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CLASS X A ENGLISH STUDY NOTES, ISWK (2014 15)

Two Gentlemen of Verona A J Cronin titles the story Two Gentlemen of Verona a title of one of the early plays of Shakespeare. This is a touching and heartwarming story of two young boys Nicola & Jacopo who work earnestly and hard, spend very little on themselves in order to save money for the treatment of their elder sister, & throughout maintain a dignity & sobriety (A manner that is serious and solemn) & sincerity of true gentlemen. That is why the title of the story is Two Gentlemen of Verona. Two Gentlemen of Verona is the story of Nicola & Jacopo. The story recounts how the two brothers devoted themselves to a hard & difficult life to earn money for the treatment of their sister. She was afflicted with tuberculosis. The author was impressed by their sincerity & devotion to the cause. They displayed maturity & understanding beyond their years. Their selfless action brought a new nobility to human life & gave promise of a greater hope for human society. Nicola & Jacopo were two brothers, aged 13 & 12 respectively. Their father was a well-known singer & was killed in the war against Germany. The war made them homeless & they had no one in the world except their sister Lucia. The narrator met the boys at the outskirts of Verona & he bought a box of wild berries form them. The narrator found them undertaking different jobs to earn a living. The boys polished shoes, sold newspapers, did many other jobs to earn money. They also tool the tourists to the places of their interest - to Juliets tomb in and around Verona. They were helpful to the narrator and his driver Luigi. The narrator was leaving Verona on Monday. He asked if he could do anything for them before going, The younger brother Jacopo asked the narrator if he could drive them to their village which was 30 miles from Verona. The narrators driver Luigi had the Sunday off but the narrator drove them himself to Poleta. They leaped out from the car before a large re roofed villa & promised to come back within an hour. The narrator rang the bell of a grilled entrance & a young lady in the dress of a nurse came out.
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JOBIN DEVASIA, DEPT OF ENGLISH, ISWK

CLASS X A ENGLISH STUDY NOTES, ISWK (2014 15)

She was a nurse who bade him to look through the glass partition without saying anything. The narrator saw both the brothers sitting at the bedside of a girl of 20. The narrator requested the nurse to tell him everything what she knew about them. The nurse told him everything & how the brothers persuaded them to take their sister Lucia into the hospital. She had made good progress in the last 12 months & they hoped Lucia would be able to walk & sing again. The nurse told him Lucias brothers made weekly payments for the hospital bills. The narrator waited outside until the boys rejoined him, then he drove them back to the city. They sat beside the narrator but no one uttered a word. The narrator wanted them feel that they had kept their secret safely. Their selfless love, sacrifice & devotion touched the narrators heart. Even the war had not broken their spirit Their selfless action gave a new hope for humanity.

JOBIN DEVASIA, DEPT OF ENGLISH, ISWK

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