How we cite our quotes: Citations follow this format: (Act.Scene.Line). Line numbers correspond to the Norton edition.
Quote #7
SILVIA
Nay, then, he should be blind, and being blind
How could he see his way to seek out you? (2.4.93-94)
Silvia raises an excellent question. If Proteus loves Julia so much, why is he leaving her in Verona and travelling to Milan, where his best friend Valentine is hanging out? The easy answer is that Proteus's dad is making him. Still, Silvia's shrewd question seems to gesture at the fact that Proteus isn't as dedicated to Julia as he claims to be.
Quote #8
PROTEUS
Methinks my zeal to Valentine is cold,
And that I love him not as I was wont.
O, but I love his lady too too much,
And that's the reason I love him so little.
How shall I dote on her with more advice
That thus without advice begin to love her? (2.4.213-218)
For Proteus, falling out of love with Julia means that his "zeal" to Valentine is "cold." In the play, it seems like a man's romantic interests always threaten to break up his friendships with other men. It's also pretty clear that Proteus is fickle – he easily falls in and out of love.
Quote #9
JULIA
Then let me go and hinder not my course
I'll be as patient as a gentle stream
And make a pastime of each weary step
Till the last step have brought me to my love,
And there I'll rest, as after much turmoil
A blessèd soul doth in Elysium. (2.7.33-38)
Although Proteus falls out of love with Julia as easy as we might change a pair of socks, Julia's devotion to Proteus is pretty rock steady – she willing to risk everything to follow Proteus to Milan so the couple can be together. Here, she declares that her reunion with Proteus will be just like heaven.