The Two Gentlemen of Verona is a comedy play by William Shakespeare. It is often considered one of Shakespeare's weakest plays. It is believed to have been written between 1589 and 1593. It is considered his first play, and shows some of his preliminary themes and motifs that he would later develop more fully. One example of this is a heroine who is dressed as a boy. Other notable themes are friendship, infidelity, the conflict between friendship and love, and the foolish actions of people who are in love. Some of the most popular characters are Launce, the Fool of Proteus, and his dog Crab.The play begins with Valentine, a young man who lives in Verona, who is about to leave for Milan to broaden his horizons. He pleads with his best friend, Proteus, to accompany him. Proteus, however, is in love with Julia, and so will not leave. Valentine is disappointed, but bids his friend farewell and goes alone.Julia is chatting with her maid, Lucetta, about Proteus. Lucetta says she thinks Proteus is fond of her, but Julia is too embarrassed to admit that she likes him, and so behaves coyly. Lucetta brings out a letter. She won't say who it is from, but then hints that it was Valentine's servant, Speed, who would have brought it from Proteus. Julia becomes angry in her bashfulness, and rips the letter up into pieces. She sends Lucetta away, but then realizes her mistake and kisses the letter fragments, willing them to fit back together again.Proteus' father believes Proteus should follow Valentine to Milan. He orders him to leave the next day, and as Proteus says his goodbyes to Julia, he swears he will love her eternally. They exchange rings, and Proteus promises that he will come back as soon as he can.Valentine has arrived in Milan, and is in love with the Duke's daughter, named Silvia. When Proteus arrives, he too falls in love with Silvia, despite his feelings for Julia. He vows to win her, but does not tell Valentine his feelings. Valentine says he thinks the Duke plans to marry Silvia to Thurio, a foolish but very wealthy man. The Duke, meanwhile, suspects his daughter is in love with Valentine, and so locks her up in a tower every night, and keeps the only key close to him. Valentine tells Proteus of his plan to free her with a corded ladder, and run away together. Proteus does not hesitate to tell the Duke. The Duke then captures and banishes Valentine, who is ambushed by a band of outlaws. They say they were exiled gentlemen as well, and Valentine claims he was banished for killing a man during a fair duel. The outlaws are impressed, and elect him their leader.Julia decides to leave Verona to go after Proteus in Milan. Lucetta helps her dress as a boy and disguise herself. When she arrives she quickly discovers Proteus' love for Silvia. She plots to become a page to Proteus, so as to spy on him and decide on a course of action. Proteus uses Julia, disguised as Sebastian, to send Silvia gifts, including the ring that Julia gave him. Julia finds out that Silvia has no interest in Proteus, and is disgusted in his actions. Meanwhile, Silvia mourns for Valentine, who is rumoured to be dead.Silvia is not convinced, however. She flees from Milan, assisted by Sir Eglamour. They are confronted by outlaws, and Eglamour runs away, while Silvia is taken captive. They are on their way to their leader, Valentine, when they run into Proteus and the disguised Julia. Proteus rescues Silvia, who runs further into the forest. Proteus gives chase, and attempts to persuade her to love him, all the while watched by Valentine.Proteus threatens to rape Silvia, but Valentine intervenes and denounces Proteus. Proteus says that Valentine's hatred is nothing compared to his own, and feels horrible for what he has done. Valentine is convinced easily and decides to offer his love, Silvia, to Proteus.