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Summary of ‘Two Gentlemen of Verona’ by A. J. Cronin
Introduction
‘Two Gentlemen of Verona’ is all about the two teenage brothers who prove that they are more than their age in gentlemanliness and humanism. Despite their boyish nature, they act like adults and brave the struggles of life. How they look after their sister is just rare.
The narrator's meeting the two brothers:
The narrator says that as they drove through the foothills of the Alps, the two boys stopped them on the outskirts of Verona (Italy). They were selling wild strawberries. The narrator's driver asked him not to buy these.
All about them:
Nicola and Jacopo, 13 and 12 respectively, were brothers. They wore shabby clothes. Their appearance strangely attracted the narrator when they approached the car. Next morning they saw them shoeshining.
Two brothers' doing things:
The narrator asked the two brothers that he thought they picked fruit for a living. Nicola said that they did many jobs. These were like shining shoes, hawking newspapers, conducting tourists and running errands.
Meeting Nicola and Jacopo again:
One night the narrator and his driver met Nicola and Jacopo in a windy and deserted square. It was midnight and Jacopo was asleep resting upon Nicola's shoulder. The narrator asked them if they needed to work hard. But they declined.
Meeting again in the square:
Next morning the narrator met them again in the square. He asked Nicola that the way they worked they could be earning a lot, but they ate little. He asked what they did with their money. He suggested that they must be saving up to emigrate to America. Nicola replied that they would love to go there but they had other plans at that moment. The narrator informed them that he was going on Monday and asked if he could do anything for them.
Going to Poleta in the countryside:
Jacopo replied that every Sunday they went to Poleta, 30 km from there. He asked if they could go by his car. The narrator drove them by his car on Sunday. Nicola told him that he didn't want to trouble him.
On reaching Poleta:
They reached Poleta in the afternoon. The narrator thought that there would be their humble dwelling place. But it was a villa where they stopped which amazed the narrator. He was told to go to the cafe in the village for a drink. They would take only an hour to return.
Narrator's seeing Lucia, sister of Nicola and Jacopo:
The narrator went inside villa and saw a nurse there. She took him to the lobby. The villa was a hospital. The narrator was amazed to see Nicola and Jacopo seated at the bedside of a young girl. The girl resembled them. The nurse told the narrator that the girl was Lucia, the sister of Nicola and Jacopo. The nurse told the narrator everything about them.
The past miseries of Nicola and Jacopo:
The nurse told the narrator that their father was a well-known singer. He had been killed in war. They had always known a comfortable and cultured life. Lucia had been training as a singer. They suffered from starvation and cold winter due to war. For three months they had kept themselves alive in a shelter. The boys grew to hate the Germans. After the war was over they came back to their sister. Before that they had joined the resistance movement against the Germans. They found their sister suffering from TB. They got her admitted there.
Greatness of the boys for humanity:
The nurse further told that both the
boys worked very hard and earned money. They made regular payments to the
hospital. Since work was scarce in Verona, they had to go to other places for
work. Their devotion touched the narrator. Their selfless action brought a new
nobility to human life. It gave hope for the human society.
