The Two Gentlemen of Verona

Two Gentlemen of Verona: Comedy by William Shakespeare | William Shakespeare

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It was really fun listening to The Two Gentlemen of Verona as my first #AuldLangSpine pick: audio voices and music brought it to life in a way that reading it from my heavy tome wouldn‘t have. A light story about BFFs pursuing the same woman, with one of them having abandoned his own partner very abruptly, prompting her to come after him dressed as a man. (Not so cool: things get patched up after a sexual assault.)
#Booked2023 #ALoveTriangle

TheBookHippie I ♥️ your review!!! 💯 accurate! I love the language in this one! Some fun quotables! 2y

Cinfhen Sounds great!! I‘ll look for the audio 😊 2y

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vlwelser

The Two Gentlemen of Verona | William Shakespeare

pick

This was pretty funny at times. But it makes me wonder what Shakespeare thought of his audience. And, frankly, the ending was not impressive.

"Borrowed" this book from my mum. The dust jacket is disintegrating.

#ShakespeareReadalong

#BookSpinBingo @TheAromaofBooks

batsy A great edition to hold onto! 3y

Nute It looks like it was a well-loved book by your Mum! So cool that she is now sharing it with you.☺️ 3y

TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!!! 3y

42 likes3 comments

erzascarletbookgasm

The Two Gentlemen of Verona | William Shakespeare

so-so

I read this on pdf version but saw this copy aimed at introducing Shakespeare to children. The blurb says “A story of friendship and how it can overcome all odds…Even though their friendship is tested, they deal with their problems and come out better than ever on the other side.”

Pfft! I didn‘t like these 2 ‘gentlemen‘; luckily there‘s Launce and Crab. Overall it was entertaining and amusing, wished for a different ending though.

Graywacke

erzascarletbookgasm It‘s interesting to learn from the discussions how this being one of Shakespeare‘s earliest play, would develop into his later, more mature works. #shakespearereadalong 3y

Graywacke I‘m curious (and concerned ) how a Children‘s book handles the text. 3y

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Graywacke

The Two Gentlemen of Verona | William Shakespeare

so-so

#shakespearereadalong

Acts 1-4 were really entertaining. Funny, clever, disturbing, even a dog. It‘s terrific fun Shakespeare. But what to make of act 5, where up-till-then likable Valentine not only forgives Proteus for attempting to rape his lover, but then offers her to him? And this is presented as a happy ending. It really seems to spoil this play.

merelybookish, GingerAntics

Graywacke (and maybe that‘s why parts were recycled into Romeo and Juliet, Merchant of Venice, Loves Labour Lost, and several other plays.) 3y

GingerAntics All of the comedies seem to do that. There is such a sudden and abrupt change at act V to quickly wrap everything up in a nice bow. I guess I‘m a tragedies person. 🤷🏼‍♀️ 3y

Graywacke @GingerAntics yeah, actually there is something to that. Quick wraps with smiles and piles of unresolved issues 3y

GingerAntics @Graywacke all the unresolved issues annoy me. I‘m always left thinking, “yeah but…” 3y

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batsy

The Two Gentlemen of Verona | William Shakespeare

pick

I enjoyed it more than I expected to, but it's more a hodgepodge of themes that will show up in later comedies, & with a final scene that has Proteus not getting his just desserts & instead having everything handed back to him. The language was better than I expected going into this—a strange thing to say since it is Shakespeare, after all—but it was more sophisticated than the form/context of the play, if that makes sense. #shakespearereadalong

batsy A proper ending would have been a merry ménage à trois of Valentine, Silvia, & Julia, with Launce & his dog rounding up the household, but alas it feels like Valentine's one true love remains the unworthy Proteus. My ideal ending would also include Proteus being banished to an island far away with no other living beings on it besides some shrubs. I was inclined to forgive him being a caricature at the start, but the last act? Get rid. @Graywacke 3y

Sophronisba Ha, @batsy, I always wanted to see a production of this that makes clear that Silvia and Julia are just Valentine's and Proteus's beards. 3y

vlwelser Yes! 💯 3y

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batsy @Sophronisba Yes, that would be very welcome if someone decided to interpret it that way. I feel like that's the real underlying story here! 3y

batsy @vlwelser 🙂 3y

MemoirsForMe I remember seeing the musical when I was in high school way back when and loving it. I must revisit this. 3y

batsy @UwannaPublishme That sounds fun! 3y

104 likes7 comments

Graywacke

The Two Gentlemen of Verona | William Shakespeare

Two Gentlemen of Verona - Act 6
#Shakespearereadalong

Back to Hilary Spurling: … Proteus abandons Julia, betrays Valentine, abducts Silvia, and when his career of complicated treachery is finally unmasked, apologises as casually as though he had just sneezed. Whereupon our hero, Valentine, is so overcome that he promptly offers to hand over his beloved to the man who, not three minutes before, had meant to rape her.

