Act III, Scene 2

Thurio makes little progress in his wooing of Silvia. The Duke, however, assures him that Silvia will soon be his bride, now that Valentine is banished from her sight. To make sure that Silvia will forget Valentine and transfer her attention and love to Thurio, the Duke seeks counsel from Proteus. Proteus convinces the Duke that to slander the name of Valentine would be the best remedy for Silvia's memory of him. He volunteers to do the slandering, stating that she would surely believe him since he is Valentine's friend. When the Duke agrees to the plan, Proteus promises to "dispraise" Valentine and promote Thurio.

In this scene, Proteus' villainy is shown to have no bounds; he promises to bad-mouth his best friend in order to better his chances with Silvia. He tells the Duke he will convince Silvia of Valentine's "falsehood, cowardice, and poor descent, three things that women highly hold in hate." Proteus also begins to tutor Thurio in the art of courting, giving him false advice. He tells Thurio that the way to win Silvia's love is to woo her with "wailful sonnets". Proteus' own style of poetry, however, wins a commendation from the Duke.

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