2014 Study Guide
TABLE OF CONTENTS About the Play .....................................................................................................................................2 About Our Production ......................................................................................................................3 About Shakespeare .............................................................................................................................5 Who’s Who in Two Gents..................................................................................................................6 Some Historical Context...................................................................................................................7 Petrarchan Love ..................................................................................................................................8 Our Setting for Two Gents.................................................................................................................9 Creating the Look: Costume Design...........................................................................................10 Setting the Scene: Scenic Design ..................................................................................................11 Shakespeare’s Language ...................................................................................................................12 Music in Our Production.................................................................................................................13 Seeing the Play ...................................................................................................................................14 After the Play .....................................................................................................................................15 About AST..........................................................................................................................................16 Works Consulted .............................................................................................................................17
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About the Play
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The Two Gentlemen of Verona is a comedy about the joys and complexities of friendship and love. The story is set in Verona at the beginning of the play, then later in Milan, before moving to a forest outside Milan, where it reaches its stunning conclusion. The central plot revolves around four young lovers: Proteus, Valentine, Julia, and Silvia, and their respective journeys into adulthood through finding themselves and discovering who they love. Per usual in Shakespeare’s plays, falling in love is far from simple. Jealousy, competition, and disapproving parents are all impediments to the course of true love. Meanwhile, the servant characters in Two Gents live out their own stories that parallel the main plot.
The Two Gentlemen of Verona is thought to be the first play Shakespeare wrote. Scholarly opinions vary, but the date of its composition appears to be sometime between 1592 and 1594. However, it is likely that it wasn’t first staged until 1594, because all theatres in London had been closed due to an outbreak of the Bubonic plague between 1592 and 1593. Also, the role of Launce, a foolish servant to Proteus, and owner of the surly dog Crab, is thought to have been played by William Kemp, who did not join Shakespeare’s theatre company, The Lord Chamberlain’s Men, until 1594. Although the play was one of Shakespeare’s earliest plays, it was not published until 1623, seven years after Shakespeare’s death. 1623 marked the publication of the complete works of William Shakespeare. This collection was published in folio form, which used a larger, unfolded type of parchment. Many of Shakespeare’s other plays also had a quarto edition previous to the publication of the folio, which was just one play by itself, printed or written onto a piece of parchment folded into fourths. There can be a lot of differences between quarto and folio versions, which means that directors have to decide which version, or pieces of both, they want to use to produce these plays. This is the case with Hamlet, which is also making its first appearance at the Arkansas Shakespeare Theatre this season.
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About Our Production To find out more about this specific production, I talked with director and AST Producing Artistic Director, Rebekah Scallet. Q: Thank you so much for meeting with me! So, how long have you been with Arkansas Shakespeare Theatre, and what’s been your role here throughout the years? A: This is my third summer to be here, so it’s been about three years; I moved here and started in 2011. My role since I’ve been here has been as Producing Artistic Director, so I am in charge of all the artistic things, so I pick the season, choose the plays, work with the directors to do all of the casting, hire the designers, and all of that, but I also have producing in the title, which means that I’m dealing with budgets and money and marketing and fundraising and all of the other aspects of it as well! Q: Sounds like you’re pretty busy! What is it about AST that you are so passionate about? A: That’s a good question! Well, I would say it really is sort of the perfect storm for me, having been passionate about Shakespeare and having been doing works of Shakespeare for a long time and also the fact that it’s in Arkansas and it’s the only professional Shakespeare company in the state. This is the place I grew up; I grew up in Little Rock. So, having this opportunity to come back home and present the works of Shakespeare for my community that I grew up in is really, really special. So I guess that’s my passion, just sharing my love of Shakespeare and Shakespeare’s plays with the other people here. Q: That’s great! Let’s get to the show. So, why did you choose to do Two Gents? A: Well, first of all, we’ve never done it before. I