ngly describes Proteus as, “His years but young, but his experience old; His head unmellowed, but his judgment ripe; And in a word, - for far behind his worth Come all the praises that I now bestow, - He is complete in feature and in mind, With all good grace to grace a gentleman” (Act II. Scene IV. Lines 69-74).In this Valentine has demonstrated his unconditional loyalty to Proteus. Unfortunately, loyalty does not seem to mean the same to Proteus. When he first sees Silvia, Proteus falls immediately in love. His dual disloyalty is revealed when he express, “She is [Silvia] fair; and so is Julia that I love, - That I did love, for now my love is thawed, Which, like a waxen image ‘gainst a fire, Bears no impression of the thing it was. Methinks my zeal to Valentine is cold, And that I love him not as I was wont. O, but I love his lady too too much; And that’s the reason I love him so little” (Act II. Scene IV. Lines 209-216). Loyalty to others, for Proteus, seems to be little more than a shallow emotion, which he manipulates for the sake of appearances. Clearly, the only loyalty, which sufficiently motivates Proteus, is to himself.Unaware of Proteus’ desire for Silvia, Valentine confides to him that because the Duke will not sanction their marriage, the two lovers have decided to elope. Rather than honor his friendship, Proteus chooses to inform the Duke of the planned elopement, concluding, “And Valentine I’ll hold an enemy, Aiming at Silvia as a sweeter friend. I cannot now prove constant to myself, Without some treachery used to Valentine” (Act II. Scene VI. Lines 29-32). It quickly becomes apparent that with friends like Proteus, there is no need for enemies. He is a man ruled only by his passions, completely oblivious to characteristics like honor and loyalty. Meanwhile, Julia cannot bear to be apart from Proteus any longer. She tells her lady in waiting, Lucetta,...
