▁by ▁Bar th ol ome w ▁Y ong . ▁ ▁Fel is men a ' s ▁back - story ▁in ▁the ▁D iana , ▁where in ▁Fel is men a ▁cross - d ress es ▁as ▁a ▁page ▁in ▁order ▁to ▁purs ue ▁her ▁faith less ▁lo ver , ▁was ▁probably ▁Shakespeare ' s ▁source ▁for ▁his ▁Two ▁Gent le men ▁of ▁Ver ona . ▁ ▁Mont em ay or ' s ▁ending ▁diff ers ▁from ▁Shakespeare ' s ▁play , ▁however , ▁since ▁Mont em ay or ' s ▁hero ine ▁saves ▁her ▁lo ver ' s ▁life ; ▁the ▁re kind ling ▁of ▁their ▁love ▁is ▁also ▁helped ▁along ▁by ▁Fel icia ' s ▁magic . ▁Spe aking ▁more ▁broad ly , ▁Geoff rey ▁Bull ough , ▁Jud ith ▁Kennedy , ▁and ▁Stuart ▁G illes pie ▁have ▁all ▁noted ▁that ▁Mont em ay or ' s ▁past oral ▁rom ance ▁seems ▁to ▁have ▁been ▁found ational ▁for ▁the ▁development ▁of ▁Shakespeare ' s ▁com ed ies : ▁they ▁point ▁particularly ▁to ▁Mont em ay or ' s ▁influ ential ▁expl oration ▁of ▁love , ▁his ▁emphas is ▁on ▁strong ▁female ▁hero ines ▁and ▁their ▁pers pect ives , ▁and ▁his ▁treatment ▁of ▁am orous ▁intr igue ▁and ▁ent ang lement s . ▁▁ ▁Mont em ay or ' s ▁D iana ▁was ▁also ▁a ▁major ▁insp iration ▁for ▁Philip ▁Sid ney ▁in ▁writing ▁the ▁New ▁Arc ad ia . ▁ ▁Mont em ay or ' s ▁influence ▁was ▁noticed ▁early ▁on