As the film is set in 1593, the reference by screenwriters Marc Norman and Tom Stoppard is clearly to The Two Gentlemen of Verona in which romances overcome deceit and disguise and the clown Launce ...
“A love triangle, a forest, disguises and a dog.” The description of “Two Gentlemen of Verona” sounds exactly like a real-life romp — the type of goofy, summertime adventure young people might (and may in fact, do) enjoy right here, ... .