try to pick plays we haven’t done before, because there’s a limited number of Shakespeare’s plays but we’re still a new company, so I want people to get to see new plays, not just, you know, Much Ado About Nothing every year. Also, when I was looking at the different comedies we could do, this one really appealed to me because it has so many fun elements that you see in Shakespeare’s later works that are much more well-known. It has the girl that disguises herself to dress as a boy to serve the man she loves, it has clowns and the otherworld element of the forest, as well. Q: Interesting. So, I’ve heard it’s set in the early 1960’s. Why this era? A: Well, it sort of started from the idea of taking the two gentlemen: Proteus, and Valentine, and trying to get across the strength of their friendship, and this idea of male friendship is very different in the Elizabethan period versus today, and I thought that a great way to kind of get this idea across
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of the strength of this bond was to say that they were in a band together. Because that’s an idea that we really get in our culture today, like “These guys make music together, so they’re really tight!” So we started with that idea, and this idea of making more music into the play, and I talked to Jordan Coughtry, our Proteus, about creating original music and once we had that then we sort of needed to have a period to set it in that fit those things, it had to be contemporary enough to have that and make that work. So the 1960s sort of evolved from there, but I also really like the period because it works really well with the women in the play and their roles, and things that were happening in the early ‘60s, before the “burn the bra” and the women’s liberation movement really started to happen, so these are women who are still very protected, do not have a whole lot of agency themselves, and are still kind of struggling against that, so I thought that was fitting too. Plus the costumes are really pretty (laughs). Q: They are! I didn’t think about all of that! So what themes do you think translate to both of these eras and today, in connecting it with our audience? A: Sure, sure. Well, certainly what I just spoke about, with the role of women and things changing. I think the themes that are really universal is this idea of being young and stupid and going through this growing process with growing pains as we all figure out who we are and make bad mistakes along the way, and if we’re lucky enough having friends that forgive us and help us through that; I think that’s really sort of the journey of the play, and that’s very resonant, it hasn’t changed. Q: Is there a character in the show that you most identify with? A: I don’t know if there’s a specific character I really identify with, but I always really like the pants roles. I like the women that dress up as men because I think when I was growing up I liked to think of myself as a tomboy—I don’t know if I actually was—but I liked that sort of identity of being a girl but having that sort of toughness and taking on that role. So I like that Julia does that. I also love Silvia, that she’s so outspoken and clear and blunt, probably the most of any of the women in the play, and so I think that they’re both really cool, strong women, when you think that the characters were written in the 1590s. Q: Yeah, I definitely agree. So, besides really liking the play and having fun, what do you want the audience to take away from seeing this production? A: I think it really speaks to the power of forgiveness, and how important that quality is in each of us and how magnanimous it is of us to be able to do that to let go of your own selfish needs and hurt and forgive another person and give them that gift and how powerful that is. I think that’s still really resonant.
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About Shakespeare Some critics have thought that someone who did not have access to a university education or to court life could not have been capable of writing plays with the depth of knowledge Shakespeare did. The fact that we have so little information about him, accompanied by the fact that he was not a member of the upper class, has caused some people to doubt his authorship. However, there is sufficient evidence to prove that he was true author of all those dramatic masterpieces, including The Two Gentlemen of Verona!
So, what do we know about Shakespeare? ü He was born in Stratford-Upon-Avon in 1564), most likely on April 23rd. Most babies during this time period were baptized three days after they were born, and Shakespeare was baptized on April 26th. Elizabeth I was on the throne at the time. ü His parents were John (a glovemaker) and Mary (Arden) Shakespeare. ü Shakespeare probably attended King Edward VI grammar school in Stratford-UponAvon, where he would have studied Latin, which he uses frequently in his plays. ü He would have read classical authors such as Ovid, Homer, Seneca, and Horace. ü Shakespeare did not attend university, unlike several of his contemporary playwrights. ü In 1582, he married Anne Hathaway (who was eight years older than him), and six months later, they had their first child, Susanna. In 1585, they had twins, Hamnet and Judith. Sadly, Hamnet died at a very young age. ü A seven year period termed “the lost years” followed, so called because we do not know exactly what Shakespeare was up to during this time. ü By 1592, Shakespeare was in London, writing plays and sonnets, and gaining attention from other artists of his day. Robert Greene accused him of pilfering from other writers and derisively referred to him as an “upstart crow” in 1592. ü Shakespeare was both an actor and a playwright for the Lord Chamberlain’s Men, which he joined around 1594 and remained part of until the end of his life. ü When King James I, a huge supporter of the theatre, took the throne in 1603, Shakespeare’s company became the King’s Men. ü He continued writing until around 1609. ü Shakespeare died in 1616, on his 52nd birthday.
