International Youth Theater Network

Archive for March, 2008

The popular 2006 film, Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan, was said to be based on a comedy written by William Shakespeare entitled, “The Two Gentlemen of Verona.” Some episodes of the television show, Dawson’s Creek, was also inspired by the same play. In this Shakespearean comedy, the two gentlemen referred in the title were Valentine and Proteus. They shared a bond of friendship but soon found themselves at odds when they fell in love with the same woman, Silvia.

“The Two Gentlemen of Verona” is considered by historians to be among the earliest works of Shakespeare. It was first published in the First Folio of Shakespearean plays in 1623. A major theme of this play is the question of whether friendship between two friends should outweigh the relationship between lovers. The contest between friendship and love is a recurring theme in many plays during the Renaissance. This is primarily because during Shakespeare’s time, friendship is considered to be the more important relationship. This culture explains why at the end of the play, Valentine decided to surrender Silvia to Proteus without even asking her permission. Ironically, Proteus remembered his great love for another woman, Julia which is why Valentine ended up with Silvia.

Related posts from this site:
No related posts