Reading Adler's List

Though considered a comedy, there wasn’t much to laugh about. There’s some humorous banter between the servants and some decent punning along the way. Lies, cross-dressing and love all seem to be surefire ingredients for some laughs, but it all seems rather heavy-handed as Proteus systematically betrays everyone around him. To Shakespeare’s credit, the characters have distinct and consistent personalities that make the unbelievable ending marginally palatable.

More studied reviews discuss, convincingly, the juxtaposition of the values of the ruling class versus the ruled. The values of the elite are shallow and impractical while the servants in the play speak of more deeply held loyalties and practicality. There are also seems to be a general consensus that though Two Gentleman of Verona has numerous missteps, it also reveals edges of scuffed talent refined in Shakespeare’s later plays.