Original: And why not death rather than living torment?
Modern: Why shouldn’t I choose death instead of this living torture?

Original: To die is to be banish’d from myself;
Modern: To die would be like being exiled from my own identity;

Original: And Silvia is myself: banish’d from her
Modern: And Silvia is my very self: being banished from her

Original: Is self from self: a deadly banishment!
Modern: Is like being separated from my own soul: a fatal exile!

Original: What light is light, if Silvia be not seen?
Modern: What good is light if I can’t see Silvia?

Original: What joy is joy, if Silvia be not by?
Modern: What good is happiness if Silvia isn’t here with me?

Original: Unless it be to think that she is by
Modern: Unless it’s just imagining that she’s nearby

Original: And feed upon the shadow of perfection
Modern: And surviving on just the memory of her perfection

Original: Except I be by Silvia in the night,
Modern: If I’m not with Silvia at night,

Original: There is no music in the nightingale;
Modern: Even the nightingale’s song sounds empty;

Original: Unless I look on Silvia in the day,
Modern: If I can’t see Silvia during the day,

Original: There is no day for me to look upon;
Modern: Then there’s no daylight worth seeing;

Original: She is my essence, and I leave to be,
Modern: She is what makes me who I am, and I stop existing

Original: If I be not by her fair influence
Modern: If I’m not near her beautiful presence

Original: Foster’d, illumined, cherish’d, kept alive.
Modern: To be nourished, enlightened, loved, and kept alive.

Original: I fly not death, to fly his deadly doom:
Modern: I don’t run from death to escape his fatal judgment:

Original: Tarry I here, I but attend on death:
Modern: If I stay here, I’m just waiting for death:

Original: But, fly I hence, I fly away from life.
Modern: But if I leave this place, I’m running away from life itself.

In Act III, Scene 1 of “The Two Gentlemen of Verona,” Proteus arrives in Milan and immediately encounters the Duke, who seeks his assistance in a romantic matter. The Duke confides that he wishes to court a lady but faces an obstacle: she has imprisoned herself in mourning and refuses all suitors. When Proteus inquires further, the Duke reveals that the lady in question is Silvia, his own daughter, and that she stubbornly rejects his chosen suitor, Sir Thurio, while showing favor to Valentine instead. The Duke explains that he has already banished Valentine from Milan, and now seeks Proteus’s help in discrediting Valentine’s character to Silvia and promoting Thurio’s suit in his place.

Proteus agrees to assist the Duke in his scheme, promising to speak ill of Valentine to Silvia and to help advance Thurio’s cause through various stratagems, including the use of music and poetry to win her affections. After the Duke and Thurio depart, Proteus delivers a soliloquy revealing his treacherous intentions: he has no genuine interest in helping Thurio succeed, but rather plans to use this opportunity to pursue Silvia for himself. He acknowledges his betrayal of both his friend Valentine and his own beloved Julia, rationalizing his actions by claiming that love to Silvia justifies his faithlessness, even as he admits the wrongness of his conduct.

The Two Gentlemen of Verona follows the friendship and romantic entanglements of Valentine and Proteus, two young gentlemen from Verona. The play opens with Valentine departing for Milan to experience court life, leaving behind his friend Proteus, who is deeply in love with Julia. Soon after, Proteus is also sent to Milan by his father, forcing him to leave Julia, though they secretly exchange rings as tokens of their love. Meanwhile, Julia decides to disguise herself as a young man named Sebastian and follow Proteus to Milan.

In Milan, Valentine has fallen in love with Silvia, the Duke’s daughter, and she returns his affection. However, when Proteus arrives and meets Silvia, he immediately forgets his love for Julia and becomes infatuated with his friend’s beloved. In an act of betrayal, Proteus reveals Valentine’s secret plan to elope with Silvia to her father, the Duke. As punishment, Valentine is banished from Milan and becomes the leader of a group of outlaws in the forest.

The climax unfolds in the forest where all the characters converge. Proteus pursues the disguised Julia (still dressed as Sebastian, who has become his page) and attempts to force his attentions on Silvia, who has fled to find Valentine. Valentine arrives just in time to stop the assault, and when Proteus expresses remorse, Valentine magnanimously offers to give up Silvia to restore their friendship. At this moment, Julia faints and reveals her true identity. The play concludes with the Duke’s arrival, his pardon of Valentine and the outlaws, and the restoration of proper romantic pairings: Valentine with Silvia and Proteus reunited with the forgiving Julia.