Anyone able to process this?

merelybookish, GingerAntics

Graywacke @Lcsmcat @batsy @TheBookHippie @MoonWitch94 @jewright @CoffeeNBooks @Riveted_Reader_Melissa @Daisey @erzascarletbookgasm @Liz_M @LitStephanie @vlwelser @mollyrotondo @Melismatic 3y

Graywacke @Mtroiano @catebutler @wanderinglynn @IamIamIam @Trashcanman @saresmoore @Wife @mhillis @Gezemice @readinginthedark @Jess_Read_This @Kristy_K @Cuilin @kathedron @teainthelibrary @Sunraven 3y

Lcsmcat This ending was 🍌 👖! It really felt like a rush to a happy ending where preserving the destroyed friendship of V and P was even more important than the obligatory marriages. 3y

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Graywacke I want to say that the end of this play is so deranged from any perspective within, say, the last 400 years… but judges are still forgiving rape. So it jars my mind in the play and in how it brings up upsetting ever-contemporary stuff. 3y

Graywacke @Lcsmcat yes. Like a college fraternity mindset. 3y

vlwelser @Lcsmcat 💯 3y

vlwelser This ending seemed a little rushed. But maybe it's because it's a play so there's a reasonable time constraint. Also since this is written for an audience it kind of says a lot about who the target viewer is and what they may have been into or expecting. 3y

vlwelser And not to hit you with a lot of nonsense but what is the next one and is there a schedule? 3y

TheBookHippie @Graywacke EXACTLY What I was thinking OLD BOYS CLUB or FRATENITY.....either is exchangeable...... as for rape..... there's a reason people don't report it. The fact it has a lifelong affect but a limit on how many years you can ask for it to be prosecuted speaks for itself. This part was mind boggling but so accurate to the time we are living in once again. Hard pressed to say if that's revolting or terrifying or both. YIKES. 3y

TheBookHippie @vlwelser I'd LOVE to know who it is targeting ! Who was this for and why?
@GingerAntics has the schedule up for Coriolanus! It is on her page. 3y

vlwelser @GingerAntics Hi! I sent you a request to be added. Let me know if I need to do something else. 3y

jewright I did enjoy all of Julia‘s asides in act V. 3y

merelybookish Well I guess we know why it's one of his least popular plays. Mystery solved! 🕵️ I stand by last week's comment that Silvia & Julia should get to run away together. 3y

Graywacke @merelybookish 🙂 indeed, mystery solved. 3y

Graywacke @vlwelser we don‘t hand off our list updates so well between coordinators. Sorry. 3y

Graywacke @Lcsmcat @vlwelser the end felt awkward to me too. Like someone said, “times up. Wrap it up guys. Oh, and happy please” 3y

Graywacke @vlwelser @TheBookHippie yeah, says something about audiences. Is our world any better? 3y

Graywacke @TheBookHippie Valentine has no interest in the consequences of Proteus‘s actions to anyone but himself. He‘s ok, so all‘s forgiven. 3y

Graywacke @jewright Julia was awesome, until she forgave P. She was a little racy too. I took a double-take on her pearls comment. 3y

batsy The ending is incredibly awkward & I agree with @merelybookish . Drives home the point that on the list of terrible crimes, rape was low on the list because women were property. A casual rape threat or two is no biggie. Really jarring to read it now. Would have forgiven the abrupt, facile ending a bit more if Proteus hadn't revealed himself to be a total creep. I enjoyed Silvia & Launce & the kind of stuff they said. They stand out from the rest. 3y

batsy I also was a bit surprised at how devoted Valentine was to Proteus... Some might say that's his true love. 3y

TheBookHippie @batsy could be his true love I agree. 3y

TheBookHippie @Graywacke It once again is so relevant to the times it just 🤯. 3y

Lcsmcat @batsy Maybe P and V are a couple and Silvia and Julia are their beards. 😂 3y

Lcsmcat @jewright I thought Julia got some great lines. 3y

batsy @Lcsmcat That's the play I wanted to read! Lol 3y

erzascarletbookgasm I think the ending is silly and convenient. Of course it‘s unsettling to read Silvia being offered as a token of peace! But I guess the ending‘s apt, after all the title does suggest it‘s all about these two friends, their ‘friendship‘. 3y

erzascarletbookgasm @batsy @Lcsmcat V & P make a great couple, they deserve each other! 3y

GingerAntics The apologies did seem quite empty to me. 3y

TheBookHippie @Lcsmcat THAT IS THE STORY! 3y

mollyrotondo @batsy yes! This can definitely be read today as a love between Valentine and Proteus. An extremely fraught love since Proteus really screws over Valentine and has him banished so Proteus would make a bad partner no matter what. But I‘m interested in watching it performed to see if it looks and sounds the same. 3y

mollyrotondo It is extremely frustrating to read the threat of rape as no big deal and to silence Silvia in this Act. I hope it‘s Shakespeare making a point but I unfortunately believe it‘s just a sign of the times: rape is no big deal and why give the strong woman something to say after being threatened with rape? But it would be genius if Shakespeare was trying to be ironic and not just misogynistic. 3y

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Liz_M

The Two Gentlemen of Verona | William Shakespeare

Perfect Saturday morning.

#CatsofLitsy #Bert

kspenmoll Sweet!!! 3y

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Daisey

The Two Gentlemen of Verona | William Shakespeare

pick

I listened to Act IV last night and then went ahead and finished the play. I enjoyed this one, but I couldn‘t help but be a bit disappointed in the ending. I would have liked some of the happy ending with Proteus also getting what he deserved, but of course that was not to be.

I‘ve also been participating in this readalong for 2 years now and love seeing the increase in post-its for plays read.