Outskirts: suburbs
Wild strawberries: Strawberries
growing in desolate area
Cautious: alert
Shrugged: pulled back
Worn: old and torn
Tunic: a loose outer garment
Frame: (here) body
Gazing: staring
Tangled: entangled
Earnest: keen
Brisk: (here) good/quick
Slackened: got less
Glanced: looked
Provoked: encouraged, excited
Remarkable: very fine
Demeanour: appearance and behaviour
Artless: (here) innocent
Lively: (here) smart
Steady: firm
Relied: depended
Hawked: sold
Ran errands: did work
Deserted: lonely
Coloured: changed colour
Emigrate: going to a country to live
permanently
Pause: stopping
Glaring: looking keenly
Vexation: anger
Put out: (here) annoyed
Humble dwellings: modest house
Villa: good house
Leaped: jumped
Grilled: fenced with a grill
Blinked: opened and closed the eye
Vestibule: lobby
Cubicle: a small room
Propped up: supported
Chatter: chirp
Tender: soft
Vase: flowerpot
Murmured: spoke in low whisper
Intrude: enter by force, without
permission
Drew up: (here) managed
Destroyed: ruined
Cultured: disciplined
Horribly: (here) greatly
Starvation: condition of being
hungry
Exposure: getting exposed, affected
Shelter: temporary shelter for
living
Rubble: waste concrete
Resistance: opposing
Movement: advancement
Spine: backbone
Paused: stopped
Scarce: not enough
Devotion: dedication
Nobility: greatness, grace
4. Based on your reading of the story answer the following questions by ticking the correct options.
1. The driver did not approve of the narrator buying fruit from the two boys because
(a) the boys were untidy and poorly
dressed
(b) the strawberries were not fresh
(c) they were asking for a heavy
price
(d) the driver did not approve of small boys who worked.
2. The narrator was most impressed by the boys’
(a) desire to earn money
(b) willingness to work
(c) ability to perform many tasks
(d) sense of fun.
3. Nicola was not pleased when Jacopo asked the narrator to drive them to Poleta as he
(a) did not want a stranger to
become involved with their plans
(b) preferred going to Poleta by
train so that he could enjoy the scenery
(c) did not want to ask anyone for
favours
(d) did not want to take help from someone he did not know well
4. The narrator did not go inside Lucia's room as
(a) he did not want to intrude into
their privacy
(b) he thought that the boys would
object
(c) Lucia would not welcome a
stranger
(d) the boys would feel he was spying on them.
5. The boys were the first to join the resistance movement against the Germans because
(a) the Germans had hurt their
sister
(b) the Germans ruled the city
(c) the Germans had ruined their
family
(d) the Germans had destroyed their home.
6. The author did not speak to the boys on their return journey because
(a) he thought the boys would prefer
to keep their secret
(b) he thought the boys were ashamed
of their sister's condition
(c) he thought they wouldn't tell
him the truth
(d) he thought the boys might ask him for money for their sister.
Answers
1. (b) the strawberries were not
fresh
2. (c) ability to perform many tasks
3. (a) did not want a stranger to
become involved with their plans
4. (a) he did not want to intrude
into their privacy
5. (c) the Germans had ruined their
family
6. (a) he thought the boys would prefer to keep their secret.
5. What do you understand by the following statements?
(a) "We do many things,
sir," Nicola answered seriously. He glanced at us hopefully.
(b) He coloured deeply under his
sunburn, then grew pale
(c) He smiled uncomfortably
"Just plans, sir," he answered in a low voice
(d) Yet in both these boyish faces there was a seriousness which was far beyond their years
Answers
anything which may serve his
purpose. Besides this, he means that he is ready to do as many things as are
humanly possible.
(b) When the narrator asked Nicola
what he did with his money, he didn't find an instant answer. It was perhaps
that he couldn't gather enough courage to tell the truth. Or he may have wanted
not to tell anything about his family secrets to a stranger.
(c) From this statement it is clear
that Nicola acts really like a mature person. He
doesn't want that strangers should
know their secret plans of life.
(d) This statement clearly reveals
that both Nicola and Jacopo had grown very mature and considerate in earning
money. It was for getting their sister cured of her disease. Doing things for
others at the cost of self makes one sober, considerate and mature. Both Nicola
and Jacopo had had this effect in what they did for their sister.
(a) Why didn't Luigi, the driver, approve
of the two boys?
(b) Why were the narrator and his
companion impressed by the two boys?
(c) Why was the author surprised to
see Nicola and Jacopo working as shoeshine bays!
(d) How were the boys useful to the
author ?
(e) Why were the boys in the
deserted square at night? What character traits do they exhibit?