Despite his immeasurable talent, Shakespeare didn’t know everything. For one, he was not great with geography. In Two Gents, the characters discuss taking lengthy voyages by ship from Verona to Milan. This sounds fine for a play, but both of these cities are land-locked, and only two hours apart by car! So, Shakespeare clearly did not have access to detailed geography lessons or to extensive travel, both of which he probably would have had if he was a noble and not the real William Shakespeare!
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Who’s Who in Two Gents
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Some Historical Context The Two Gentlemen of Verona was written in England in the 1590s—a very different culture and time than our own! To help you get acquainted with what was going on around the time the play was written, here is a timeline of some major events in Renaissance Europe: 1531, Sir Thomas Elyot’s The Boke Named the Governour is published 1558, Elizabeth I becomes Queen 1559, Montemayor’s Diana performed in Spain 1564, Shakespeare is born in Stratford-upon-Avon 1567, Arthur Golding translates Ovid’s Metamorphoses into English 1577, The History of Titus and Gisippus is performed by Sebastion Westcott’s Paul’s Boys 1580, Montaigne’s “Of Friendship” essay is published in France 1593 or 1594, The Two Gentlemen of Verona is written 1603, Queen Elizabeth I dies Now, you might be wondering what some of these publications are. These are just a few of the works that scholars think may have influenced the plot or themes of Two Gents. The Boke Named the Governour and The History of Titus and Gisippius, a lost play, contain stories of two young men named Titus and Gisippius who valued each other’s friendship a great deal and fell in love with the same women, and the conflict that comes from that. Diana has a plot about two lovers named Felix and Felismena that resembles Proteus and Julia’s plotline in our play. Shakespeare also uses variants of the word “metamorphosis” multiple times in this play, because it is about transformation and growing up, but he seems to have been inspired a great deal by Ovid. Both Montaigne’s “Of Friendship” and The Boke of the Governour contain essays on the importance of male friendship, which was highly valued during the Renaissance period, more so than any other type of bond, of which Valentine and Proteus are a great example. A concept of this closer to our time is the idea of “bromance,” such as J.D. and Turk in the television program Scrubs.
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Petrarchan Love The Petrarchan love tradition plays an important role in Two Gents. This famous poetic tradition originated from a sonnet writer named Petrarch, born in Italy during the early Renaissance. He wrote sonnets about his beloved, but the reader never heard from or saw the beloved, except through the eyes of the lover writing the sonnet. The sonneteer was also never able to be with his beloved; the sonnets were always about a love he could not attain. Shakespeare explores this in many of his sonnets, as it was becoming very popular during his day. See if you notice any characters in Two Gents that question this tradition, particularly the tradition of a silent woman on a pedestal.
