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Speeches (Lines) for Silvia
in "Two Gentlemen of Verona"

Total: 58

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# Act, Scene, Line
(Click to see in context)
Speech text

1

II,1,492

Speed. [Aside] O, give ye good even! here's a million of manners.

Silvia. Sir Valentine and servant, to you two thousand.


2

II,1,498

Valentine. As you enjoin'd me, I have writ your letter
Unto the secret nameless friend of yours;
Which I was much unwilling to proceed in
But for my duty to your ladyship.

Silvia. I thank you gentle servant: 'tis very clerkly done.


3

II,1,502

Valentine. Now trust me, madam, it came hardly off;
For being ignorant to whom it goes
I writ at random, very doubtfully.

Silvia. Perchance you think too much of so much pains?


4

II,1,505

Valentine. No, madam; so it stead you, I will write
Please you command, a thousand times as much; And yet—

Silvia. A pretty period! Well, I guess the sequel;
And yet I will not name it; and yet I care not;
And yet take this again; and yet I thank you,
Meaning henceforth to trouble you no more.


5

II,1,511

Valentine. What means your ladyship? do you not like it?

Silvia. Yes, yes; the lines are very quaintly writ;
But since unwillingly, take them again.
Nay, take them.


6

II,1,515

Valentine. Madam, they are for you.

Silvia. Ay, ay: you writ them, sir, at my request;
But I will none of them; they are for you;
I would have had them writ more movingly.


7

II,1,519

Valentine. Please you, I'll write your ladyship another.

Silvia. And when it's writ, for my sake read it over,
And if it please you, so; if not, why, so.


8

II,1,522

Valentine. If it please me, madam, what then?

Silvia. Why, if it please you, take it for your labour:
And so, good morrow, servant.


9

II,4,654

(stage directions). [Enter SILVIA, VALENTINE, THURIO, and SPEED]

Silvia. Servant!


10

II,4,662

(stage directions). [Exit]

Silvia. Servant, you are sad.


11

II,4,677

Thurio. How?

Silvia. What, angry, Sir Thurio! do you change colour?


12

II,4,684

Valentine. I know it well, sir; you always end ere you begin.

Silvia. A fine volley of words, gentlemen, and quickly shot off.


13

II,4,686

Valentine. 'Tis indeed, madam; we thank the giver.

Silvia. Who is that, servant?


14

II,4,696

Valentine. I know it well, sir; you have an exchequer of words,
and, I think, no other treasure to give your
followers, for it appears by their bare liveries,
that they live by your bare words.

Silvia. No more, gentlemen, no more:—here comes my father.


15

II,4,741

Valentine. This is the gentleman I told your ladyship
Had come along with me, but that his mistress
Did hold his eyes lock'd in her crystal looks.

Silvia. Belike that now she hath enfranchised them
Upon some other pawn for fealty.


16

II,4,744

Valentine. Nay, sure, I think she holds them prisoners still.

Silvia. Nay, then he should be blind; and, being blind
How could he see his way to seek out you?


17

II,4,750

Valentine. To see such lovers, Thurio, as yourself:
Upon a homely object Love can wink.

Silvia. Have done, have done; here comes the gentleman.


18

II,4,755

Valentine. Welcome, dear Proteus! Mistress, I beseech you,
Confirm his welcome with some special favour.

Silvia. His worth is warrant for his welcome hither,
If this be he you oft have wish'd to hear from.


19

II,4,759

Valentine. Mistress, it is: sweet lady, entertain him
To be my fellow-servant to your ladyship.

Silvia. Too low a mistress for so high a servant.


20

II,4,765

Proteus. My duty will I boast of; nothing else.

Silvia. And duty never yet did want his meed:
Servant, you are welcome to a worthless mistress.


21

II,4,768

Proteus. I'll die on him that says so but yourself.

Silvia. That you are welcome?


22

II,4,772

Thurio. Madam, my lord your father would speak with you.

Silvia. I wait upon his pleasure. Come, Sir Thurio,
Go with me. Once more, new servant, welcome:
I'll leave you to confer of home affairs;
When you have done, we look to hear from you.


23

IV,2,1719

Proteus. Madam, good even to your ladyship.

Silvia. I thank you for your music, gentlemen.
Who is that that spake?


24

IV,2,1723

Proteus. One, lady, if you knew his pure heart's truth,
You would quickly learn to know him by his voice.

Silvia. Sir Proteus, as I take it.


25

IV,2,1725

Proteus. Sir Proteus, gentle lady, and your servant.

Silvia. What's your will?


26

IV,2,1727

Proteus. That I may compass yours.