(f) The narrator asks the boys,
"Must you work so hard! You both look rather tired." The boys reply,
"We are not complaining, Sir.” What do you learn about the boys from their
reply?
(g) When the narrator asks the boys about their plans, they are evasive. Why don't they disclose their problems?
Answers
(a) Luigi didn't approve of the two boys for two reasons. Firstly, they were selling wild strawberries. Secondly, they looked very dirty and shabby. From their appearance they looked like cheats, thieves and what not.
(b)The narrator and his companion were impressed by the two boys because of their sacrificing nature and capacity to work hard. They cared much for their sister rather than their own selves. Such human beings are rare.
(c)The author was surprised to see Nicola and Jacopo working as shoeshine boys. It was because the previous day he had seen them selling wild strawberries. This change naturally created a doubt about them in the author's mind.
(d) The boys were useful to the author because they brought the things that he wanted. They helped him in getting American cigarettes, seats for the opera or knowing the name of a good restaurant. They could be depended upon.
(e) They were in the deserted square at night, for they could sleep there. No policeman would scare them off from there. The author met them at night over there.
(f) I learn about the boys from this reply that both of them have seen much harder days. So they aren't afraid of anything, even the worst. Secondly, they understand it well that hard work shall enable them to come out of their miseries.
(g) Both the boys are evasive and don't disclose their plans because they find the author as a stranger. Since they have seen much dark days, they have lost faith in the people. That's why, they don't want to create more troubles in sharing their personal matters with outsiders. They may also think that there may be a lion in a sheep's clothing.
7. Discuss the following questions and write the answers in your notebook.
(a) Appearances are deceptive.
Discuss with reference to the two boys.
(b) Do you think the boys looked
after Lucia willingly? Give reasons for your answer.
(c) How does the story Two Gentlemen of Verona' promise hope for society?
Answers
(a) It is a fact that appearances are deceptive and all that glitters is not gold. Nicola and Jacopo look street urchins, thieves and what not. No one can guess from their appearances that they could have great qualities of gentlemanliness and sacrifice for others. In that they had to forget their own interests. What they do for their sister is just superb and unparalleled.
(b) Yes, I think both Nicola and Jacopo looked after Lucia willingly due to their upbringing. Their family had once been comfortable and cultured. Their father was a well-known singer and they led a good life. In such an atmosphere the siblings couldn't think of negative values like selfishness and ingratitude. So, due to inborn qualities of familial relationships, both the boys looked after Lucia willingly. Secondly, she was their only sister and a member of their family.
(c) The Two Gentlemen of Verona promises hope for the society especially in the modern times of fragmented family relationships. Today, brothers are fighting with brothers; sons are humiliating their parents. Old parents are being shunted out by their children. To lead light in such a hell it is desirable that children like Nicola and Jacopo should be born. Such boys can repair the breaking relationships due to selfishness, materialism and greed.
8. Match the phrases to their meanings.
set up: to start on a journey
break down: to tolerate a situation
or a person
set off: to lose control of your
feelings and start crying
put up with: to enter
put off: to be faced with or opposed
by
put on: to start/establish a company
come in: to refuse/reject
come across: to postpone
come up against: to try to get
help/advice/sympathy from someone
turn down: to wear
turn in: to meet or find by chance
turn to: to inform on or deliver up
Answers
set up: to start/establish a company
break down: to lose control of your
feelings and start crying
set off: to start on a journey
put up with: to tolerate a situation
or a person
put off: to postpone
put on: to wear
come in: to enter
come across: to meet or find by
chance
come up against: to be faced with or
opposed by
turn down: to refuse/reject
turn in: to try to get help/advice
sympathy from someone
turn to: to inform on or deliver up
Now use the phrases given above to complete the following sentences.
1 The landlord was suspicious of the
two men staying in his flat so he called the police and ………..them…….. .
2. Early in the morning we packed
our bags and ……..for a hike over the mountain.
