It has been observed by more than one critic that the poets depicted, and the references to poetry, in Shakespeare’s plays seem to be by a man who regarded the art and its practitioners with irony, satire or contempt. But it is never safe to assume that Shakespeare shared the views of his characters, even of his virtuous characters; and the opinions expressed in his plays on the subject of poetry are all, in their various ways, suspect, because they are appropriate to the characters who speak them.

The earliest reference is in The Two Gentlemen of Verona, where Proteus instructs Thurio how to win Silvia. It must be remembered that Proteus is playing a double game since he wishes to win Silvia for himself. He is already false to Valentine and his advice to Thurio is insincere:

The Duke backs up Proteus' words with the remark:

But the poetry advocated by Proteus is hardly heaven-bred: it is strictly utilitarian. Its object is the winning of Silvia, although Proteus does not wish it to succeed: