Al-Warraq Library does not host book files; it takes you to the copy at the original source. Public-domain status differs from country to country, so check the law where you live before downloading or republishing the book. Do you hold rights in this work? Request its removal
Two close friends from Verona, the faithful lover Valentine and the fickle Proteus, travel to the court of Milan, where both fall in love with the duke's…
Two close friends from Verona, the faithful lover Valentine and the fickle Proteus, travel to the court of Milan, where both fall in love with the duke's daughter, Silvia. Proteus betrays his friend and forgets his own sweetheart, Julia, who follows him disguised as a page. Valentine, banished, becomes the leader of a band of outlaws in the forest, while Proteus's servant Launce supplies the comedy with his complaints about his ungrateful dog, Crab.
Context and significance
Probably one of Shakespeare's very first plays, written around 1590, it introduces many devices of his later comedies, the heroine in boy's clothes, the forest of outlaws and the comic servant, and its song 'Who is Silvia?' is famous. First printed in the First Folio of 1623, it is given here in that edition's text and spelling. Compare As You Like It.
About the author
William Shakespeare (1564–1616), born in Stratford-upon-Avon, actor, playwright and shareholder of a London company, wrote about thirty-seven plays and 154 sonnets.