#ShaksepeareReadalong #ArkAngelShakespeare

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Graywacke

The Two Gentlemen of Verona | William Shakespeare

Two Gentlemen of Verona : Act IV
#Shakespearereadalong

Rapid pieces. Some (not very intimidating) outlaws, some music, some serious rejection, a poorly disciplined dog, and a very strained messenger. (All pictured).

Proteus pushes his hopeless wooing. Valentine is reduced to an outlaw. Silvia is seriously put out. Lance is fired. But poor Julia. What to make of her.

Hope everyone reading is enjoying. Share your thoughts.

merelybookish, GingerAntics

Graywacke @Lcsmcat @batsy @TheBookHippie @MoonWitch94 @jewright @CoffeeNBooks @Riveted_Reader_Melissa @Daisey @erzascarletbookgasm @Liz_M @LitStephanie @vlwelser @mollyrotondo @Melismatic 3y

GingerAntics I always love musicians in Shakespeare. For some reason, they always come off rather comical to me. 3y

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merelybookish Well add it to the plays where I wish their women could ditch their bonehead suitors and run away together. Another "happy" ending that is going to be hard to swallow. Julia made me sad in the end where everything came down to her comparing her appearance to Silvia's, although I guess what else would have attracted Proteus's affection so quickly. 3y

Lcsmcat @merelybookish Yes! I felt the same way. This dude is not worth chasing all over Italy! 3y

Graywacke @merelybookish @Lcsmcat I want to give Julia a serious hard time, but find myself sympathetic. 3y

vlwelser @merelybookish I totally agree. Julia and Silvia would make a much better couple without the boys. Though I do feel a little bad for Valentine but joining a merry band of outlaws sounds kind of fun. 3y

Lcsmcat @Graywacke I feel sympathetic to both women and Valentine. Not Proteus. Him I‘m still angry with. 🙂 3y

Daisey I was very amused with how easily Valentine joined and became leader of the outlaws. I also just want Julia to give up on the completely undeserving Proteus; he should be left all alone. 3y

TheBookHippie @merelybookish ✊🏼 SERIOUSLY! 3y

TheBookHippie @Lcsmcat I‘m with you! Grrrr 3y

TheBookHippie Julia is hard not to feel for… she‘d be younger than we are thinking yes? The graphic here is so accurate. I am enjoying this play it‘s so all over the place amusing infuriating and then you have to believe it must be clever and satire but for whom?! 3y

mollyrotondo I love Silvia in this play!!! She sees right through Proteus!! She knows how to make him look like an ass even though he finds her hatred of him attractive 🙄 but she is so admirable. Julia on the other hand needs to just understand her former love interest is a jerk and move on. He‘s not worth chasing after. And Silvia totally had her back and then Julia had to get all catty and start comparing looks? Julia is blehh to me right now. 3y

batsy Like @merelybookish I wanted Silvia and Julia to ditch the men and run off together. I was also saddened by the fact that Julia was reduced to the state of, "At least I'm better looking from certain angles". The best person here for me is Launce. His love for Crab is unparalleled, even if he was going to give him up in exchange for the little dog Proteus had sent as a gift to Silvia. 3y

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Graywacke

The Two Gentlemen of Verona | William Shakespeare

#shakespearereadalong
The Two Gentlemen of Verona - Act 3
“Much is the force of heaven-bred poesy”

Drama, deceit and love letters. Thanks to Proteus, Valentine is caught with ladder and letter and banished. Thurio is advised on composing his own wooing letter. And between the servants discuss a different kind of love letter. Oddly this act includes maybe Shakespeare‘s longest scene. Are you entertained? Offended? Both?

merelybookish, GingerAntics

Graywacke @Lcsmcat @batsy @TheBookHippie @MoonWitch94 @jewright @CoffeeNBooks @Riveted_Reader_Melissa @Daisey @erzascarletbookgasm @Liz_M @LitStephanie @vlwelser @mollyrotondo @Melismatic 3y

Lcsmcat Even knowing it was going to happen (even their names give away who is faithful and who is changeable) I still found myself very angry at Proteus. 3y

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Graywacke @Lcsmcat any thoughts on what the Duke thought of him? A skeptical-practical Duke might make a fun performance. 3y

Lcsmcat @Graywacke That it would. I thought he was pretty gullible, as was T. 3y

vlwelser It's very misogynistic but somehow so ridiculous that it's comic. And Valentine is quite the dupe. Proteus is quite unlikeable here but he was showing this trait in the last act. 3y

Graywacke @vlwelser Shakespeare always has a misogynistic element. But this act is more extreme - between Proteus and the discussions on wooing and Lance‘s assessments. Of course, they‘re also funny, and, can we say, misogynisticly in love? And Valentine really is a dupe. 3y

jewright Again this play just seems like a warm up for Romeo and Juliet with the letter issue and the banishing. 3y

Graywacke @jewright needs more Petrarch? 🙂 i see the elements (as does my Oxford edition editor) but the feel so different. Valentine‘s disappointment is so…adam sandler-ish, for example 3y

jewright @Graywacke I should look into an edition with editor comments. Mine is just the straight Shakespeare. 3y

batsy We got the sense of Proteus's true colours from the last act, but now we find that the Duke himself is pretty dim. Either that or he is strategically dim because everything revolves around money and power, and I guess that Thurio is meant to be understood as having an economic advantage over the Duke. 3y

