The Two Gentlemen of Verona Act 2, Scene 5 Summary

  • The two servants, Speed and Lance appear on stage with Lance's dog, Crab.
  • Speed invites Lance to an alehouse (a bar) and then asks how things went when Proteus said goodbye to Julia. Lance says things went fine. Speed wants to know if they're going to get married.
  • As the dialogue continues, Speed can't get a straight answer from Lance, who delivers a series of lines that are loaded with silly puns and dirty jokes.
  • Lance announces that if Speed won't go to the alehouse with him, then Speed is a "Jew" and not a Christian.
  • Why? Because a good Christian would never turn down a fellow Christian's invitation to have a drink. We're not sure if this is a jab at Christians for being lushes or at Jews for not going drinking with Christians. Maybe both, though probably the latter, considering the anti-Semitism in The Merchant of Venice