Introduction
‘Two Gentlemen of Verona’ is the story of two young boys, Nicola and Jacopo. The story recounts how the two brothers devoted themselves to a hard and difficult life to earn money for the medical treatment of their sister.She was afflicted with tuberculosis of the spine. The author was impressed by their sincerity and devotion to the cause. They displayed maturity and understanding beyond their years. Their selfless action ‘brought a new nobility to human life and gave promise of a greater hope for human society’.
Nicola and Jacopo – the fruit vendors
Two young boys stopped the narrator on the outskirts of Verona. They were selling wild strawberries. The elder brother Nicola was thirteen while the younger brother Jacopo was nearly twelve. Both were in rags. He was strangely attracted towards them. The earnestness in their eyes touched the narrator. He bought their biggest basket inspite of Luigi’s (his driver) protests.
Doing odd jobs
Next morning, the narrator saw both the brothers bending over shoeshine boxes in the public square. They were doing a brisk business. They not only picked up fruits but also did many other things to earn a living. Often they showed visitors round the town-to Juliet’s tomb and other places of interest. They proved extremely useful to the narrator and his driver Luigi. They could buy a pack of American cigarettes or get seats for the opera. They could be relied upon to satisfy their needs. They shined shoes, sold fruits and hawked newspapers, took tourists round the city and did all odd jobs for others to earn money
One night, the narrator saw both the brothers resting on the stone pavement. Jacopo’s head was resting upon his elder brother’s shoulders. He was asleep. It was nearly midnight. Nicola told them that they were waiting for the last bus from Padua. They could sell all their papers when the bus came in there. The narrator thought that they must earn quite a lot. They worked so hard and ate so little. They spent nothing on their clothes. The narrator thought that perhaps they were saving up to emigrate to America. But they had other plans.
A rare privilege
The author was to leave Verona on Monday. He asked the brothers if he could do anything for them before leaving. Jacopo told that every Sunday they made a visit to the country to Poleta, 30 kilometers from there. Usually they hired bicycles to go there. He asked the narrator if he could send them there in his car. Luigi had taken the Sunday off but the narrator replied that he would drive them out himself. The following afternoon they drove to a tiny village. The two brothers came out of the car and went towards a red-roofed villa. They promised to be back within an hour.
Unravelled Mystery
The narrator found a grilled slide entrance. He determinedly rang the bell. A pleasant-looking young woman appeared in the white uniform of a trained nurse.She led him into the hospital. She stopped at the door of a little cubicle. She asked him to look through the glass partition. The two brothers were seated at the bedside of a girl of about twenty. She resembled her brothers. She was listening to their chatter. The nurse asked the narrator to go in. Lucia would be pleased to see him. The narrator did not want to intrude upon that happy family party. He begged the nurse to tell him all she knew about those boys.
Family Destroyed by the War
Nicola and Jacopo were quite alone in the world, except their sister Lucia. Their father was a widower. He was a well-known singer and was killed in the early part of the war. A bomb had destroyed their home and they were thrown into the streets. They rebuilt their house using the rubbles. They suffered horribly. They faced starvation and were exposed to the cold winter. They hated the Germans who brought all these troubles on them. The boys served as secret agents and carried messages about movement of German troops to freedom fighters. When the war was over, they came to their beloved sister. They found her suffering from tuberculosis of the spine.
Love for their Sister
The boys did all that they could do for their ill sister. They brought her to the hospital and persuaded them to take her into the hospital. She had made a lot ofj progress in the last twelve months. It I was hoped that one day she would walk and sing again.Lucia’s brothers paid weekly bills regularly. The narrator was shocked to know the story of the two boys and their sister. He hurriedly came out and waited until the boys rejoined him. He drove them back to the city. They sat beside him and spoke nothing. Even he didn’t say a word to them. He knew they would prefer to feel that they had ‘safely kept their secret’. Their devotion, selfless action and sincerity touched his heart deeply. Their devotion to the cause brought a new nobility to human life. They gave a new hope for humanity
Conclusion
The selfless hardships bravely faced by the two little brothers of Lucia teach us the meaning of life. The story conveys the message that as long as people are willing to make sacrifices for the well-being of others, there is hope for humanity.