Graywacke @batsy funny, I was imagining the Duke clever. I mean I know it‘s possibly way off. But I just have this image of him trying to control his facial features so as not to let on to Proteus‘s how ridiculous and principle-less P comes across, the Duke trying to use this crazy kid to work his forced marital plan on his daughter. 3y

TheBookHippie IS this satire SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE? IS Shakespeare trying to hold up the mirror as to how RIDICULOUS people are or the culture is? OR if not- is he an ASSHAT? I'm hoping he is trying to show how absurd this is!! OY. So over the top, however some things in our society right now are so over the top I cannot believe it and am angered, so it this like that?? 3y

batsy @Graywacke Yes, that's an interesting read and that's what made me think about being strategically dim—he could be having a kind of game face on 🎭 3y

Graywacke @batsy my little 🦥-🧠 misunderstood “strategically dim”. Anyway, I suspect yes (and the drama-mask icon is cool) 3y

Graywacke @TheBookHippie what a great analogy for this one. A SNL skit…(mean people wooing with poesy episode) 3y

TheBookHippie @Graywacke Right? You can totally see it happening! 3y

batsy @Graywacke I love the mask emoji and am trying to find ways to constantly use it 😂 3y

mollyrotondo @Graywacke @batsy I also thought the Duke was keeping a straight face. Humoring Proteus while using this as an opportunity to throw Thurio upon his daughter and marry her off to his selected husband for her. I wasn‘t thinking of the Duke as being truly dumb. Valentine seems sort of dumb at this point. And Proteus is an evil schemer that needs to be severely punished. @jewright very interesting to connect this with R&J. Must keep that in mind 3y

batsy @mollyrotondo @Graywacke I am intrigued that we have initial different reads on the Duke and I'm looking forward to seeing how it unfolds in the next two acts. This seems like exactly the kind of play that would be heightened by watching performances—lots of fun stuff to interpret from how the actors play the roles 🙂 3y

Graywacke @batsy @mollyrotondo perhaps Proteus is so out there he makes everyone around him freeze a bit, shake their heads and re-take stock of reality. (Or perhaps we imagine them doing so as we do?) @batsy - I‘m curious about performance interpretations too. 3y

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Graywacke

The Two Gentlemen of Verona | William Shakespeare

Crab and, yes, that guy as Lance, 1970.

Two Gentlemen of Verona - Act II
#Shakespearereadalong

Take out a couple Soliloquies by Proteus, and this is a fast moving very busy act with endless wit. About everyone is on stage, and we meet Lance, Crab, Silvia, Thurio, and the Duke. And we learn things“stand well” with Julia and Proteus. But, alas, Proteus throws a monkey 🔧 in - and self-justifies it. So, some dark overshadows the light. Thoughts?

merelybookish, GingerAntics

Graywacke @merelybookish @GingerAntics @Lcsmcat @batsy @TheBookHippie @MoonWitch94 @jewright @CoffeeNBooks @Riveted_Reader_Melissa @Daisey @erzascarletbookgasm @Liz_M @LitStephanie @vlwelser @mollyrotondo @Melismatic 3y

TheBookHippie I found the Jew references 😱 I now they are there- still - yikes. Not a Lance fan! (edited) 3y

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TheBookHippie I found this fast moving fun and with a huge amount of quotables. I love my bed comes to mind!! 😂 3y

Lcsmcat I found myself wondering about the dog: his significance, yes, but mostly how did they do that in Shakespeare‘s day? Was it a “mutt” or was there some breed indicative of status that they used? (Probably more an indication of where my head has been this week than anything about the play. 🤷🏻‍♀️) 3y

Graywacke @TheBookHippie I‘m Jewish and really sensitive to the antisemitic stuff too. It‘s a frustrating aspect to Shakespeare. 3y

TheBookHippie @Graywacke Same. I know it it‘s coming ..but still when I see it in print it just stops me.. 3y

Graywacke @TheBookHippie it strips a lot of lightness from the lighthearted aspects of the play. I try to go with it, because there is so much charming humor here - in many different forms - with servants, between servants, without servants, insults and appeals, insightful and silly and sometimes cruel (but still funny). Speed is especially terrific. 3y

Graywacke @Lcsmcat it‘s clever how the play isn‘t dependent on what Crab does (“Ask my dog. If he say ‘Ay‘, it will. If he say ‘No‘, it will. If he shake his tail and say nothing, it will.”) 3y

vlwelser @Graywacke @TheBookHippie I also found the antisemitism off-putting. How does that pass as a joke? 3y

vlwelser Overall this continues to be pretty amusing. The word play is excellent. 3y

TheBookHippie @vlwelser It was. It is. It was and unfortunately mostly still considered acceptable. Subtle undercutting racism. 3y

TheBookHippie @vlwelser I love the word play. 3y

GingerAntics Oh my god, I love seeing early Sir Patrick Stewart plays. 💙💙💙 3y

Graywacke @vlwelser @TheBookHippie I really enjoyed this act and all the word play, and the implications of them. I thought speeds play with Valentine in scene one told is so much about who V is and how clueless he is. (And then V takes out on Thurio - that is really funny) There is just a whole lot of fun here. 3y

Graywacke @TheBookHippie i admit I still liked Lance a lot. His “sourest-natured dog that lives” as his buddy was charming to me. Then his family as a shoes and his talk with Speed…his telling Speed and P & J and then says, “Thou shalt never get such a secret from me but by a parable.” 3y

