is completely transformed when he meets Silvia: As Speed notes, Valentine is “metamorphosed with a mistress” (2.1.26). The intensity of Valentine’s love for Silvia is surprising, given his earlier cynicism about love, and his quick transition from cynic to lover demonstrates the fickle nature of young love within the world of the play. Although Valentine is the play’s unambiguous hero, he falls in love as quickly and easily as his foil, the obviously disloyal Proteus.
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