Francesco Petrarch, 1304-1374
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Our Setting for Two Gents AST’ s production of Two Gents is set in the 1960’s, a time of revolution, whether regarding equality of gender and races, wars and protests against them, or religious change. Two Gents shares this spirit of change—social roles of women and the tight class structures are starting to shift, and there is tension between the younger and older generations. To get an idea of just how revolutionary the ’60s were, check out this timeline: 1960, Birth control pill is approved by FDA 1960, Rightist Riots begin in Italy as part of the post-fascist Italian Social Movement 1961, Berlin Wall is built 1962-, Cuban Missile Crisis 1963, Betty Friedman’s The Feminine Mystique is published 1963, First female astronaut in space 1963, U.S. and U.S.S.R. establish “Hot line” agreement 1963, J.F.K. assassinated 1963, Martin Luther King, Jr. gives “I Have a Dream” speech 1964- Beatles appear in U.S. on Ed Sullivan Show 1964-Civil Rights Act passes in U.S. 1965, U.S. sends troops to Vietnam 1965-Miniskirt first created 1965-Malcom X assassinated 1966, Black Panther Party established 1967, Thurgood Marshall appointed first African-American Supreme Court Justice 1968, M.L.K. Jr. assassinated 1968, The Beatles’ “Revolution” track released 1968, Student riots in Italy, France, and Germany 1969, Italy-“Hot Autumn,” universities and factories occupied, riots and violence breaks out between leftist and rightist students and workers
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Creating the Look: Costume Design Our production is set in the early 1960s, but it’s in Italy, so our costume designer, Rachel Laritz, went for a relaxed but dressy look for our production, inspired by both the country and city styles of the 1960s. Here are a few of her sketches:
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Setting the Scene: Scenic Design Within our production, Verona is country-like and open, while Milan is more upscale with a big city feel. Below are a few pictures that inspired our setting for this production:
A balcony in Verona, which was one source of inspiration for the balcony in our set.
Wall of letters to Juliet in Verona—both Shakespeare’s Two Gents and Romeo and Juliet were set in Verona and inspired by Arthur Brooke’s Romeus and Juliet (1562).
Milan at night
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Shakespeare’s Language Shakespeare’s language is different from ours today, and it has often been a barrier to people attempting to enjoy his plays and poetry. You may be surprised to know, however, that Shakespeare wrote in Modern English, although a much earlier form. Obviously, there is not room in this study guide to go through all of the difficult words that appear in this play, but here is a short glossary of words, phrases, and allusions that might be unfamiliar. Beadsman: One hired to say prayers for another by telling beads on a rosary Beshrew me: A mild oath of the period Canker: A sort of destructive caterpillar Ducat: A gold coin, worth much more than a testern, which is worth six pence Environ: To surround with hostile intention Fain: Readily or willingly Haply: By chance
Hero and Leander: A tale from Greek mythology about a man, Leander, who loved a priestess, Hero, who lived across the Hellespont (a sort of strait) from him, and thus decided to swim to her and climb to her tower to be with her, but sadly, he drowned. This has been repeated in several poems. The most popular Renaissance version was Christopher Marlowe’s Hero and Leander. Marry: “By the Virgin Mary,” an oath of the time Meet: Suitable Metamorphosed: Changed, transformed, created by Shakespeare and used several times in the play, clearly a reference to Ovid’s Metamorphosis stories
Other differences to be aware of in Shakespeare’s language are his altering use of verse and prose, and usually the prose indicates joking or mocking, such as a servant with a master. See if you can pick up when it changes from verse to prose and back and why the subject matter may have called for that. Shakespeare also uses a lot of puns, particularly plays on words that sounded similar during his day, such as “ship” and “sheep.” Due to changes in pronunciation, some of these puns are hard to catch, the same thing can be said of some of Shakespeare’s lines that would have rhymed in his day.
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Music in Our Production AST company member Jordan Coughtry has written and arranged a lot of original music for this production. Jordan has said that he tried to incorporate parts of Shakespeare’s love sonnets in his music to make it more authentic to the show and its themes. In fact, a few of the songs are wordfor-word sonnets, one of which is Sonnet 116.
Since the play is set in the 1960s, the songs have been arranged to fit that period and have a bit more modern sound that evokes that time period and is reminiscent of bands such as the Beatles. As director Rebekah Scallet expressed in the interview, regardless of your preferred genre or time period of music, the idea of the guys in a band forming a tight bond, travelling together and making music about life transcends those categories and is still relatable today, so this effort with the music was part of bridging the 400-year gap between Shakespeare and ourselves.