Graywacke @GingerAntics Patrick Stewart just has always looked good. I bet he was a terrific Lance. 3y

jewright This act reminded me of Romeo and Juliet. Speed‘s section of quick talking reminds me of Mercutio. It was a whole list of similes. Some of the images are the same too. He mentions school boys and books like R&J. There‘s also mention of Valentine using a ladder of cords to climb to her window just like Romeo. The cross dressing reminds me of Twelfth Night. 3y

jewright @Graywacke I loved he read a Shakespeare sonnet a day during the start of the pandemic. 3y

Graywacke @jewright thanks for highlighting the R&J comparisons. (Not to mention a prominent name and her distinct servant.) My Oxford edition constantly notes connections to other plays, especially Merchant of Venice and Loves Labours Lost (which repackages some of the dialogue) And, yes, ❤️Patrick Stewart‘s pandemic sonnet reading … I‘ll revisit that when we read the sonnets. 3y

GingerAntics @Graywacke I would do just about anything for a video. I can‘t even imagine how well he played Lance. 3y

GingerAntics @Graywacke well, I can, but you get the point. It‘s probably even better than that. I‘m not going to lie, when I imagine him playing any roll, there is always a little hint of Jean Luc Picard in there. 🤣😂🤣 I guess you never really shake your first encounter. 🤷🏼‍♀️ 3y

Graywacke @GingerAntics 🙂 But surely Jean Luc Picard could pull off Shakespeare. 3y

mollyrotondo So I don‘t always love a Shakespeare comedy but this one is highly enjoyable so far. The very first scene with Val and Speed is so funny. And then Silvia‘s whole “write me a letter to send to my love” plot was so odd yet so wonderful! And Val is like huh? 😆 And what a jerk Proteus is for totally forgetting a hot second later about Julia and going after his friend‘s girl 🤢 but it feels good to read a more “Shakespeare” like play after Pericles 3y

mollyrotondo @TheBookHippie I know the Jew line was awful. I cringe every time I read a line about Jewish people in a Shakespeare play. I love Shakespeare‘s plays so much that each time this comes up it‘s like a punch in the face. He was so smart in his writing that it‘s so frustrating that he also wrote such bigoted asinine things like this. And to write it as if it‘s funny. It‘s a dark reminder. 3y

TheBookHippie @mollyrotondo I agree 100 percent. 3y

batsy I liked the exchange between Lucetta and Julia! Lucetta is pretty great; she has lines that has her like a cross between a philosopher and jester. Also the way in which Proteus smoothly falls into self-deception wrt his actions about falling in lust with his best mate's girl was interesting to observe! 3y

merelybookish Ok! I'm caught up and am surprised at how entertaining this play is so far. Loved Speed's line about being in love with his bed. 🙂 Also bristled at the references to Jews. Also didn't like when Proteus compared Julia unfavourably to Silvia by saying she was as dark as an Ethiobe. 🙄 I like Julia's spunk and Lucetta's sense of humour. 3y

Graywacke @mollyrotondo glad your enjoying more then weird Pericles. I think Proteus may be the definition of “a hot second later” 3y

Graywacke @batsy Proteus, man. It‘s so random. Like, if he says it, it immediately becomes justified to him. Lucetta is terrific. Wish she was joining J in Milan. 3y

Graywacke @merelybookish you captured it all so well. It is, despite the bad stuff, really entertaining. 3y

GingerAntics @Graywacke oh I believe he did, when he was teaching Data to act. 😏 3y

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Graywacke

The Two Gentlemen of Verona | William Shakespeare

Let us take a moment and imagine ourselves in Renaissance Verona.

#shakespearereadalong

Act I - We meet Valentine and Proteus, each well-defined by their name. V true in love, and P ever changing. V is off to Milan. P, although no Leander, is in love with one Julia and stays to court. But dad Antonio sends P off to Milan anyway, with a day‘s notice. Also, let‘s not overlook our servants. This maybe the Bard‘s 1st act performed. Thoughts?

merelybookish, GingerAntics

Graywacke @Lcsmcat @batsy @TheBookHippie @MoonWitch94 @jewright @CoffeeNBooks @Riveted_Reader_Melissa @Daisey @erzascarletbookgasm @Liz_M @LitStephanie @vlwelser @mollyrotondo @Melismatic 3y

LitStephanie What a beautiful picture! Looking forward to joining the discussion late this afternoon. Thanks for hosting! 3y

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Liz_M I can't cite specifics, but this is already a better read than Pericles! I loved Proteus's speech at the end of 1.3, lines 79-88. 3y

Liz_M There seems to be a theme of arbitrariness. "I think him so because I think him so" (1.2.24) "For what I will, I will and there an end" (1.3.66) "O, how this spring of love resembleth The uncertain glory of an April day" (1.3.85-6) 3y

Graywacke @Liz_M !! Cool. And thanks for highlighting. 3y

Lcsmcat @Liz_M The April reference made me think of the Sonnets and the references to changeable spring. 3y

batsy I enjoyed the first act, and it surprised me because GR reviews are largely so-so; it'll be interesting to see how it develops. I also found Julia quite likeable in the first act, and her trying to piece together the letter that she tore up was probably the highlight. Her indecisiveness had a nice touch of screwball comedy. 3y

