The Two Gentlemen of Verona was written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1590 and 1594, thus placing it among the earliest of the Bard’s plays. Some scholars suggest that the play was likely the very first play Shakespeare wrote for the stage. The primary source for Shakespeare in writing this play appears to be a Spanish romance by Jorge de Montemayor titled La Diana Enamorada which was subsequently translated into English and thus available as source material. Other versions of this story were also at Shakespeare’s disposal and the final product he produced does indicate access to more than just one single resource.
The English Renaissance in general was marked by the popularity of romantic dramas heavily based on Italian love stories. Romeo and Juliet belongs to that tradition of Italian love stories adapted for the British stage as well, and while that tragedy has consistently remained popular with audiences, as an artistic achievement it also consistently ranks in the bottom half of Shakespeare’s canon. By comparison, The Two Gentlemen of Verona has not only failed to ignite the appreciation of critics, it has failed to spark the interest of audiences.
The Italian love stories that were often adapted for the stage were rife with plot points like lovers taking on disguises and conflict developing between friends. Those and many other attributes that Shakespeare would later develop to a more mature degree are present in The Two Gentlemen of Verona. For instance, the character of Julia becomes the prototype for many more well-known female characters who take on a disguise in order to further their aims, such as Viola from Twelfth Night or Rosalind from As You Like It.
Other than as a dress rehearsal for later theatrical work, The Two Gentlemen of Verona has historically proven to contain little else of much interest for critics and scholars. The comedy routinely ranks as one of the least performed of Shakespeare’s works in English-speaking countries except for theaters suffering from a shortage of players. Since the play requires the smallest speaking cast of any of Shakespeare’s works, it is much better suited to a smaller theater company. Conversely, perhaps due to its Italian dramatic influence, The Two Gentlemen of Verona has consistently been more popular in European countries where English is not the dominant language.