3. Janvi ………..some photographs of
her grandfather in the old trunk.
4 My father……….his own business 10
years ago.
5. The Bank………….Paul's request for a
loan.
6. The Corporation's decision to reduce the leave of the employees …………a lot of opposition.
Answers
1. turned…..to (it)
2. set off
3. came across
4. set up
5. turned down
6. set off
9. Two Gentlemen of Verona is written in the first person. A story written in the first person is a first-hand account of events told or narrated through the eyes of a single character. It is usually the main character. Stories written in the first person are easily identified by the use of the pronoun 'I' rather than ‘he or she'.
The reader will see phrases such as "I said, I thought," rather than "he said, she thought." Everything is experienced through the eyes of a single character. All thoughts and observations are limited to that one person. There can be no outside observer. If the narrator does not see or experience an event first-hand, it cannot be a part of the story. All scenes in the story are filtered through this person's unique perception.
The third-person is a narrative mode in which both the reader and the author observe the situation either through the senses and thoughts of more than one character. It may also be through an overarching godlike perspective. From this one sees and knows everything that happens and everything the characters are thinking. In this mode of narration, the narrator can tell the reader things that the main character does not know. He may also tell the things that none of the characters know.
10. The narrator realises why Nicola and Jacopo work so hard. Yet he does not go in to meet their sister nor does he speak to them about what he learns from the nurse. Working in groups, discuss the following aspects of the story and share your views with the class.
(a) The love and devotion, and the
family values Nicola and Jacopo display.
(b) Their pride in themselves and
their family.
(c) The trust they place in the
narrator.
(d) The reason the narrator does not disclose to them that he knows their secret.
Answers
(a) The love, devotion and the family values that Nicola and Jacopo display are just unique and rare. These two children should have been in schools studying. But see their childhood! They are spending it not enjoying anything but for their sister Lucia. Their sole aim is to see their ailing sister stand on her own legs. For that they are doing even the worst job. Secondly, they don't care for anything, sleep, food, clothes, shelter, etc. But they care for what is good and abiding. For them their family values, love for sister and devotion are more important than anything else. And they put these into practicality even if they have to lose their childhood. Due to this the narrator calls them "Two Gentlemen of Verona'.
(b) Both Nicola and Jacopo have self-pride and self-respect to the maximum. They are precocious and have learnt many things in the small age of a mature life. The narrator wants to help them but they refuse excepting going by his car to Poleta. The narrator wants to know about their plans behind earning money. But they tell nothing to him. It may be because they trust no one. Or it may be due to pride and their family values.
(c) But both Nicola and Jacopo start
putting some faith in the narrator as they get
ready to go to Poleta by his car.
But to some extent, leaving this aside, they keep
themselves reserved. However, they
answer to the narrator's questions honestly
and truthfully. Due to reposing their faith in him they open out to him and tell many things relating to their lives.
(d) The reason for this is that he doesn't want to hurt their self-respect. If he tells them they may feel hurt because they have in their blood things of good family and a respectable life. It is a fact that such persons like Nicola and Jacopo have much sense of self-pride and self-respect.
COMPREHENSION OF PASSAGES
Read the following extracts and answer the questions briefly:
1. Next morning, coming out of our hotel, we saw our friends bent over shoeshine boxes beside the fountain in the public square, doing a brisk business. We watched for a few moments; then as trade slackened we went over. They greeted us with friendly faces.
Comprehension Questions
1. Who is the speaker of these
lines?
2. Who are 'our friends' here? Where
had the speaker first met them?
3. ‘……….as trade slackened means…….. .
Answers
1. The speaker here is the narrator.
2. 'Our friends' here are Nicola and
Jacopo. The speaker had met them first on the outskirts of Verona.
3. As business/trade got less.
2. What struck one most was their willingness to work. During these summer days, under the hot sun, they shined shoes, sold fruit, hawked newspapers, conducted tourists round the town, and ran errands.