Graywacke @Liz_M I‘m with you vs. serious Pericles. This is much more playful. And cool about the lines. (It is better than P because we think it so?) 3y

Graywacke @Lcsmcat I so hope we do his sonnets this year! (edited) 3y

Graywacke @batsy I enjoyed it too. I read act 1 on Jan 1 and then again today, and the opening give and take with V & P is quite wonderful on a reread. V basically makes fun of P, by accurately describing him. I think the so-so responses might have something to do with a little awkward something in act v that certainly hasn‘t aged well. (edited) 3y

vlwelser This one is pretty fun so far. I like that it basically opens with a joke. But the whole play may have this slapstick quality to it. Because scene 2 is also quite amusing. I like the Lucetta character. I agree that we like it better (than Pericles) because we like it better, to use her reasoning style. 3y

jewright I liked it so far. It seems like another light-hearted one, but I rather enjoyed Pericles. 3y

LitStephanie @Liz_M I laughed at Lucetta's "I think him so because I think him so" too. It is true that we rely on our instincts for what we think of new acquaintances. I like that she is honest about it. 3y

LitStephanie @batsy same. I love how she calls Lucetta back after spurning the letter. So cute! I can tell already Speed is going to be fun. I liked his comeback to Proteus's sarcastic comment about his quick wit: "And yet it cannot overtake your slow purse." 3y

Graywacke @LitStephanie i love that line from Speed (and also that he never even met Julia, and was describing Lucetta.) 3y

Graywacke @vlwelser ( @LitStephanie ) Lucetta‘s logic is catching.🙂 I wonder if the whole play is like this (Like A Comedy of Errors) 3y

Graywacke @jewright Glad you‘re enjoying, and Pericles needs some appreciation (i likes parts, but some parts not so much) (edited) 3y

mollyrotondo @LitStephanie I also loved the scenes between Julia and Lucetta. Lucetta specifically knows why she doesn‘t like the other men Julia mentions, and Proteus she just instinctively knows she likes him. It just sounded like a very real conversation between two young women 😆 3y

LitStephanie Agreed, that whole scene felt very natural. I have never seen this one staged but bet this first act at least would be really funny. 3y

mollyrotondo I also found it very amusing that Proteus is so in love with Julia yet afraid to tell his father about it. So he lies and says the letter he received was from Valentine and traps himself into the very thing he didn‘t want to do. It‘s just classic Shakespeare antics 😂 3y

Graywacke @mollyrotondo @LitStephanie I was wondering at Lucetta‘s meaning. I mean was she just saying she likes him or was she maybe hinting that she liked him because he‘s bad? Regardless, it is amusing and part of me checked off the Bechtel test. 🙂 3y

mollyrotondo @Graywacke oh I was just taking it as Lucetta likes him. Period. She doesn‘t necessarily have a reason but just has a feeling about him. But I‘m not sure how the rest of the play shakes out so maybe her meaning will change for me as we continue lol. Oh gosh women always talk about men 😂 this convo doesn‘t pass Bechdel but I still I love it! Lol 3y

Liz_M @Graywacke Except to pass the Bechdel test the two (or more) women need to talk about something other than a man. 😉 3y

Graywacke @mollyrotondo @Liz_M darn it Shakespeare 💪 3y

TheBookHippie Oh I hope we do sonnets. I‘m trying to finish the 140 pages of introduction in my copy. As one of his firsts I quite like this as it seems playful and the back and forth is more fun or Pericles was really that much of a downer 😂😅. It‘s interesting that my introduction says that the intelligence of this play is quite overlooked. I‘m anxious to read on. 3y

TheBookHippie I did enjoy the line “ Fire that‘s closest kept burns most of all” Julia and Lucetta was the most fun to read. 3y

TheBookHippie @batsy I so agree! Or my rewatching of Golden Girls is bleeding into my Shakespeare ! 3y

TheBookHippie What play is next? I don‘t seem to have it anywhere. 3y

Graywacke @TheBookHippie need to confirm with @GingerAntics - but I think Coriolanus. 3y

GingerAntics @Graywacke @TheBookHippie yes to Coriolanus next. I had to go double check. The last few weeks have been CRAZY so my sense of time is wonky. I‘m leading Coriolanus, too. Thanks for making me look Dan, or we‘d all be waiting and wondering what was going on. 🤣😝🤦🏼‍♀️ 3y

GingerAntics @TheBookHippie after Coriolanus, we have 2 more plays, then the sonnets, so we will definitely get to those this year. I‘m very excited for those. 3y

TheBookHippie @GingerAntics I thought I had it written down!!! 😂😅🤦🏻‍♀️ it‘s been a bumpy start to 2022! Sonnets! Yay! 3y

Graywacke @GingerAntics @TheBookHippie sonnets! 🙂 3y

GingerAntics @TheBookHippie same! Until I adjust to this new job, it‘s got me run down and sore! I got lidocaine patches for my feet to keep me going. 3y

GingerAntics @Graywacke @TheBookHippie I‘m excited for the sonnets! They‘re so fun. It‘s going to take some creativity to make them all fit into 5 or 6 weeks. 3y

GingerAntics @Graywacke @TheBookHippie whoops, just accidentally figured it out. 22 sonnets a week, we‘ll be done in 7 weeks. Yay for calculators!!! 3y

Graywacke @GingerAntics i was thinking about it quite differently. Like maybe 7 a week! (Slow and lazy☺️ but also giving us time to read them over several times ). This would mean sharing thread lead do no single person has to prompt it for too many consecutive weeks. Anyway, tossing that out here as an alternate idea. Maybe we should open a discussion? (edited) 3y

45 likes38 comments

Daisey

The Two Gentlemen of Verona | William Shakespeare

Good morning! I started my day by getting completely caught up with the #BibleBuddyRead, updating my 2022 planner, and reading Act 1 of Two Gentleman of Verona for #ShakespeareReadalong.

