The story is about two orphan boys, Jacopo and Nicola, who work tirelessly shining shoes and running errands in Verona to pay for their sister Lucia's medical treatment. They take great pride in their work and save all their earnings to pay the nurse at the hospital villa where Lucia resides, as she suffers from tuberculosis. The narrator discovers their selfless devotion to Lucia during a visit to their village and comes to realize the boys exemplify true nobility through their compassionate care for their ill sister, despite their own hardships.

3. In the story “Two Gentlemen of Verona”, the two orphan
boys Jacopo and Nicola, work immensely and exhaustively
, they shine shoes, sell newspapers and run errands for the
sake of the treatment of their sister. They showcase an
unusual devotion towards their work and family, they give
an outrageous example of love, care, emotion and nobility.
Cronin shows us that one may polish boots or sell
newspapers, but it is the magnanimity of heart and the
nobleness of purpose that actually determines whether one
is a true "gentleman". Hence, sarcastically the title is quite
justified.

4. The Story….Verona

5. The story begins in an ironical manner, as the
narrator drives through the foothills of the
Alps; his interest is provoked by the
appearance of two little boys in front of their
car on the outskirts of a florid, pretty and
eye-catching city Verona. Those two boys were
selling wild strawberries.

8. The narrator and his friends noticed the
boys for a while then as their interest
slackened, they went over to meet
them. Jacopo and Nicola greeted them
with friendly and admiring faces,
maybe because the narrator bought
their biggest basket. The narrator
pleased with their smile, asked them
that he thought they sold fruits for a
living. Determinately, in a serious tone
Nicola said “ We do many things , sir”.
He glanced at the narrator in hope of
getting another brisk job; “We often
show visitors through the town….to
Juliet’s tomb”…..and other places of
interest”.

13. The next morning, the narrator went
over the fountain to get his shoes
shined, he asked the boys with a sense
of curiousness "Nicola, the way you
and Jacopo work, you must earn quite
a bit;(taking a glance over their
clothes) he said, you don't spend
anything on your apparels and you eat
little enough--usually black bread and
figs...then tell me what do you do with
your money?"
Nicola embarrassingly coloured under
his sunburn, then grew pale. Trying to
be secretive, he started looking at the
ground. In a comical manner the
narrator asked "You must be saving the
money to emigrate to America?".Nicola
finally spoke up with efforts, that he
would like to go to America, but at
present he and Jacopo,
had other plans. Determinately, the
narrator asked "what plans?"

14. In a low voice, smiling
miserably, Nicola said "Just
plans sir". The narrator, not
wanting to intrude in their
personal lives , decided to
leave that topic and told the
boys that he and his friends
were leaving on the
forthcoming Monday, and
asked whether he could do
anything for them before
going. Nicola meaningfully
shook his head, but suddenly,
lost in his excitement, Jacopo
popped out. "Sir, every
Sunday we make a visit to our
country (our village) Poleta, 30
kilometres from Verona.
Usually we hire bicycles. But
tomorrow since you are so
kind, you mind send us in your
car“

15. • The narrator said "I have already given Luige a day off, so I'll drive you out
myself“ Nicola glared at his brother in vexation and anger, then
shamefacedly said "Sir, we couldn't think of troubling you". The narrator
said, "It wont be any trouble". Nicola bit his lip, in a put-out tone he
insisted. The following afternoon they drove to the tiny village set high
upon the scenic hillside. The narrator had expected their destinations to
be some humble and tiny dwellings
• .

16. "Weshallnotbelong,sir.Perhapsonlyanhour.Maybeyou'dliketogotothe
cafeinthevillageforadrink?“saidthetwoboysandtheywentinsidethevilla
Afterafewminutes,thenarratordesperatelyfollowedthem. Hefounda
grilledside-entranceand,determinedly,rangthebell. Secondsafter,A
pleasant-lookingwomanwithsteel-rimmedspectacles,wearingawhitedress
appeared.Thenarratorblinkedhiseyesashediscovered thatshewasa
trainednurse.Heaskedher“I broughttwolittleboyshere”. “Ah!Yes..herface
liftupandshepleasantlyopenedthedoortoadmitthenarratorandtoldhim
thatJacopoandNicolawereupstairs.

17. • The two boys were seated at the bedside of a lean, young girl of about twenty who
, propped up on pillows, wearing a pretty lace jacket, was listening to their chatter,
her eyes soft and tender. One could see and recognize at a glance that she was the
elder sister of Jacopo and Nicola . A vase of adorable wild flowers stood on her
table, beside a dish of fruit and several books . The boys seemed so happy n blissful
spending time with their sister. Later, the nurse told that their sister’s name was
Lucia, Lucia was the noble cause of the boy’s eminent hard work. The nurse asked
the narrator to pay a visit to Lucia, but the narrator neither wanted to intrude upon
this happy family; nor he wanted to let the boys know that their secret was now
known to him so he shook his head and went back downstairs .
The nurse led the narrator
through a cold, tiled and
long vestibule into a
hospital, as the villa was
now turned to a hospital. At
the door of a little
cubicle, she gestured to the
narrator by putting her
finger on her lips, asking him
to stay quiet and told the
narrator to peek inside
through the window.

19. • For months the children kept
themselves alive in a short of
shelter that they had built with
their own hands amidst the
rubbles. After winning the war, the
Germans ruled the city for three
years. The boys started hating the
Germans as they were the ones
responsible for their ruined lives.
When the resistant movement
started, they were among the first
persons to join. When the war
ended, and their was peace at
last, they came back to their
beloved sister and found that
starvation and extremely cold
weather conditions led her to
suffer from tuberculosis of the

20. • The nursed paused for some seconds and took a deep breath, then she
resumed with some efforts, “Did they gave up?”..no, I guess I don’t need to
answer this question. She told that Jacopo and Nicola brought their sister
here, and persuaded the nurse to admit her into the hospital. Lucia had been
in this hospital since a year, and she made good progress as a patient. The
nurse believed that if her recovering goes well, she may stand and sing again.
That day would be the happiest and best day in Jacopo and Nicola's lives.
Happiness seemed so little and shattered in their lives, they lost their parents,
home and their present family’s head was ailing with tuberculosis.

21. • The nurse exclaimed, “Food is so expensive and
scarce these days”, Hence, she could not let
Lucia’s treatment go on without charging a fee.
But, Jacopo and Nicola were able to pay the fee
every week. She didn’t know what work they
did, as it was hard to get some work in
Verona, but she was sure that whatever work
they did, they did with keen interest and did it
well.
• The narrator having seen them work
hard, agreed with her and said that they couldn’t
do it any better.

22. The narrator waited outside until the
boys came back and rejoined him, they
then went back to Verona. The boys sat
silently behind him, with a cheer that
they succeeded in securing the secret.
Whereas, the narrator didn’t say a word
because he didn’t want the children’s
smile to fade away. Still, the boys’
devotion and love for their sister touched
the narrator deeply. The war which broke
their home, still couldn’t break their
spirits. They never looked back at what
they lost, they looked forward to save
what they still had with them. Their
selfless action brought a new nobility to
human life, it gave a promise of a greater
hope for a better and worth-living
human society.
Happy Ending

23. Submitted by:-
RISHABH JAIN
X-F