William Shakespeare
The Two Gentlemen of Verona
The full script in Final Draft, Word & PDF
Two friends are divided by love, betrayal and banishment in an early comedy with one of Shakespeare's most debated endings.
PDFs Only
$4.99
- ✓ Stageplay PDF (94 pp.)
- ✓ Screenplay PDF (82 pp.)
- ✓ Instant download
Full Package
$12.99
- ✓ Final Draft (.fdx)
- ✓ Microsoft Word + RTF
- ✓ Screenplay + Stageplay PDFs
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All 37 plays in every format cost $99, less than 8 single Full Packages. PDFs only: $55 for all 37.
- Genre
- Comedy
- Written
- c. 1590–1593
- Setting
- Verona, Milan and a forest
- Scenes
- 20
- Speaking roles
- 17
- Uncut running time
- ~2h 05m
What happens in The Two Gentlemen of Verona
Valentine leaves Verona to see the world in Milan, while his friend Proteus stays behind to court Julia. Soon Proteus is sent to Milan too, and on arrival he falls for Silvia, the Duke's daughter, whom Valentine loves and plans to elope with. He betrays his friend by telling the Duke.
Valentine is banished and becomes the leader of a band of outlaws in the forest. Julia follows Proteus to Milan disguised as a page and finds him trying to win Silvia. Meanwhile the servants Speed and Launce, the latter with his dog Crab, provide a separate comic commentary. The plots meet in the forest, where the lovers are revealed and the friends reconcile.
See the formatting
The first page of Act I, exactly as it appears in the files you download.
The biggest roles
Share of the play's spoken words, counted from the script. 17 characters speak; 3 of them have under 1% of the text — natural candidates for doubling.
| Role | Share of the text | Speeches |
|---|---|---|
| Proteus | | 152 |
| Valentine | | 149 |
| Julia | | 109 |
| Launce | | 69 |
| Duke | | 51 |
| Speed | | 117 |
| Silvia | | 58 |
| Lucetta | | 48 |
For directors
Proteus (19.3%), Valentine (16.7%) and Julia (14.3%) lead a very even company, with Launce (11.0%), the Duke (9.0%) and Speed (8.7%) close behind and seven roles over 5%. Only 17 speaking roles across 20 scenes, with 3 under 1%, means there is little doubling potential, and the cast is mostly young. At about 2 hours 5 minutes uncut, it fits comfortably into an evening. Launce's dog Crab is a casting question of its own.
Cutting notes
- The ending in 5.4, in which Proteus is forgiven and Valentine offers to give up Silvia, is the most debated passage, and productions often rework or soften it.
- Speed's and Launce's wordplay-heavy exchanges are often shortened where the puns have dated.
- Some outlaw scenes in the forest are trimmed for pace.
For teachers
Typical themes include friendship versus romantic love, inconstancy, disguise, and the way the play prefigures later comedies such as Twelfth Night. Students often discuss the abrupt resolution in 5.4, in which Valentine forgives Proteus, and the comic scenes with Launce and his dog. The play is often studied as an early example of Shakespeare's comic form.
Questions
Is this the complete, uncut text of The Two Gentlemen of Verona?
Yes. Every file contains the full play — 20 scenes and about 17,000 spoken words. Cut it yourself in Word or Final Draft to fit your running time.
What is the difference between the stageplay and screenplay layouts?
The stageplay layout indents stage directions and sets dialogue full-width, like a theatre script. The screenplay layout follows film conventions: scene headings and action flush left, character names centred, dialogue in a narrower column. Both tiers include both layouts as PDFs; the Full Package adds editable Final Draft and Word files of each.
Can I use this The Two Gentlemen of Verona script for a production or a class?
Yes. Shakespeare's plays are in the public domain, so there are no royalties to pay for staging them. Edit, stage, film or teach with these files.
How do I receive the files?
Right after checkout you land on a private download page, and the link is also emailed to you. It keeps working, so you can re-download any time.