Comprehension Questions
1. What was so characteristic of
both Nicola and Jacopo?
2. What for did both the boys do so
many types of works?
3. What did the narrator think of them in relation to human society?
1. Singleness of purpose and
willingness to work were the characteristics of both Nicola and Jacopo.
2. They did many types of works to
earn money so that they could pay the medical expenses of their ailing sister.
3. The narrator thought that by doing their work they brought a new nobility of life. In that they gave promise of a new hope for human society.
3. I shook my head and turned away. I felt I could not bear to intrude upon this happy family party. But at the foot of the staircase I drew up and begged her to tell me all she knew about these boys.
Comprehension Questions
1. Where was 'I' at this moment? Why
did he turn away?
2. Who is ‘her’ in the second line
here?
3. What made 'I' to know all about these boys?
Answers
1. 'I' at this moment was in the
hospital where Lucia was admitted. He turned away because he didn't want to
disturb the meeting of Nicola, Jacopo and their sister.
2. 'Her' is the nurse here.
3. 'I' was made to know all about Nicola and Jacopo because he was highly impressed by their qualities of head and heart.
4. She was eager to do so. They were, she explained, quite alone in the world, except for this sister, Lucia. Their father, a widower, a well-known singer, had been killed in the early part of the war. Shortly afterwards a bomb had destroyed their home and thrown the three children into the streets.
Comprehension Questions
1. Who is ‘she’ here and what for is
she eager to do?
2. What was the sole reason for the
ruining of the family of Nicola and Jacopo?
3. What two reasons were mainly responsible for their major misery?
Answers
1. 'She' here is the nurse in the
hospital where Lucia is admitted as a tuberculosis patient. She was eager to
tell the narrator all she knew about Nicola and Jacopo.
2. It was the war.
3. The two reasons responsible for their major misery were near starvation and exposure to the cold winter.
5. They had always known a comfortable and cultured life - Lucia had herself been training as a singer and they had suffered horribly from near starvation and exposure to the cold winter.
Comprehension Questions
1. How had both Nicola and Jacopo
known a comfortable and cultured life?
2. What had actually brought them
and their sister into the streets?
3. Where did they live thereafter and how?
Answers
1. Nicola and Jacopo had known a comfortable
and cultured life. Their father was a well-known singer. He, thus, had led a
good life.
2. War and a bomb explosion had
virtually brought them into the streets.
3. They had kept themselves alive in a humble shelter. This they themselves had built with their own hands amidst the rubble.
6. Yet their devotion had touched me deeply. War had not broken their spirit. Their selfless action brought a new nobility to human life, gave promise of a greater hope for human society.
Comprehension Questions
1. ‘………their devotion’? What does
the narrator mean by it?
2. What was their 'selfless
action"?
3. What of Nicola and Jacopo prove them to be the real gentlemen of Verona?
Answers
1. By ‘….their devotion’ the
narrator means sheer hard work and care for their ailing sister of both Nicola
and Jacopo.
2. Their ‘selfless work’ was earning
money by fair means for a single aim to see their ailing sister on her legs and
free from tuberculosis.
3. The singleness of purpose to get their sister cured. For this they earned money through hard work. This made them real gentlemen.
SHORT ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS
Answering in 3-4 sentences.
1. How did both Nicola and Jacopo
look?
Or, Describe the appearance of Nicola and Jacopo.
Ans. Nicola and Jacopo were two brothers of 13 and 12 respectively. Nicola wore a worn out jersey and cut-off khaki pants. Jacopo wore a shortened army tunic. They had brown skins, tangled hair and dark earnest eyes.
2. They were childish enough, and in many ways quite artless. How did the narrator look at them?
Ans. The narrator found them childish and quite artless. Jacopo was lively as a squirrel while Nicola's smile was steady and engaging. Yet despite this all in their boyish faces, there was seriousness. It was far beyond their eyes.
