Timon of Athens Act Four – “The sea's a thief, whose liquid surge resolves the moon into salt tears…”

Timon of Athens Act Four – “The sea's a thief, whose liquid surge resolves 
the moon into salt tears…”

Outside of Athens, Timon curses the city and all who live in it. He wishes death and destruction, plague and misfortune, upon all the people in Athens and takes to the hills to find  "Th'unkindest beast more kinder than mankind…” In the wilderness, Timon expects his distain for humans will grow.

Back at Timon's house, Flavius and several servants discuss what has happened. They are shocked at the fall of Timon from grace yet are retincent to go into the wilderness with Timon to continue to serve him. Flavius is generous and shares out what is left amongst them all and gets them to agree to greet each other kindly if they ever meet again. As they disperse, Flavius contemplates how riches only seem to bring flattery, false friendships and misery to people. He thinks that Timon was brought so low by his own kindness and that kindness was Timon's only sin. Flavius decides to find Timon in the wilderness and to serve him once more.

Up in the hills, Timon contemplates how even nature even is at odds with itself. He raves against all mankind, wishing it only destruction. Then Timon digs for roots in the ground to eat and uncovers gold. he talks of gold as a "yellow slave" and aks the earth to hide the gold as he keeps some of the gold and reburies the rest.

Soon after Alcibiades enters, with two female prostitutes. He doesn't recognise Timon initially and when asked Timon says he is Misanthropos, hater of all men. Then Alcibiades recognizes Timon and extends his friendship to Timon who rejects it for he claims no man is able to follow through with true friendship. Alcibiades offers friendship a little gold to Timon who refuses both. Alcibiades says he will help Timon after he attacks Athens.

Timon becomes enthusiastic that Alcibiades is going to attack Athens and gives him gold to help the assault:

“That, by killing of villains,

Thou wast born to conquer my country.

Put up thy gold: go on,--here's gold,--go on;

Be as a planetary plague, when Jove

Will o'er some high-viced city hang his poison

In the sick air: let not thy sword skip one:

Pity not honour'd age for his white beard;

He is an usurer: strike me the counterfeit matron;

It is her habit only that is honest,

Herself's a bawd: let not the virgin's cheek

Make soft thy trenchant sword; for those milk-paps,

That through the window-bars bore at men's eyes,

Are not within the leaf of pity writ,

But set them down horrible traitors: spare not the babe,

Whose dimpled smiles from fools exhaust their mercy;

Think it a bastard, whom the oracle

Hath doubtfully pronounced thy throat shall cut,

And mince it sans remorse: swear against objects;

Put armour on thine ears and on thine eyes;

Whose proof, nor yells of mothers, maids, nor babes,

Nor sight of priests in holy vestments bleeding,

Shall pierce a jot. There's gold to pay soldiers:

Make large confusion; and, thy fury spent,

Confounded be thyself! Speak not, be gone.”

The prostitutes ask for gold as well and Timon gives it to them telling them to continue in their profession and hopes that disease is spread amongst all that they service. Alcibiades and the ladies leave.

When digging for food, Timon berates all of mankind:

“ (Digging) That nature, being sick of man's unkindness,

Should yet be hungry! Common mother, thou,

Whose womb unmeasurable, and infinite breast,
Teems, and feeds all; whose self-same mettle,
Whereof thy proud child, arrogant man, is puff'd,
Engenders the black toad and adder blue,
The gilded newt and eyeless venom'd worm,
With all the abhorred births below crisp heaven
Whereon Hyperion's quickening fire doth shine;
Yield him, who all thy human sons doth hate,
From forth thy plenteous bosom, one poor root!
Ensear thy fertile and conceptious womb,
Let it no more bring out ingrateful man!
Go great with tigers, dragons, wolves, and bears;
Teem with new monsters, whom thy upward face
Hath to the marbled mansion all above
Never presented!--O, a root,--dear thanks!--
Dry up thy marrows, vines, and plough-torn leas;
Whereof ungrateful man, with liquorish draughts
And morsels unctuous, greases his pure mind,
That from it all consideration slips!

Apemantus then enters and he is cursed by Timon. Apemantus says it was inevitable that Timon would come to this and mockingly says that Timon should have the animals flatter him now. Timon tries to get Apemantus  to leave but he says he will stay and that he likes Timon more in this state than he did in Athens. Apemantus claims that Timon has willed himself into misery and Apemantus claims that if he had had Timon’s fortune, he would not have gone after respectability and furnished himself with flatterers. Timon asks why Apemantus hates mankind, and Apemantus says he probably hates mankind because of his father who abandoned him to a beggar woman. Timon then tries to get him to leave, saying if Apemantus had not been born the most miserable of men, he would have ended up just like Timon himself.

Apemantus stays and offers Timon food but Timon still rants and curses Apemantus who says that Timon’s problem is that:

“The middle of humanity thou never knewest, but the

extremity of both ends: when thou wast in thy gilt

and thy perfume, they mocked thee for too much

curiosity; in thy rags thou knowest none, but art

despised for the contrary.”

Then Timon asks Apemantus if he has ever loved, Apemantus says no and that he has only ever had himself. Then asks Apemantus if he had power over the whole world what would he do and Apemantus says he would give everything to the animals. Timon says this would not help because some animals would still seek power over other animals. Apemantus says Timon seems very astute in his philosophy:

“If thou couldst please me with speaking to me, thou

mightst have hit upon it here: the commonwealth of

Athens is become a forest of beasts.”

They then exchange insults and Timon throws a rock at Apemantus to dismiss him. Timon muses at the power the gold he looks at has had over mankind that it reduces man to the most lowly of beats. Apemantus sees thieves coming towards them and exits quickly. Timon stays.

The thieves approach and try to work out how they can get Timon to give up his gold but are surprised when Timon just gives them the gold and encourages them to do great evil with it. Timon says that robbery is part of nature because the sun is a thief who robs the sea, the moon in turn robs the sun, the sea takes its tides from the moon, and the earth is the greatest thief of all. The thieves like Timon's speech but at some point realise that it comes of misanthropy or hatred for mankind not love of stealing. They exit to head towards Athens intending to eventually give up their professions of robbery.

Flavius enters bemoaning his master, Timon's fate and how Timon's 'friends' treated him. Timon sees Flavius and Flavius reminds Timon that he Flavius was his loyal honest servant. Timon claims their is no honesty in men. Flavius weeps and Timon realise that Falvius' grief is real.

Flavius even offers his money to Timon who is genuinely moved by his servant's generousity. Timon admits that Flavius has shown him that  and ironically that person is a servant. Timon asks what Flavius wants in return for his kindness and Flavius says nothing and says that he wishes only to serve and love Timon. Flavius even claims that he wished that he was rich to make Timon rich again. Timon realizes that Flavius is honest and gives him gold:

“Look thee, 'tis so! Thou singly honest man,

Here, take: the gods out of my misery

Have sent thee treasure. Go, live rich and happy;

But thus condition'd: thou shalt build from men;

Hate all, curse all, show charity to none,

But let the famish'd flesh slide from the bone,

Ere thou relieve the beggar; give to dogs

What thou deny'st to men; let prisons swallow 'em,

Debts wither 'em to nothing; be men like

blasted woods,

And may diseases lick up their false bloods!

And so farewell and thrive. “

Flavius begs to stay and serve Timon, but Timon frees him and says he does not want to see him again.