Original: O hateful hands, to tear such loving words!
Modern: Oh, I hate my hands for tearing up such sweet words!

Original: Injurious wasps, to feed on such sweet honey
Modern: My hands are like harmful wasps that eat such sweet honey

Original: And kill the bees that yield it with your stings!
Modern: And kill the bees that made it with their stings!

Original: I’ll kiss each several paper for amends.
Modern: I’ll kiss each piece of paper to make up for it.

Original: Look, here is writ ‘kind Julia.’ Unkind Julia!
Modern: Look, here it says ‘sweet Julia.’ But I’m cruel Julia!

Original: As in revenge of thy ingratitude,
Modern: To get back at you for being ungrateful,

Original: I throw thy name against the bruising stones,
Modern: I throw your name against the hard stones,

Original: Trampling contemptuously on thy disdain.
Modern: Stepping on your rejection with contempt.

Original: And here is writ ‘love-wounded Proteus.’
Modern: And here it says ‘love-wounded Proteus.’

Original: Poor wounded name! my bosom as a bed
Modern: Poor hurt name! I’ll use my chest as a bed

Original: Shall lodge thee till thy wound be thoroughly heal’d;
Modern: To shelter you until your wound is completely healed;

Original: And thus I search it with a sovereign kiss.
Modern: And I’ll heal it with a powerful kiss.

Original: But twice or thrice was ‘Proteus’ written down.
Modern: But ‘Proteus’ was written two or three times.

Original: Be calm, good wind, blow not a word away
Modern: Be still, wind, don’t blow any words away

Original: Till I have found each letter in the letter,
Modern: Until I’ve found every word in this letter,

Original: Except mine own name: that some whirlwind bear
Modern: Except my own name: let some whirlwind carry that

Original: Unto a ragged fearful-hanging rock
Modern: To some jagged, scary cliff

Original: And throw it thence into the raging sea!
Modern: And throw it from there into the angry sea!

Original: Lo, here in one line is his name twice writ,
Modern: Look, here in one line his name is written twice,

Original: ‘Poor forlorn Proteus, passionate Proteus,
Modern: ‘Poor lonely Proteus, passionate Proteus,

Original: To the sweet Julia:’ that I’ll tear away.
Modern: To sweet Julia:’ I should tear that part away.

Original: And yet I will not, sith so prettily
Modern: But I won’t, since so beautifully

Original: He couples it to his complaining names.
Modern: He connects it to his sad descriptions of himself.

Original: Thus will I fold them one on another:
Modern: So I’ll fold these pieces together:

Original: Now kiss, embrace, contend, do what you will.
Modern: Now kiss, hug, fight, do whatever you want.

In Act I, scene ii of “The Two Gentlemen of Verona,” Julia converses with her maid Lucetta about the various suitors who have been courting her. Lucetta playfully teases Julia by mentioning several men, including Mercatio and Sir Eglamour, before revealing that she has received a letter from Proteus. Julia initially pretends disinterest in the letter and even tears it up in a display of feigned indifference, but after Lucetta exits, she immediately begins gathering up the scattered pieces.

Julia proceeds to read the fragments of Proteus’s love letter, kissing his name wherever she finds it written and expressing her true feelings of affection for him. She laments having destroyed the letter in front of Lucetta and carefully collects every piece, revealing that despite her outward show of dismissiveness, she harbors genuine romantic feelings for Proteus. The scene concludes with Julia alone, having fully revealed her love through her soliloquy over the torn letter fragments.

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.