3. How did the narrator find Nicola and Jacopo quite useful to him?
Ans. The narrator met Nicola and Jacopo at first two times and then frequently. They proved extremely useful to them. If they wanted a pack of American cigarettes, or seats for the opera or the name of good restaurant, they satisfied their needs.
4. What was so amazing about both the boys? What work did they do?
Ans. What was so amazing about them was their willingness to work. They shined shoes under the hot sun. They sold fruits, hawked newspapers and conducted tourists round the town. They also ran errands
5. What did the narrator do which changed the colour of Nicola's face?
Ans. The narrator did nothing except asking a few questions to Nicola. For instance, he asked Nicola what they did with their money. Before that he had told him that the way they worked they must be earning a lot. Then they didn't spend any money on their clothes and they ate ordinary black bread and figs.
6. What did the narrator learn about the family of Nicola, Jacopo and Lucia?
Ans. The narrator learnt that they were quite alone in the world. Their father was a well known singer but had been killed in the war. Their house had been destroyed in a bomb explosion. They had always known a comfortable and cultured life. Lucia then was training as a singer.
7. How did the boys and Lucia suffer after the great ruin of their family?
Ans. For months they had barely kept themselves alive in a sort of shelter built amidst the rubble. They grew to hate the Germans. When the resistance movement started they joined it. When the war was over and there was peace, they came back to their beloved sister. She had had spine tuberculosis.
8. Describe the appropriateness of
the title of “Two Gentlemen of Verona.”
Or What made the author call the boys Two Gentlemen of Verona?
Ans. The singularity of purpose and capacity to work hard of Nicola and Jacopo greatly impressed the narrator. They had all the great qualities of gentlemanliness. These were like love, devotion, capacity to work, honesty, fairness etc. That's why, the narrator saw in them a new nobility and hope for human society. This all is given in the story. So the title is appropriate.
Long answer type questions
1. What do you learn about the family of Nicola, Jacopo and their sister Lucia? What did Nicola and Jacopo do to maintain the family values?
Ans. Before the war Nicola, Jacopo and their sister Lucia had a good and cultured family. Their father was a well-known singer but had been killed in the early part of the war. A bomb destroyed their family and they were literally out in the streets. They had always known a comfortable and respectable life. Lucia has been training as a singer. But now she had spine tuberculosis. For months they had barely kept themselves alive in a shelter amidst the rubble. The boys grew to hate the Germans. When the resistance movement started, they joined it. After the peace they came to their sister and sadly found her a patient of tuberculosis. Both the boys now undertook to get their sister cured of the disease. They had respectability and a sense of self-respect. So they decided to earn money to pay for her medical expenses. She was admitted in a hospital in Poleta and they did various jobs to meet these expenses. Due to that the narrator calls them the jewels of society.
2. How did both Nicola and Jacopo impress the narrator? What made him know about them more? How does he call them?
Ans. In the first two meetings with the boys the narrator felt a kind of strange attraction and seriousness in them. He developed a kind of curiosity to know more about them. Strangely, he found them almost wherever he went. In his talk to them he learnt about them that they sold fruits, hawked newspapers, shined shoes and conducted tourists round the town. They ran errands also. Due to their multiplicity of work they proved very useful for the narrator. They brought him a pack of American cigarettes, booked seats for the opera or informed the name of a good restaurant. They could be depended upon.
The narrator knew from the nurse about their family and how it was destroyed by the war. Before that they lived a comfortable and cultured life as their father was a well-known singer. Their selfless service to work hard to earn money for their sister's illness impressed the narrator greatly. Their great devotion to duty and survival instinct coupled with capacity to endure impressed the narrator. They proved otherwise from their appearance. The narrator now knew everything about these Gentlemen of Verona and their devotion to moral duty towards their sister. That's why, he called them Two Gentlemen of Verona. He saw in them a new nobility and a greater hope for human life and human society.
Courtesy: Golden Guide
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