The Two Gentlemen of Verona - Softcover

Shakespeare, William

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0141396423 ISBN 13: 9780141396422

Publisher: Penguin Press, 2015

Synopsis

An engaging comedy of love, The Two Gentlemen of Verona deals with the conflict between friendship and romance, and features one of Shakespeare's most memorable clowns. This Penguin Shakespeare edition is edited by Norman Sanders with an introduction by Russell Jackson. 'Except I be by Silvia in the night, There is no music in the nightingale' Leaving behind both home and beloved, a young man travels to Milan to meet his closest friend. Once there, however, he falls in love with his friend's new sweetheart and resolves to seduce her. Love-crazed and desperate, he is soon moved to commit cynical acts of betrayal, revealing how passion can prove more powerful than even the strongest loyalty owed to a friend. This book contains a general introduction to Shakespeare's life and Elizabethan theatre, a separate introduction to the play, a chronology, suggestions for further reading, an essay discussing performance options on both stage and screen, and a commentary.

About this title

From the Publisher:

Designed for school districts, educators, and students seeking to maximize performance on standardized tests, Webster’s paperbacks take advantage of the fact that classics are frequently assigned readings in English courses. By using a running thesaurus at the bottom of each page, this edition of The Two Gentlemen of Verona by William Shakespeare was edited for students who are actively building their vocabularies in anticipation of taking PSAT®, SAT®, AP® (Advanced Placement®), GRE®, LSAT®, GMAT® or similar examinations.

PSAT® is a registered trademark of the College Entrance Examination Board and the National Merit Scholarship Corporation neither of which sponsors or endorses this book; SAT® is a registered trademark of the College Board which neither sponsors nor endorses this book; GRE®, AP® and Advanced Placement® are registered trademarks of the Educational Testing Service which neither sponsors nor endorses this book, GMAT® is a registered trademark of the Graduate Management Admissions Council which is neither affiliated with this book nor endorses this book, LSAT® is a registered trademark of the Law School Admissions Council which neither sponsors nor endorses this product. All rights reserved.

From the Back Cover:

Valentine and Proteus are devoted comrades―until they travel to Milan and meet Silvia, the Duke's ravishing daughter. Torn between the bonds of friendship and the lure of romance, the two gentlemen are further bedeviled by Proteus's prior commitment to Julia, his hometown sweetheart, and the Duke's disdain for Valentine. Thus the stage is set for a comic spree involving a daring escape into a forest, capture by outlaws, and the antics of a clown and his dog.
Written early in Shakespeare's career, this madcap romp embodies many themes and motifs the playwright would explore at greater depth in his later works. The first of his plays in which the heroine dresses as a boy to seek out her beloved, it's also the first in which the characters retreat to the natural world to brave danger and disorder before achieving harmony, and the first in which passionate youth triumphs over dictatorial elders.

About this edition

• Publisher: Penguin Press
• Publication date: 2015
• ISBN 10: 0141396423
• ISBN 13: 9780141396422
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 240