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Timon of Athens or The Life of Tymon of Athens is a play by William Shakespeare written in about 1606. This play can be identified as a tragedy and alternatively can also be categorized as a problem play. Timon lavishes his wealth wastefully on his parasitic companions, so-called ‘friends’, and with these people trying their best to please Timon to extract maximum out of him.
Timon pays no heed to the cynic companion Apemantus who is the only one warning Timon of his overextension of munificence and not accepting any financial token or gesture from the wealthy and generous Timon.
Timon continues giving away things to his friends till he is left with no more to splurge and ends up with his land getting sold and entering into a life of poverty with debtors chasing him. His faithful steward Flavius fails to save the situation. Apemantus tries to ward off the creditors and chastises the shallow parasitic, opportunities followers of Timon who declined helping him in his need. Poor and rejected by the social circle that Timon kept, he in turn rejects mankind and retires to a cave and continues to curse humanity.
He sustains himself on roots away from the city walls, in a crude home, in the wilderness till he finds gold. He then funds Alcibiades to destroy Athens, commission some prostitutes to spread venereal disease and acknowledges Flavius as the true friend. Timon gives away the rest of his wealth to the Poet and Painter and to the senators and shares a common misanthropic feeling with Apemantus and finally dies in the wilderness.
Timon of Athens is a fascinating tale of how the love for material wealth drives the people, society and even friends around us. It has some nihilistic stings and cutting commentaries about how the individuals and the society functions. The journey of Timon from being a philanthropist to misanthropist is eventful and interesting.
The themes of friendship and friendlessness, principles and falsity, city versus country, exile and isolation, wealth and poverty, suffering, dissatisfaction, misanthropy and unwarranted greed dominate the events and happenings of the play.
Timon of Athens or The Life of Tymon of Athens is a play by William Shakespeare written in about 1606. This play can be identified as a tragedy and alternatively can also be categorized as a problem play. Timon lavishes his wealth wastefully on his parasitic companions, so-called ‘friends’, and with these people trying their best to please Timon to extract maximum out of him.
Timon pays no heed to the cynic companion Apemantus who is the only one warning Timon of his overextension of munificence and not accepting any financial token or gesture from the wealthy and generous Timon.
Timon continues giving away things to his friends till he is left with no more to splurge and ends up with his land getting sold and entering into a life of poverty with debtors chasing him. His faithful steward Flavius fails to save the situation. Apemantus tries to ward off the creditors and chastises the shallow parasitic, opportunities followers of Timon who declined helping him in his need. Poor and rejected by the social circle that Timon kept, he in turn rejects mankind and retires to a cave and continues to curse humanity.
He sustains himself on roots away from the city walls, in a crude home, in the wilderness till he finds gold. He then funds Alcibiades to destroy Athens, commission some prostitutes to spread venereal disease and acknowledges Flavius as the true friend. Timon gives away the rest of his wealth to the Poet and Painter and to the senators and shares a common misanthropic feeling with Apemantus and finally dies in the wilderness.
Timon of Athens is a fascinating tale of how the love for material wealth drives the people, society and even friends around us. It has some nihilistic stings and cutting commentaries about how the individuals and the society functions. The journey of Timon from being a philanthropist to misanthropist is eventful and interesting.
The themes of friendship and friendlessness, principles and falsity, city versus country, exile and isolation, wealth and poverty, suffering, dissatisfaction, misanthropy and unwarranted greed dominate the events and happenings of the play.
What many of us would find interesting is that the extremely famous English playwright, poet and actor William Shakespeare’s real name was something else. And most of us are not aware of it even after almost breathing and living Shakespeare for years. It was Gulielmus Shakspere, as has been recorded at his baptism in 1564. Gulielmus is the Latin word for William. But then why would we call him William Shakespeare! It is because Shakespeare called himself ‘Will’ in his Sonnets and most of his associates referred to him as William Shakespeare.
William Shakespeare is believed to have been born on 23 April even though baptised on 26 April 1564. He is considered the greatest writer ever in the history of English language and his reputation as the world’s pre-eminent dramatist goes unrefuted. The millions of Shakespeare followers all across the world have for ages referred to him as England’s national poet and the Bard of Avon. His huge gamut of works of different genres combined, including the collaborations with contemporary authors, include about 39 plays, 154 sonnets, three long narrative poems, and other verses.
