TWO GENTLEMEN OF VERONA
Two Gentlemen of Verona is an emotional story of two boys. They were
once well to do but war killed their father and made their only sister ill. Yet
they were hopeful, determined and ready to work for their sister. They admitted
her in an expensive hospital and worked far away in the city of Verona. Like
two men, the two boys worked day and night to earn anything they could earn.
They polished shoes in the morning, sold berries at noon and guided tourists in
the evening. Their life was miserable yet they never knew that. They wanted
someone to help them but never begged anyone.
Questions and Answers
1. Why was the narrator initially attracted to the two boys?
The two boys were too little to do works that they did in Verona. They had earnest
eyes and refined behaviour. Their weather beaten appearance and brown skin also
attracted the narrator to them considering the amount of works that they did.
2. Why, do you think, did the narrator and his companion buy the biggest
baskets of strawberries from the two brothers?
The narrator and his friend were attracted to the two boys. Determined to help
the boys in their humble way, the narrator and his friend bought the biggest
basket of strawberries from them.
3. How did the narrator’s bond with the boys deepen in course of time?
Having taken a special interest in the two boys, the narrator found them in his
reach for any odd jobs. He could rely on them for a pack of American
cigarettes, seats for the opera or for the name of a good restaurant. They were
always willing to work.
4. ‘They were childish enough, and in many ways quite artless.’ Explain.
The two children were extremely innocent in their nature. Though they were
in need of a lot of money for their sister's treatment, they did not resort any
unfair means to earn money. In a city like Verona, they too were able to resort
to theft and snatching but the two of them, quite determined and in need,
believed in hard work and honesty.
5. What sort of seriousness did the narrator trace in the faces of the two
brothers?
The narrator traced in the faces of the two little boys a seriousness that was
far beyond their age.
6. Mention the odd jobs that the two brothers did in Verona.
The two brothers did a number of odd jobs in Verona. They sold fruits, they
polished shoes at busy squares, conducted tourists and sold newspapers at
nights.
7. What were the brothers doing in the windy and deserted square, beneath
the lights at midnight?
In the windy and deserted square, beneath the street lights at midnight, the
two brothers were waiting for the last bus from Padua so that they could sell
newspapers to the passengers.
8. Why did the narrator say that Nicola and Jacopo must be earning quite a
bit?
It was quite ordinary that the narrator felt that the two boys earned quite a
bit. He came to this conclusion from the fact that they did a lot of works for
money at any time of the night and the day. They spent little on clothes and
ate black bread and cheap figs.
9. What favor did Jacopo want from the narrator? Why was Nicola indifferent
to his brother?
Jacopo wished the narrator give him and his brother a drive to Poleta where
they went to meet their sister.
10. Why did the narrator think that his destination was going to be some
humble dwelling?
The narrator knew from his association with the boys that they were poor and
belonged to some very poor families. The way to Poleta, a small town on the
hills, strengthened his speculations.
11. Why did the two boys leap out of the car when the car stopped in front
of the villa?
The villa where the car stopped was a hospital. The two boys leaped out of the
car because they were greatly excited to see their sister who was under
treatment in this hospital.
12. What did the narrator mean when he said that the two boys “could not do”
the work they do in Verona better?
The narrator had a close association with the two boys. He knew all sorts of
odd works they did in Verona. He was greatly impressed by the dexterity and
willingness with which the boys worked and therefore believed that no one could
such loads of work as they did.
13. Why, do you think, were the boys silent while returning to Verona?
The boys were returning after a weekly meeting with their sister. They were
silent because their minds were overflowing with the thoughts of their sister’s
pains, progress, of earning for the next payment and of the narrator who was so
good to them to take pain for them.
14. Why did the narrator not ask the boys anything about Lucia?
The narrator knew that the boys didn’t want him to sympathize for their
infirmed sister. He also knew that they had no idea about what he knew about
them. So, in order to keep it a secret, to keep them feel proud of doing their
works in Verona and to make them feel proud of what they did for their sister, the
narrator didn’t ask anything about Lucia.
15. Why are the boys,
barely 12 and 13, called gentlemen?
Reference to Context Questions
1. “He coloured deeply under his sun burn.”
1. Who is he?
He is Nicola, the elder of the two.
2. What does the color
here refer to?
The color here refers to Nicola’s discomfort in being forced to reveal truths
about their sister.
3. Why is he, an
Italian boy of just 12 or 13, sun burn?
Nicola is said to be sun-burnt due to his restless works in the city and
constant exposure to the sun.
2. "But every week, Lucia's brothers have made their payment. I don't
know what they do. I do not ask. But whatever it is, I know they do it
well."
"Yes," I agreed. "They
couldn't do it better."
1. Name the first
speaker.
2. What for have the
two brothers made their payment?
3. What could be,
probably, the reason why the speaker didn't ask the boys about their work?
4. What does the
speaker think about the kind of 'work' that the two boys do in Verona?
5. Why didn't the
narrator tell the first speaker about the kinds of works that the two boys did
in Verona?
3. 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.
1. Which war is
referred to here?
2. What had war
broken, if not their spirit?
3. What was their
selfless action? How was it selfless?
4. What promise did
the selfless action of the two boys bring to a war hit country?
MCQs - Multiple Choice Questions
1. Luigi the driver advised the narrator not to buy berries from the boys
because...
1. The berries were
wild
2. The boys were
shabby clad
3. He knew places
where berries were sold cheaper.
4. All the above
2. Poleta is...
1. A hilly area
2. A slum
3. A town
4. A city
3. The narrator drove the boys to Poleta...
1. A day before his
scheduled departure from Verona
2. A week before his scheduled
departure from Padua
3. A week before
his scheduled departure from Verona
4. On the same day
when he was supposed to leave Verona.
4. Lucia was suffering from...
1. Cancer of spine
2. Tuberculosis of
spine
3. Cancer of lungs
4. Tuberculosis of
lungs
5. The two boys were waiting for the bus from Padua...
1. In the early
morning
2. At midnight
3. At night
4. In the evening.
