SOURCE: Rowse, A. L. Introduction to The Contemporary Shakespeare Series: Antony and Cleopatra, Measure for Measure, The Merry Wives of Windsor, Troilus and Cressida, The Two Gentlemen of Verona, Vol. V, edited by A. L. Rowse, pp. 505-10. Lanham, Md.: University Press of America, 1986.

In the following essay, Rowse provides a brief overview of The Two Gentlemen of Verona, tracing a connection between contemporary events in Shakespeare's life and the action of the play.

The Two Gentlemen of Verona is Shakespeare's first experiment in romantic comedy, but its prime interest is its autobiographical significance. He had already shown his range and accomplishment in chronicle plays with Henry VI, tragedy with Titus Andronicus, farce with The Comedy of Errors; throughout his career he was always ready to experiment, to respond to new challenges. Naturally to those of the theatre, but especially to those that chimed with personal experience.

Everything...