Lcsmcat I have about 5 books in that edition. Not Shakespeare, but Maupassant, Hugo, Kipling, and I forget the others. They look pretty on the shelf together. 😊 3y

Daisey @Lcsmcat I‘ve really appreciated having this collected works. I‘m sure several editions together do look lovely on a shelf. 😍 3y

BookBabe Nice! 😃🙌🏻 3y

52 likes3 comments

Lcsmcat

Two Gentlemen of Verona: Comedy by William Shakespeare | William Shakespeare

My copy arrived! After the last two very stressful work days, I‘m going to relax with a glass of wine and the #shakespearereadalong act. @Graywacke

Graywacke I have the same edition. (And i like those Botticelli portraits) 3y

batsy @Graywacke @Lcsmcat Yep, it's a great cover. 3y

Lcsmcat @batsy @Graywacke I‘m enjoying the banter in this first act. 3y

See All 7 Comments

batsy @Lcsmcat I'm enjoying it so far, too! 3y

TheBookHippie I love your cover! 3y

Lcsmcat @TheBookHippie It‘s a detail from Botticelli‘s Portrait of a Young Man. (The edition is Oxford World Classics.) 3y

TheBookHippie @Lcsmcat So stunning! 3y

36 likes7 comments

Graywacke

The Two Gentlemen of Verona | William Shakespeare

In her program note for The Two Gentlemen of Verona at Stratford-upon-Avon in I970, Hilary Spurling described the play's world as one of:

“knights errant, distracted lovers, and as preposterous a band of brigands as ever strode a stage. This is an Italy of true romance, where Milan is reached from Verona by sea. …”

#Shakespearereadalong
Just a reminder. See you all next Sunday.

merelybookish, GingerAntics

Lcsmcat Sounds like it will fit nicely with my Don Quixote read! 3y

Graywacke @Lcsmcat @batsy @TheBookHippie @MoonWitch94 @jewright @CoffeeNBooks @Riveted_Reader_Melissa @Daisey @erzascarletbookgasm @Liz_M @LitStephanie @vlwelser @mollyrotondo @Melismatic 3y

See All 17 Comments

Graywacke @Lcsmcat well, actually, maybe. 🙂 3y

Graywacke (Oye - I keep losing power and it‘s not Litsy post friendly.) 3y

Lcsmcat @Graywacke I was thinking more of the knights errant than the geography, but, not knowing much about Spanish geography myself, I‘ve no idea how accurate Cervantes‘ is! 3y

vlwelser That's funny. Maybe they went by river? Or maybe Shakespeare had never been to Italy. Or looked at a map. 3y

TheBookHippie I‘m ready!!! 3y

Riveted_Reader_Melissa 😂 3y

Graywacke @Lcsmcat see i wrote that, deleted it, then posted the comment you see now, then saw both comments were posted. I‘m so confused. Anyway, I will be with you when I finally get to Cervantes. Blindly following his imaginary lead. 3y

Graywacke @vlwelser that could be his explanation. Curious that the play never says the two men are from Verona. Only the title tells us that. 3y

Lcsmcat @Graywacke May your power woes end sooner than Don Quixote‘s woes! 3y

Graywacke @TheBookHippie I‘ve already read act 1! 🤓 I‘ll have to reread before i post Sunday. @Riveted_Reader_Melissa 🙂 3y

Graywacke @Lcsmcat texas blue norther ( well, whole central part of the us, of course. But, texas is uniquely unprepared.) anyway, we have had consistent power for maybe 5 hours now. Yay. 3y

batsy @Lcsmcat I was thinking the same! 3y

batsy @Graywacke Thank you for the reminder and I hope the power issues are resolved ASAP. 3y

GingerAntics Stay warm, Dan!!! That description of the play is absolutely intriguing. 3y

50 likes17 comments

Graywacke

The Two Gentlemen of Verona | William Shakespeare

Two Gentlemen of Verona, a deranged-plot comedy, is maybe Shakespeare‘s earliest play. It has the smallest cast of any of his plays, and maybe the most influential unspoken role - by Crab the dog. Oh, more crossdressing too. See you in January.

