Timon of Athens Play
Timon of Athens tells the tale of a kind and generous
aristocrat, too generous in fact; it seems all around
him need of his money... Unsurprisingly, Timons is very
well liked, painters, poets and jewellers alike plying
him with gifts. He lends money to others in trouble
(Noble Ventidius), even underwriting servant Lucilius
who wants to marry an old Athenian's daughter.
Naturally our aristocratic benefactor holds another
of his great feasts, all around him merrily eating and
drinking away. Timons, though is just happy to be amongst
his friends... Not content just to share a feast, Timons
showers jewels upon everyone. No one minds except his
steward Flavius who believes his master to be too generous
and notes our aristocrat is steadily indebting himself.
The philosopher Apemantus privately shares this view.
Now facing creditors, Flavius telsl his master he is
bankrupt. Our aristocrat asks his friends to lend him
money; all offer excuses instead.... Though increasingly
worried, the nobleman does not give up hope yet, remembering
his friends have always helped him before.... Instead
the servants of his many "friends" demand
payment of their debts! The Senate decide that Timon
should die for failing to pay his debts.
A captain of Athens named Alciabides trys valiantly
without success to overturn this death sentence over
one of his men given by the Senate. For his trouble
Alciabides is banished but decides to have the last
laugh by planning to sack Athens with his army in revenge.
Infuriated by his friends refusal to help him, our nobleman
invites his "friends" to one last feast only
to serve them warm water, throwing it in their faces,
Timons' denouncing not only these "friends"
but all mankind, deciding to head for the woods. This
earns him the reputation of a madman.
Learning of the noblemans' fate, Alciabides befriends
the aristocrat, now living as a hermit, hunting for
mere scrubs with which to eat. Ironically the hermit
has come across a great hoard of gold. The hermit now
insults Alciabides for the crime of being a man, so
deep is the hermits' hatred. Alciabides tries to offer
the hermit money but instead the hermit makes him an
offer; Alciabides may have the gold if he sacks Athens.
Accepting some of this gold to pay his troops, Alciabides
sets off for Athens.
The Hermit meets Apemantus, the two getting along since
they both hate mankind. Apermentus relays the hermit's
message to Athens that he has found a great hoard of
gold. Now bandits arrive, the hermit too offering them
gold should they bring havoc upon Athens. Unfortunately
the hermit's venomous ranting convinces these bandits
to give up their thieving ways. Realising Flavius his
old steward to be one of the few honest men left, the
hermit even sends him packing, though with gold.
Meanwhile Alciabides reaches Athens, the desperate
Athenians begging the hermit for help, but the hermit
instead kindly offers them a tree with which to hang
themselves! Desperate, the Senate placate Alciabides
by offering up Alciabides' enemies and those who refused
to help the hermit out of his debt. Alciabides says
he seeks reparations only from the hermit's "friends."
Unfortunately though it seems the hermit has finally
been avenged, a lone soldier announces that the once
popular nobleman has passed away alone in his cave,
uncared for by anyone. Alcibides reads aloud the hermit's
own scrawled epitgraph, asking all to remember this
generous man...
Contents
Dramatis
Personæ
Act I
Scene I, Scene
II
Act II
Scene I, Scene
II,
Act III
Scene I, Scene
II, Scene III, Scene
IV, Scene V, Scene
VI
Act IV
Scene I, Scene
II, Scene III
Act V
Scene I, Scene
II, Scene III, Scene
IV
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