Thursday, April 25, 2013

The Two Servants of Verona

The third act of The Two Gentlemen of Verona came and went extra quickly. All the same, it delivered the play's pivotal moment. Proteus has now stepped into the game and is vying for Sylvia's affection. In fact, at the end of act three, Proteus is off to Sylvia's chambers to convince her that Valentine was just a rake so that she can happily agree to her father's choice of Thurio. Of course, Valentine is as smitten with Sylvia as Romeo is with Juliet.

The other Shakespeare staple to be found in the third act is broad comedy. The servants Lance and Speed are the two firing off jokes, but it's also clear that they're no feminists (saying at one point that it's a virtue and no vice for a woman to be "slow in words" (III.i.324)).

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