Friendship
When Valentine describes his relationship with Proteus, he explains, "I knew him as myself; for from our infancy / We have conversed and spent our hours together" (2.4). This quotation can be interpreted as either a simile or a metaphor: Valentine could be suggesting that he knows Proteus as well as he knows himself, emphasizing their closeness. However, he could also be saying that he and Proteus are, metaphorically, one and the same.
Proteus's Turn
When Proteus informs the audience that his love for Julia has dissipated and been usurped by new feelings for Silvia, he explains this phenomenon using a simile. He says, "Even as one heat another heat expels, / Or as one nail by strength drives out another, / So the remembrance of my former love / Is by a newer object quite forgotten" (2.4). Here, Proteus compares his love for Julia to a nail that has been pushed out of place by a better, stronger one, suggesting that Silvia is more beautiful than Julia.
Julia's Devotion
Proteus falls out of love with Julia almost immediately upon his arrival in Milan, but Julia remains a devoted and loyal lover in his absence. When expressing her plan to travel to Milan to see him, she says, "Then let me go and hinder not my course / I'll be as patient as a gentle stream / And make a pastime of each weary step" (2.7). Here, Julia uses a simile to compare her patience to a "gentle stream," suggesting that she will remain constant and calm in her love for Proteus.
Valentine's Banishment
When Valentine is banished from Milan, he delivers what is one of the most famous speeches in the play. In it, he argues that he simply cannot exist without Silvia, saying, "Except I be by Silvia in the night, / There is no music in the nightingale" (3.1). Here, Valentine uses a metaphor to compare an evening without Silvia to a nightingale without a song, suggesting that he cannot live without his lover close by.
Thurio's Anger
Thurio becomes so perturbed by the flirtatious banter between Valentine and Silvia that, according to Silvia, his face turns red. In response, Valentine continues to torment Thurio by saying, "Give him leave, madam. He is a kind of chameleon" (2.4). Here, Valentine uses a metaphor to compare Thurio to a color-changing chameleon, referring of course to his angry face but also, he suggests, Thurio's fickle nature.
