The Two Gentlemen of Verona

Two young friends, Valentine and Proteus, leave Verona to seek their fortunes in Milan, and the trouble starts the moment both fall for the same woman. Proteus, already sworn to his sweetheart Julia back home, betrays both his friend and his love to chase Silvia, while Julia trails after him disguised as a boy. Widely thought to be among Shakespeare’s very first plays, it sketches out ideas he would perfect later, including cross-dressing heroines, the pull between friendship and romance, and the comedy of a servant and his dog. Launce and his thoroughly unimpressed dog Crab supply some of the earliest great clown scenes in the canon. Rough in places but full of charm, it shows a young playwright finding his voice. Read it free as a PDF or EPUB.