Silvia. You have your wish; my will is even this:
That presently you hie you home to bed.
Thou subtle, perjured, false, disloyal man!
Think'st thou I am so shallow, so conceitless,
To be seduced by thy flattery,
That hast deceived so many with thy vows?
Return, return, and make thy love amends.
For me, by this pale queen of night I swear,
I am so far from granting thy request
That I despise thee for thy wrongful suit,
And by and by intend to chide myself
Even for this time I spend in talking to thee.


27

IV,2,1743

Julia. [Aside] 'Twere false, if I should speak it;
For I am sure she is not buried.

Silvia. Say that she be; yet Valentine thy friend
Survives; to whom, thyself art witness,
I am betroth'd: and art thou not ashamed
To wrong him with thy importunacy?


28

IV,2,1748

Proteus. I likewise hear that Valentine is dead.

Silvia. And so suppose am I; for in his grave
Assure thyself my love is buried.


29

IV,2,1751

Proteus. Sweet lady, let me rake it from the earth.

Silvia. Go to thy lady's grave and call hers thence,
Or, at the least, in hers sepulchre thine.


30

IV,2,1764

Julia. [Aside] If 'twere a substance, you would, sure,
deceive it,
And make it but a shadow, as I am.

Silvia. I am very loath to be your idol, sir;
But since your falsehood shall become you well
To worship shadows and adore false shapes,
Send to me in the morning and I'll send it:
And so, good rest.


31

IV,3,1786

(stage directions). [Enter SILVIA above]

Silvia. Who calls?


32

IV,3,1789

Eglamour. Your servant and your friend;
One that attends your ladyship's command.

Silvia. Sir Eglamour, a thousand times good morrow.


33

IV,3,1794

Eglamour. As many, worthy lady, to yourself:
According to your ladyship's impose,
I am thus early come to know what service
It is your pleasure to command me in.

Silvia. O Eglamour, thou art a gentleman—
Think not I flatter, for I swear I do not—
Valiant, wise, remorseful, well accomplish'd:
Thou art not ignorant what dear good will
I bear unto the banish'd Valentine,
Nor how my father would enforce me marry
Vain Thurio, whom my very soul abhors.
Thyself hast loved; and I have heard thee say
No grief did ever come so near thy heart
As when thy lady and thy true love died,
Upon whose grave thou vow'dst pure chastity.
Sir Eglamour, I would to Valentine,
To Mantua, where I hear he makes abode;
And, for the ways are dangerous to pass,
I do desire thy worthy company,
Upon whose faith and honour I repose.
Urge not my father's anger, Eglamour,
But think upon my grief, a lady's grief,
And on the justice of my flying hence,
To keep me from a most unholy match,
Which heaven and fortune still rewards with plagues.
I do desire thee, even from a heart
As full of sorrows as the sea of sands,
To bear me company and go with me:
If not, to hide what I have said to thee,
That I may venture to depart alone.


34

IV,3,1826

Eglamour. Madam, I pity much your grievances;
Which since I know they virtuously are placed,
I give consent to go along with you,
Recking as little what betideth me
As much I wish all good befortune you.
When will you go?

Silvia. This evening coming.


35

IV,3,1828

Eglamour. Where shall I meet you?

Silvia. At Friar Patrick's cell,
Where I intend holy confession.


36

IV,3,1831

Eglamour. I will not fail your ladyship. Good morrow, gentle lady.

Silvia. Good morrow, kind Sir Eglamour.


37

IV,4,1950

Julia. How many women would do such a message?
Alas, poor Proteus! thou hast entertain'd
A fox to be the shepherd of thy lambs.
Alas, poor fool! why do I pity him
That with his very heart despiseth me?
Because he loves her, he despiseth me;
Because I love him I must pity him.
This ring I gave him when he parted from me,
To bind him to remember my good will;
And now am I, unhappy messenger,
To plead for that which I would not obtain,
To carry that which I would have refused,
To praise his faith which I would have dispraised.
I am my master's true-confirmed love;
But cannot be true servant to my master,
Unless I prove false traitor to myself.
Yet will I woo for him, but yet so coldly
As, heaven it knows, I would not have him speed.
[Enter SILVIA, attended]
Gentlewoman, good day! I pray you, be my mean
To bring me where to speak with Madam Silvia.

Silvia. What would you with her, if that I be she?


38

IV,4,1953

Julia. If you be she, I do entreat your patience
To hear me speak the message I am sent on.

Silvia. From whom?


39

IV,4,1955

Julia. From my master, Sir Proteus, madam.

Silvia. O, he sends you for a picture.


40

IV,4,1957

Julia. Ay, madam.

Silvia. Ursula, bring my picture here.
Go give your master this: tell him from me,
One Julia, that his changing thoughts forget,
Would better fit his chamber than this shadow.


41

IV,4,1965

Julia. Madam, please you peruse this letter.—
Pardon me, madam; I have unadvised
Deliver'd you a paper that I should not:
This is the letter to your ladyship.

Silvia. I pray thee, let me look on that again.


42

IV,4,1967

Julia. It may not be; good madam, pardon me.

Silvia. There, hold!
I will not look upon your master's lines:
I know they are stuff'd with protestations
And full of new-found oaths; which he will break
As easily as I do tear his paper.


43

IV,4,1973

Julia. Madam, he sends your ladyship this ring.

Silvia. The more shame for him that he sends it me;
For I have heard him say a thousand times
His Julia gave it him at his departure.
Though his false finger have profaned the ring,
Mine shall not do his Julia so much wrong.


44

IV,4,1979

Julia. She thanks you.

Silvia. What say'st thou?


45

IV,4,1982

Julia. I thank you, madam, that you tender her.
Poor gentlewoman! my master wrongs her much.

Silvia. Dost thou know her?


46

IV,4,1986

Julia. Almost as well as I do know myself:
To think upon her woes I do protest
That I have wept a hundred several times.

Silvia. Belike she thinks that Proteus hath forsook her.


47

IV,4,1988

Julia. I think she doth; and that's her cause of sorrow.

Silvia. Is she not passing fair?


48

IV,4,1997

Julia. She hath been fairer, madam, than she is:
When she did think my master loved her well,
She, in my judgment, was as fair as you:
But since she did neglect her looking-glass
And threw her sun-expelling mask away,
The air hath starved the roses in her cheeks
And pinch'd the lily-tincture of her face,
That now she is become as black as I.

Silvia. How tall was she?


49

IV,4,2013

Julia. About my stature; for at Pentecost,
When all our pageants of delight were play'd,
Our youth got me to play the woman's part,
And I was trimm'd in Madam Julia's gown,
Which served me as fit, by all men's judgments,
As if the garment had been made for me:
Therefore I know she is about my height.
And at that time I made her weep agood,
For I did play a lamentable part:
Madam, 'twas Ariadne passioning
For Theseus' perjury and unjust flight;
Which I so lively acted with my tears
That my poor mistress, moved therewithal,
Wept bitterly; and would I might be dead
If I in thought felt not her very sorrow!

Silvia. She is beholding to thee, gentle youth.
Alas, poor lady, desolate and left!
I weep myself to think upon thy words.
Here, youth, there is my purse; I give thee this
For thy sweet mistress' sake, because thou lovest her.
Farewell.


50

V,1,2058

Eglamour. The sun begins to gild the western sky;
And now it is about the very hour
That Silvia, at Friar Patrick's cell, should meet me.
She will not fail, for lovers break not hours,
Unless it be to come before their time;
So much they spur their expedition.
See where she comes.
[Enter SILVIA]
Lady, a happy evening!

Silvia. Amen, amen! Go on, good Eglamour,
Out at the postern by the abbey-wall:
I fear I am attended by some spies.


51

V,3,2134

First Outlaw. Come, come,
Be patient; we must bring you to our captain.

Silvia. A thousand more mischances than this one
Have learn'd me how to brook this patiently.


52

V,3,2146

First Outlaw. Come, I must bring you to our captain's cave:
Fear not; he bears an honourable mind,
And will not use a woman lawlessly.

Silvia. O Valentine, this I endure for thee!


53

V,4,2177

Valentine. [Aside] How like a dream is this I see and hear!
Love, lend me patience to forbear awhile.

Silvia. O miserable, unhappy that I am!


54

V,4,2180

Proteus. Unhappy were you, madam, ere I came;
But by my coming I have made you happy.

Silvia. By thy approach thou makest me most unhappy.


55

V,4,2182

Julia. [Aside] And me, when he approacheth to your presence.

Silvia. Had I been seized by a hungry lion,
I would have been a breakfast to the beast,
Rather than have false Proteus rescue me.
O, Heaven be judge how I love Valentine,
Whose life's as tender to me as my soul!
And full as much, for more there cannot be,
I do detest false perjured Proteus.
Therefore be gone; solicit me no more.


56

V,4,2194

Proteus. What dangerous action, stood it next to death,
Would I not undergo for one calm look!
O, 'tis the curse in love, and still approved,
When women cannot love where they're beloved!

Silvia. When Proteus cannot love where he's beloved.
Read over Julia's heart, thy first best love,
For whose dear sake thou didst then rend thy faith
Into a thousand oaths; and all those oaths
Descended into perjury, to love me.
Thou hast no faith left now, unless thou'dst two;
And that's far worse than none; better have none
Than plural faith which is too much by one:
Thou counterfeit to thy true friend!


57

V,4,2205

Proteus. In love
Who respects friend?

Silvia. All men but Proteus.


58

V,4,2210

Proteus. Nay, if the gentle spirit of moving words
Can no way change you to a milder form,
I'll woo you like a soldier, at arms' end,
And love you 'gainst the nature of love,—force ye.

Silvia. O heaven!


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