Timon of Athens Act One – “Men shut their doors against a setting sun.”

Timon of Athens Act One – “Men shut their doors against a setting sun.”

Shakespeare probably worked quickly to produce ‘Timon of Athens’. He hadn't produced many plays over the last year and now that he was settled back in London with his properties in the country making a fair sum for him, he probably started in earnest. Since the relative success of 'Hamlet' and 'KIng Lear', he wanted to experiment and stretch the limits of tragedy. Once again, he looked around him to see what aspects of contemporary life struck him. His company were desperate to get the opportunity to perform before the new king but the queues outside St James's Palace seemed to stretch for hours with sycophants of all sorts from nobles to painters and poets. This probably gave him the idea behind 'Timon of Athens'. 

Shakespeare probably went back to his lodgings in Blackfriars and took out his Plutarch and probably happened upon Timon of Athens. The real Timon was a philosopher and misanthrope who lived around 445-400BC in Athens during the time of the Peloponnesian War. Shakespeare then probably took out a copy of ‘The Misanthrope’ which was written around 165AD by Lucian but which he had an 1580 translation of. The idea of a misanthrope (a person who dislikes humans) would have caught his fancy. The allusions in 'Lysistrata' to Timon hating men but being liked by women probably interested him too. He then looked through the verse of Brooke's 'The Tragical History of Romeus and Juliet' (1562) again as well as looking at the prose of William Painter's 'Palace of Pleasure' (1567) to give a sense of some characters and stories. It is alleged that Shakespeare worked closely with someone else on 'Timon of Athens' since some of the language is more like that of Thomas Middleton. Maybe the Jacobean era meant that Shakespeare and other playwrights started to develop their plays in a more collaborative manner. Nevertheless, 'Timon of Athens' is an interesting play that takes us on the journey of a wealthy fool who loses everything and shuns human society and curses humanity only to find honesty in the friendship of a single man.

The play starts with a Poet, a Painter, a Jeweler, and a Merchant entering  Timon's house in Athens. The Jeweler is trying to sell a jewel to Timon while the Painter and Poet talk about works they created for Timon. Then Timon enters and being told his friend Ventidius is now in prison, Timon says he will his friends debt to free him. An old Athenian enters and when Timon hears his servant Lucilius is after the old Athenian’s daughter, Timon gets a agreement of a marriage between Lucilius and the girl. Lucilius feels he is forever in Timon’s debt. Timon then takes the gem from the jeweler, the poem from the poet and the painting from the painter. Apemantus enters and Timon and him come to loggerheads on a number of matters.

When Alcibiades enters and he shows great contempt for Timon’s guests before he and Timon exit. Apemantus announces that he will not attend Timon's feast and he exits too. Other Lords discuss Timon's generosity and his luck.

We move onto the Banquet hall at Timon’s house. Timon enters with Venditius, who he has just helped out of prison. Venditius says he is in Timon’s debt and offers to repay Timon some day. Timno says he does not expect nothing back. Timon welcomes Apemantus but he rejects the welcome. Apemantus is then sent to a table well away from Timon. Apemantus puts down most at the feast and declares that he distrusts most of the lords there and the oaths they make. When Timon speaks to Alcibiades and asks whether he would rather be on the battlefield with his soldiers, Alcibiades says he would rather be at the feast. Apemantus sees this as more false flattery for Timon.

Then a servant announces the entry of a group of ladies disguised as Amazons who perform. Apemantus obviously has a problem with almost everyone and he even criticizes the dancers denounces them as madwomen. Lords join the ladies in a dance. Timon then gets his servant Flavius to bring in a small casket. Flavius reveals in an aside that Timon is too generous and he is running out of riches fast and he comes back with the casket, and Timon gives jewels almost everyone. Flavius tries to talk to Timon but members of the senate enter while at the same time gifts for Timon from Lord Lucius and Lord Lucullus. Flavius notes that Timon is almost bankrupt. This then seems ironic when Timon gives gifts to all of the lords including money to Alcibiades and a horse to another lord. The lords leave with gifts in hand.

When Timon says he should also give a gift to Apemantus, Apemantus states that he needs to stay honest so that he can criticize Timon. Timon says that he won’t listen to Apemantus and he departs. Apemantus ends the scene with hoping:

“O, that men's ears should be

To counsel deaf, but not to flattery!”