#Shakespearereadalong
Act I - Jan 9
Act II - Jan 16
Act III - Jan 23
Act IV - Jan 30
Act V - Feb 6

merelybookish, GingerAntics

Graywacke I found the image on Etsy. So, not to be neglectful, you can get your own popsicle puppets here: https://www.etsy.com/listing/962283052/two-gentlemen-of-verona-shakespeare 3y

Graywacke @Lcsmcat @batsy @TheBookHippie @jewright @Riveted_Reader_Melissa @erzascarletbookgasm @Melismatic @MoonWitch94 @mollyrotondo @vlwelser @Daisey @CoffeeNBooks @Cuilin @kathedron @Liz_M @catebutler @wanderinglynn @Trashcanman @IamIamIam @Mtroiano @Wife @Kristy_K @mhillis @readinginthedark @Jess_Read_This @teainthelibrary @Sunraven 3y

IamIamIam 👏👏👏👏 3y

See All 13 Comments

erzascarletbookgasm I‘m very curious about Crab the dog. Looking forward 3y

Riveted_Reader_Melissa Sounds perfect 👍 3y

TheBookHippie Love the picture!!!! And yay!!!! 3y

TheBookHippie Popsicle puppet is now added to my regular language use. 3y

Graywacke @IamIamIam @erzascarletbookgasm @Riveted_Reader_Melissa @TheBookHippie 🙂 : @erzascarletbookgasm I‘m curious about the dog too. : @TheBookHippie an important object, the popsicle puppet! 3y

Lcsmcat Now the question is will each act be represented by popsicle puppets? 3y

Graywacke @Lcsmcat maybe I should buy the set and reenact for posts… 🙂 (I am visual art incompetent. Not making my own) (edited) 3y

jewright I‘m intrigued! I haven‘t read this one before. (edited) 3y

GingerAntics I do love a good Shakespeare crossdressing incident. lol 3y

batsy What @erzascarletbookgasm said! 🐶 Also, how nice is it to ring in the new year with a fresh new Shakespeare? I love this group. 3y

37 likes13 comments

BarkingMadRead

The Two Gentlemen of Verona | William Shakespeare

#upnext #shakespeareinayear

40 likes1 stack add

alisonrose

The Two Gentlemen of Verona | William Shakespeare

so-so

It pains me to rate a Shakespeare play so low, but it also pained me to read it. You know how sometimes you can tell a debut novel is a debut? This is one of his earliest plays (possibly first) and you can TELL. There are some beautiful lines, but not many. Plot is messy & thin. Male MCs are impetuous boys who got on my nerves, women were poorly done. And WTF w/the random rape threat in the final scene?! Sigh. Sorry Bard, this ain‘t it. 2/5 ⭐️

alisonrose Giving it a so-so because I just can‘t possibly give him a pan. I CANNOT. 4y

alisonrose Also there is an intriguing argument to be made for the underlying queerness of this play, which as a dedicated Shakesqueer pseudo-scholar, I am all here for. Too bad about all the absurdity, sexism, stupidity, etc. etc. 4y

21 likes2 comments

alisonrose

The Two Gentlemen of Verona | William Shakespeare

What light is light if Sylvia be not seen?
What joy is joy if Sylvia be not by—
Unless it be to think that she is by
And feed upon the shadow of perfection?
Except I be by Sylvia in the night,
There is no music in the nightingale.
Unless I look on Sylvia in the day,
There is no day for me to look upon.
She is my essence, and I leave to be
If I be not by her fair influence.

[This is beautiful, too bad it‘s preceded by some hella sexist BS 🤷🏻‍♀️]

tpixie Lovely 😊 4y

14 likes1 comment

alisonrose

The Two Gentlemen of Verona | William Shakespeare

Thus have I shunned the fire for fear of burning
And drenched me in the sea, where I am drowned.

15 likes

alisonrose

The Two Gentlemen of Verona | William Shakespeare

This one has a 42% positive rating on Litsy and a 3.39 average rating on Goodreads. Yikes. 😳 But I made it a goal to read all of his plays, including the crummy ones. I‘m sure the writing itself will still be great, because it *is* Shakespeare, after all...even if the content leaves much to be desired.

27 likes

anushareflects

The Two Gentlemen of Verona | William Shakespeare

so-so

As comedies go, this play was filled with funny dialogues and sassy quips. Silvia and Valentine‘s love is cute but Proteus is a base, selfish character and is absolutely detestable. I never did understand why Julia liked him, she seemed like such a capable woman! Silvia is passed around like a non-existent, unfeeling commodity which was frustrating. But overall it was an amusing read.

4 likes

Settings

The Two Gentlemen of Verona | William Shakespeare

so-so

Was pretty bored.

Has one of those intros where they tell you how this one isn't very well liked. Lots of Shakespeare introductions start that way, it seems.

Randomly anti-semitic.

Cinfhen Bleh 5y

42 likes1 comment

LiterRohde

The Two Gentlemen of Verona | William Shakespeare

“Love is your master, for he masters you:
And he that is so yoked by a fool,
Methinks, should not be chronicled for wise.”

#LilithJuly | 14: #LoveFool

📷: Made with Typorama

KarenUK, Cinfhen

KarenUK Perfect 👌 5y

Cinfhen 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻fabulous 5y

58 likes2 comments

madamereadsalot1

Two Gentlemen of Verona: Comedy by William Shakespeare | William Shakespeare

#rival #quotsymar19 @tk-421

It's been a long day, I'm late to the game.

gradcat This is a great post—I love the words & the graphic! Brava! 6y

madamereadsalot1 @gradcat thanks! I have a good time trying to find a great quote (from something I've either read, or barring that, by someone who's work I'm really familiar with) and a complimentary image! 😊 6y

gradcat I‘m the same...I love it! ❤️ 6y

20 likes3 comments

Lcsmcat

Two Gentlemen of Verona: Comedy by William Shakespeare | William Shakespeare