1. Two Gentlemen Of
Verona
By
A . J. Cronin

2. City Of Verona
 Verona is situated near the river Adige in Veneto,
Northern Italy with 265,000 inhabitants.
 It is the second largest municipality in the region and
third in Northeast Italy.
 Owing to its artistic culture, it is one of the main tourist
attractions in Northern Italy.
 UNESCO has awarded this city as “A World Heritage
Site” because of its urban structure and Architecture.

3. Map Of Italy
Flag Of
Verona
City Of
Verona
Statue Of Dante
Alighieri in Verona
Verona Arena

4. Summary of A . J . Cronin’s
Two Gentlemen Of Verona
 An inspirational and touching story of Jacopo and Nicola, two brothers
aged 12 and 13 who do odd jobs and live a hard life in the city of Verona,
Italy.
 A J Cronin uses the title of William Shakespeare’s famous play, ‘The
Two Gentlemen of Verona’ in an ironic manner
 His portrayal of these modern “gentlemen” of Verona re-defines the
concept of what it means to be a gentleman
 The two brothers wage a daily fight against extreme poverty, and
deprivation, to sustain and treat their elder sister Lucia who is
suffering from tuberculosis of the spine.
 Cronin shows us that one may polish boots or sell newspapers, but it is
the magnanimity of the heart, and the nobleness of purpose, that
actually determines whether one is a true “gentleman”.

5.  Written in the first person it presents a humanist point of view
where; the strength and nobility of the human spirit, the
effervescence and innocence of youth are symbolized through
the characters of Nicola and Jacopo.
 Unperturbed by the ragged nature of their appearance;
impressed by their sincerity and willingness to work hard, the
man engages the two boys to run errands for him.
 Once, he chances upon them at night, sitting on a pavement,
waiting to board a bus to sell the last lot of their newspapers.
 Seeing their distraught appearance he offers his help, and the
younger one asks him if they could be dropped to a village in the
countryside.
 On visiting the village he witnesses a poignant scene between the
two brothers and their ailing sister Lucia.
 He is amazed by their unfazed childish faith in themselves and
their hope of securing a happy future for their family.

6. SETTING
 Verona, Italy
 Poleta – 30 KMs from Verona where Lucia’s hospital is situated.
TITLE:
 Nicola and Jacopo are children of 13 & 12 years of age respectively.
 They have gentlemen-like qualities.
 They consider no work to be menial.
 They do all sorts of odd jobs to meet the expenses of their sister’s
treatment.
 They do all jobs with great sense of integrity.
 It is the magnanimity of heart and the nobleness of purpose that
actually determines whether one is a true “gentleman”.
 Title matches one of Shakespeare’s early plays which makes this story
sounds all the more important.

7. Piazza delle Erbe
Piazza dei
Signori
The Lamberti
Tower
Juliet’s Balcony
A Few More
Famous Places
Of Verona
Roman Theatre and
Archaeological Museum
Duomo
di Verona
Castelvecchio
Juliet’s Tomb
Madonna
Verona
Juliet’s Statue

8. Summary Of Shakespeare’s Two
Gentlemen Of Verona
CHARACTERS:
 Valentine- young man living in Verona
 Proteus- Valentine’s closest friend
 Silvia- a girl who falls in love with Valentine in Milan
 Julia- a girl who loves Proteus in Verona
 Duke of Milan- Silvia’s father
 Lucetta- Julia’s waiting woman
 Antonio- Proteus’ father
 Thurio- foolish rival of Valentine for Silvia
 Eglamour- aids in Silvia’s escape
 Speed- clownish servant to Valentine
 Lance- the like to Proteus
 Panthino- Antonio’s servant
 Outlaws

9.  Bosom buddies Valentine and Proteus bid a tearful
farewell on a street in Verona. Valentine is off to
improve himself, venturing out to see the world, while
Proteus stays home in Verona, tied by his love for
Julia. After Valentine departs, his servant, Speed,
enters. Proteus inquires whether or not Speed
delivered a letter to Julia, to which Speed replies
affirmatively. Julia, meanwhile, asks her maid,
Lucetta, with which man she should fall in love, and
Lucetta recommends Proteus. Lucetta admits that
she has a letter for Julia from Proteus. After much
bickering, Julia tears up the letter, only to regret
this act an instant later.

10.  Antonio decides to send Proteus, his son, to the Duke's
court in Milan, a decision with which neither Proteus nor
Julia is particularly happy. They exchange rings and
promises to keep loving each other. Meanwhile, Valentine
has fallen in love with the Duke's feisty daughter, Silvia.
When Proteus arrives at court, he too falls in love with
Silvia, and vows to do anything he can to win her away from
Valentine.
Silvia

11. When Valentine confesses that he and Silvia plan
to elope, Proteus notifies the Duke of their
plans, gaining favor for himself and effecting
Valentine's banishment from court. Back in
Verona, Julia has hatched a plan to disguise
herself as a man so that she can journey to Milan
to be reunited with Proteus. Upon arriving at
court, she witnesses Proteus and Thurio wooing
Silvia.
Valentine Rescuing Silvia from
Proteus

12.  The banished Valentine, while traveling to Mantua, is
apprehended by a group of outlaws. The outlaws, all of whom
are banished gentlemen as well, demand Valentine to become
their king. Since they threaten to kill him if he refuses,
Valentine accepts. Silvia and Julia, who is disguised as the
page Sebastian, meet when Julia delivers the ring Proteus
had given her to Silvia on behalf of Proteus. Julia does not
reveal her identity.

13. Silvia calls on her friend Sir Eglamour to help her escape her
father's oppressive will (he wants her to marry Thurio) and
to find Valentine. However, while traveling through the
forest, she and Eglamour are overtaken by a band of
outlaws. Eglamour runs away, leaving Silvia to fend for
herself against the outlaws. By this time, the Duke, Proteus,
and Thurio, with Sebastian/Julia in tow, have organized a
search party for Silvia.

14.  Proteus wrests Silvia away from the outlaws. Valentine
watches the interaction unseen. Proteus demands that Silvia
give him some sign of her favor for freeing her, but she
refuses. He tries to rape her for her resistance, but
Valentine jumps out and stops him. Proteus immediately
apologizes, and Valentine offers to give him Silvia as a token
of their friendship. At this moment, Sebastian faints and
his true identity becomes clear. Proteus decides that he
really loves Julia better than Silvia, and takes her instead.
The Duke realizes that Thurio is a thug and says that
Valentine is far nobler and can marry Silvia. Valentine asks
for clemency for the outlaws, and suggests that his
marriage to Silvia and Proteus' marriage to Julia should
take place on the same day.