It is quite possible that The Two Gentlemen of Verona is Shakespeare’s first play. Although raw, it already contains the seeds of what will later grow into his major themes: young lovers, confused in love, flee the city, lose themselves in the woods and finally discover themselves; a woman disguises herself as a man to follow her beloved, who fails to recognise her, which develops into his transgressive insight that to be fully human, we must perform ourselves.
This ties directly into another of Shakespeare’s fundamental themes, that love is about paying attention to the other. It's not just about feeling a great feeling for another; for Shakespeare, in order to truly love someone we must first see them as unique individuals. In Verona we meet different kinds of love: the love between the two protagonists, the love each of them feels for the women they love, the love between parents and children. And in all cases it’s dangerous to revel in the intensity of our feelings, it’s better first to pay attention and then care for the people we love. And in order to see another, we first need to see ourselves. And that’s not as easy as these characters believe.
Performance followed by a discussion with the creative team, moderated by ESRA - European Shakespeare Research Association. (Following the 2:00 PM performance)