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Seeing the Play In Shakespeare’s day, the theatre was quite a different atmosphere than theatre is typically thought of today. It was not classy; it was crowded and probably smelly, people didn’t have to be quiet the whole time, and some people even threw food at the actors. We at AST would prefer that you quietly sit and enjoy the show, and that you please don’t throw food at our actors. The Two Gentlemen of Verona is being performed outdoors, though, and Shakespeare’s Globe theatre was also an outdoor venue.
Artist’s interpretation of 1599 Globe [http://www3.no rthern.edu/wild/ th100/CHAPT1 3B.HTM]
What to Know Before You Go ü You can bring a blanket or lawn chair to sit on. ü This production is paywhat-you-can, with a suggested donation of $15 (of course, you can always donate more!). ü Hey, it’s Arkansas in the summer—so, wear comfortable (heat-friendly) clothes—no fancy attire required! ü Bring along friends or family! It makes the whole experience more fun. ü There will be markers of where the audience can and cannot sit (some actors will be entering from the back) so please keep that in mind.
Design sketch for AST’s outdoor production of Two Gents
ü Feel free to bring a picnic or snacks to enjoy during the show. ü Please silence your cellphone before the performance begins. ü No photography, please. ü Enjoy the show!
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After the Play So, after you have seen the play, it’s time to think about what you saw, and ask yourself a few questions, or discuss it with the friends or family that you saw the play with: • • • • • • • •
Whether or not you had read the play or even seen it before, or not, what surprised you about this production? What was different from your expectations? Think about the subjects in the “before” section. How does this play comment on these issues? Do any of the characters cause or perpetuate the problems addressed in the “before” section? Which characters fought against these problems? What did you notice that connects this play to other Shakespeare plays, or even other, more modern comedies? Was there a character you identified with the most or wanted the best for? Can you think of other ways that this play could be staged to highlight different issues that are brought up in the play? What have you learned from this theatre experience?
About AST 15
Founded in 2006, The Arkansas Shakespeare Theatre produces a repertory of family-friendly professional productions each summer in Conway. With our missions of artistic excellence, educational opportunities, and community outreach, the Arkansas Shakespeare Theatre adds something unique in our region and provides thousands of families with a one-of-a-kind experience in a world- class facility. After seven seasons of outstanding theatre, education, and outreach opportunities, over 10,000 tickets sold to date, over 1000 tickets given away to local students and charities, over 75 intern scholarships created, and over 150 theatre artists hired from all over the country, 2010 is proving to be a great year for this one-of- a-kind festival, and we hope to see you again (and again and again!). For this theatre to most effectively serve our community, we need to represent our community! Become a part of this exciting experiment as a board member, volunteer, season ticket holder, member, or patron. Thank you for supporting your local theatre.
For more details and information about Arkansas Shakespeare Theatre, please visit our website: http://www.arkshakes.com/
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Works Consulted "The Life of William Shakespeare: 1564-1616." National Endowment for the Arts Presents Shakespeare in American Communities. http://www.shakespeareinamericancommunities.org/education/life-williamshakespeare Accessed May 18, 2014.
Rosenberg, Jennifer. "1960's Timeline: Timeline of the 20th Century." About.com: Education-The Twentieth Century. http://history1900s.about.com/od/timelines/tp/1960timeline.htm Accessed May 7, 2014.
Montaigne, Michele de. "Of Friendship." Project Gutenberg's The Essays of Michele De Montaigne, Complete. Ihttp://www.gutenberg.org/files/3600/3600-h/3600-h.htm#link2HCH0027 Accessed May 8, 2014. (Project Gutenberg).
Shakespeare, William. The Two Gentlemen of Verona. Arden, Third Edition. Ed. William C. Carroll. London: Bloomsbury. 2004. Print. (all definitions)
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