Timon of Athens
An unusual and possibly unfinished tragedy, Timon of Athens moves in two stark movements: from extreme generosity to extreme misanthropy. Timon, beloved by all when he lavishes wealth on them, discovers his "friends" abandon him in poverty and retreats to the woods, cursing all of humanity.
At a Glance
- Genre: Tragedy
- Approximate date: c. 1606–1608 (possibly incomplete; may have been co-written with Thomas Middleton)
- Setting: Athens and the woods outside Athens
- Source: Plutarch's Lives; Lucian's Timon the Misanthrope
- Acts: 5
Dramatis Personæ
| Character | Description |
|---|---|
| TIMON | Noble Athenian; extravagantly generous; becomes the definitive misanthrope |
| FLAVIUS | Timon's loyal steward; only person Timon excepts from his hatred |
| FLAMINIUS | Timon's servant |
| LUCILIUS | Timon's servant |
| SERVILIUS | Timon's servant |
| APEMANTUS | Churlish philosopher; cynic; always knew humanity was base |
| ALCIBIADES | Athenian captain; exiled; returns with an army; pragmatic avenger |
| PHRYNIA and TIMANDRA | Alcibiades's mistresses |
| LUCIUS, LUCULLUS, SEMPRONIUS, VENTIDIUS | "Friends" who abandon Timon when he is poor |
| CAPHIS, TITUS, HORTENSIUS, LUCIUS'S SERVANT | Servants of Timon's creditors |
| THREE STRANGERS (one called HOSTILIUS) | Comment on Timon's treatment |
| AN OLD ATHENIAN | |
| POET | Came to Timon for gold; represents flattery and art as commerce |
| PAINTER | Same |
| JEWELLER | Same |
| MERCHANT | Same |
| A FOOL | |
| A PAGE | |
| LORDS AND SENATORS OF ATHENS | |
| BANDITTI (thieves) | Approach Timon; he gives them gold to commit more crime |
| CUPID | In the masque |
Plot Summary
Act I: Athens. Timon lavishes gifts on all comers: he pays a young man's debts, presents jewels, gives a feast. The philosopher Apemantus alone refuses his false flattery and tells him the truth: everyone is using him. Timon dismisses this. His steward Flavius tries to warn him that the money is running out.
Act II: Timon is bankrupt. He sends servants to borrow from his friends. Each "friend" refuses with elaborate excuses (Lucullus: "Every man has his fault, and honesty is his"). Timon is abandoned by all.
Act III: In bitter satire, Timon invites his former friends to another banquet. They come expecting more gifts. The dishes are revealed to contain warm water and stones; Timon flings them at the guests and curses them all.
Act IV: Timon retreats to the woods outside Athens. He curses humanity in extravagant speeches. Digging for roots to eat, he finds gold. He uses it not to restore himself but to corrupt: he gives gold to Alcibiades's prostitute companions to spread disease; he gives gold to thieves to commit more crime; he gives gold to the banditti for the same reason. Apemantus visits; they argue — Timon is a worse cynic than Apemantus, who at least chose misanthropy from reason. Flavius visits; Timon tests him and, finding him faithful, gives him gold but tells him to hate mankind.
Act V: Senators beg Timon to return to Athens and help against Alcibiades's army. Timon refuses. He reports his own approaching death and tells them where to find his grave. Timon dies. Alcibiades captures Athens and offers mercy to those who did not wrong him or Timon.
Key Themes
- Money and friendship — the play anatomizes a world where friendship is financial transaction
- Excess — of generosity, of misanthropy — Timon is extreme in both phases; the play implies neither is wisdom
- Art and commerce — the Poet and Painter represent art corrupted by money
- The singular exception — Flavius; Timon's exception proves his misanthropy false
Notable Quotations
"I am Misanthropos, and hate mankind." *(Timon, IV.iii)*
"Gold? Yellow, glittering, precious gold?" *(Timon, IV.iii)*
LibriVox Recording
Timon of Athens audiobook on LibriVox — Free public domain recording.
Cross-references
- Tragedies — genre context
- King Lear — the stripped, outdoor, cursing figure echoes Lear's
- Coriolanus — both are plays about a proud man who turns against Rome/Athens
- The Merchant of Venice — gold and the corrupting power of money