could treat his relationships in such a cavalier manner, and states that if Valentine is truly dead, “And so suppose am I, for in his grave, Assure thyself my love is buried” (Act IV. Scene II. Line 120-121). Julia, naturally, is devastated by her lover’s betrayal, but she is still in love with Proteus. When Proteus implores the ‘page’ to give Silvia the ring that Julia had given him as a token of love, the request is obliged, because Julia’s loyalty to Proteus knows no bounds. She wants his happiness above all else, even if it is not with her. The Two Gentlemen of Verona reaches its climax when the characters all find themselves in the forest, and Proteus’ betrayal of Julia and Valentine is exposed to all. In a rather contrived moment of self-realization, when Proteus is confronted with the gravity of his actions, he begs Valentine for forgiveness, and Valentine, in turn, offers his beloved Silvia to Proteus as a gesture of friendship. But when Proteus realizes to what lengths Julia went through to be with him, he acknowledges that he mistook infatuation for love, and that Julia was his one true love.While The Two Gentlemen of Verona ends happily with a double wedding and the restored friendship of Proteus and Valentine, one is left to wonder if Proteus has really changed, or if his opportunistic nature is merely making the best of a bad situation. Valentine, Silvia and Julia were unwavering in their loyalties to those they loved, while Proteus, time and time again, sacrificed those supposedly dearest to him in order to satisfy his own needs. It is difficult to believe that Proteus “saw the light” and would never again act with disloyalty towards his friends and lovers. Professing loyalty in words and demonstrating it with action are two different things. Actions speak louder than words, and Proteus’ ease in choosing disloyalty over loyalty speaks volumes....
