"O! how this spring of love resembleth
The uncertain glory of an April day,
Which now shows all the beauty of the sun,
And by an by a cloud takes all away!..."See in text(Act I - Act I, Scene 3)
These beautiful lines of poetry reveal much about Proteus's feelings for Julia and his despair at being sent away. Young nobles were commonly sent abroad to gain life experience at the time, and their parents had complete authority over their actions. Proteus must go if his father insists on it, and he gives this farewell speech to demonstrate his youthful love and despair he feels at being separated from his beloved.
"That man that hath a tongue, I say, is no man,
If with his tongue he cannot win a woman..."See in text(Act III - Act III, Scene 1)
Proteus betrayed his friend Valentine and reported Valentine’s intention to run away with the Duke’s daughter Silvia because he is in love with Silvia himself. The Duke of Milan has asked Valentine for advice on how to woo women in an effort to trick Valentine into divulging his own plans for stealing the Duke’s daughter. Valentine falls for the trap here, revealing how one should woo a woman and his plans in the process.
