VALENTINE Come, come. A hand from either.
Let me be blessed to make this happy close.
’Twere pity two such friends should be long foes.
PROTEUS Bear witness, heaven, I have my wish for ever.
JULIA And I mine.
[Enter Outlaws, with the Duke and Thurio as prisoners]
OUTLAWS A prize, a prize, a prize!
VALENTINE Forbear, forbear, I say! It is my lord the Duke.
[to the Duke]
Your grace is welcome to a man disgraced,
Banished Valentine.
DUKE Sir Valentine! (5.4.114-122)
Valentine gets to be magnanimous, and it looks like everything’s being resolved: come, come. A hand from either, he says—presumably to Proteus and Julia—let me be blessed to make this happy close, joining their hands to reunite them and in effect re-betroth them, as well as—perhaps—concluding the play. Some directors—and editors—have reassigned the lines to Silvia, reuniting Proteus and Valentine. That works, too, and at least gives Silvia something to say… Certainly the line ’twere pity two such friends should be long foes (forming a nice little concluding couplet) makes as much, if not more, sense being spoken of Proteus and Valentine as of Proteus and Julia. Proteus and Julia seem happy, at least: bear witness, heaven, I have my wish for ever, Proteus says, which would make most sense if he’s got Valentine in one hand and Julia in the other, and Julia can just adoringly add and I mine, although she can undercut it in performance with a note of uncertainty, especially if she’s looking at silent Silvia. Is this really what she wants?
Whatever, it’s (probably) all looking like reconciliation and nicely heteronormative symmetry—but wait, here’s the outlaws, triumphantly dragging in the Duke and Thurio: a prize, a prize! These are proper rich ones, boss! (In performance Speed and even Lance—and Crab—might appear too.) Valentine has to think quickly: forbear, forbear, I say! It is my lord the Duke! This is really really awkward, guys! Extreme politeness and a bit of wordplay is the best option: your grace is welcome to a man disgraced, banished Valentine. Yup, it’s me again! And your daughter! Sir Valentine! responds the Duke. (Sir is metrically helpful but also quite polite as a form of address to a banished man.) Will it all continue working out?