🎭Even as one heat another heat expels,
Or as one nail by strength drives out another,
So the remembrance of my former love
Is by a newer object quite forgotten.
Is it mine eye, or Valentine’s praise,
Her true perfection, or my false transgression
That makes me reasonless to reason thus?
— Proteus, Two Gentlemen of Verona 2-4
[ACTING TIPS]
Proteus feels his love toward Julia is pushed away by some strong practical force.
Play it with just feeling something is changing.
Play it with already with gilt, feeling he will betray his friend.
Enjoy as an actor the playful “true” and “false”, “perfection” and “transgression”, “reasonless” and “reason thus”. Very Shakespeare.
I am fascinated by his word choice of “a newer object” which means Silvia. Why does he have to say that?
