oral ▁rom ance ▁written ▁in ▁Spanish ▁by ▁the ▁Portuguese ▁author ▁Jorge ▁de ▁Mont em ay or . ▁ ▁The ▁rom ance ▁was ▁first ▁published ▁in ▁ 1 5 5 9 , ▁though ▁later ▁ed itions ▁expanded ▁upon ▁the ▁original ▁text . ▁ ▁A ▁six teenth - century ▁best s eller , ▁the ▁D iana ▁helped ▁launch ▁a ▁v og ue ▁for ▁stories ▁about ▁she ph erd s , ▁she ph erd esses , ▁and ▁their ▁experiences ▁in ▁love . ▁ ▁One ▁of ▁its ▁most ▁famous ▁readers ▁was ▁William ▁Shakespeare , ▁who ▁seems ▁to ▁have ▁borrow ed ▁the ▁Prote us - Jul ia - S yl via ▁plot ▁of ▁The ▁Two ▁Gent le men ▁of ▁Ver ona ▁from ▁Fel is men a ' s ▁tale ▁in ▁the ▁D iana . ▁ ▁Plot ▁The ▁D iana ▁begins ▁with ▁a ▁summary ▁of ▁previous ▁events , ▁telling ▁us ▁that ▁the ▁she ph erd ▁Sir eno ▁is ▁in ▁love ▁with ▁the ▁she ph erd ess ▁D iana . ▁ ▁She ▁once ▁returned ▁his ▁love , ▁but ▁when ▁Sir eno ▁was ▁called ▁away ▁from ▁their ▁village , ▁she ▁was ▁married ▁to ▁another ▁she ph erd ▁named ▁Del io . ▁ ▁The ▁story ▁begins ▁with ▁Sir eno ' s ▁return ▁after ▁a ▁year ' s ▁absence , ▁having ▁already ▁learned ▁of ▁D iana ' s ▁marriage . ▁ ▁Over ▁the ▁course ▁of ▁the ▁first ▁three ▁books , ▁Sir eno ▁enc oun ters ▁other ▁she ph erd s ▁and ▁she ph erd esses ▁who ▁sing ▁songs ▁and ▁tell ▁stories ▁of ▁their