Shakespeare is said to be one of the top three greatest translated authors in all human history after Agatha Christie and Jules Verne. Shakespearean plays have been translated into almost every major living language and they are performed more frequently on stage compared to all other playwrights that the world has ever produced. His influence in the world English language is incomparable, and his works are read with the same enthusiasm, emotion and interest even in the modern age. They were never out of fad or fashion and were never shunned in any period of literary history. Critics and researchers are ever passionate to unfurl new levels of meanings and emotions, intent and depth as they continue to study and reinterpret his vast treasure of creative jewels.
Shakespeare was born and brought up in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire. He is believed to have left Stratford upon Avon in the late 1580s and moved to London. Though the exact address is not known, the first evidence that we get of his living in London is somewhere in Bishopsgate in 1596 nearby Leadenhall Street and St. Mary Avenue. At the age of 18, he married Anne Hathaway, who was 26 years old at that time and three months pregnant with Shakespeare’s first child. Thus, their first child, Susanna, was born six months after their marriage. They had two more children, a son, Hamnet, who died in 1596, and another daughter, Judith. His only granddaughter Elizabeth, daughter of Susanna, died childless in 1670 leaving no descendants to his family.
At age 49, approximately around the year 1613, he is said to have retired to Stratford, where he died three years later. Very few records of his private life can be found. We do not know much about his private life, his religious beliefs and sexuality. There is some controversy regarding the fact whether all his works have been originally produced by him.
Most of his known works were written between 1589 and 1613. His comedies and histories are regarded as the world’s best ever works produced. He also wrote quite a handful of heart-wrenching tragedies until 1608, among which Hamlet, Othello, King Lear, Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet are among the finest and most poignant works in the English language. His collection of 17 great comedies includes The Merchant of Venice and Much Ado About Nothing and of his 10 history plays, Henry V and Richard III rightfully deserves mention.
The greatness of his plays had been proven by the fact that Shakespeare and his theatre company had the privilege to perform before both Queen Elizabeth I and James I, who were both enthusiastic patrons of his creativity. Shakespeare’s close connection with King James I was known. The King designated the actors of Shakespeare’s company as ‘Grooms of Chamber’. Following this, Shakespeare changed the company’s name from the ‘Lord Chamberlain’s Men’ to the ‘King’s Men’ which went a long way to make him a favourite with the King. He thus made a good headway for being a desired artist for all performances at the royal court.
Shakespeare was not only an immensely talented composer of plays and sonnets, but he was also an accomplished actor who performed in many of his own plays along with the plays by other playwrights. Early evidence suggests that he played the role of a ghost in Hamlet and Adam in As You Like It.
The mystery and enigma surrounding this great name doesn’t cease to exist even after his death. Amusingly and interestingly, Shakespeare had penned a curse for his grave, keeping miscreants, who dares to move his body from the final resting place, at bay. His epitaph says:
Good friend for Jesus’ sake forbear,
To dig the dust enclosed here:
Blest be the man that spares these stones,
And curst be he that moves my bones.
And though it was customary to dig up the bones from older graves to accommodate new ones, the remains of Shakespeare’s grave are still intact, left undisturbed. Guess the threat of curse worked out nicely for his bodily remains.
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13. Animal Farm by George Orwell
14. Journey to the Centre of the Earth by Jules Verne
15. War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy
16. She Stoops to Conquer by Oliver Goldsmith
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Timon of Athens
by
William Shakespeare
Newgen Knowledge Works Offices
Chennai Pondicherry Pune Kottayam Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia)
Leipzig (Germany) Amsterdam (Netherlands) Stroud (UK) Texas (USA)
Published in the First Folio of 1623
This book has been inspired from the original version of Timon of Athens first published in 1623 available in the public domain. Due care and diligence have been taken while bringing out this edition; neither the author nor the publishers of the book hold any responsibility for any mistake that may have inadvertently crept in. The publishers shall not be liable for any direct, consequential, or incidental damages arising out of the use of the book.
© Trove Books Edition, 2023
Paperback ISBN: 978-81-19222-72-8
eBook ISBN: 978-81-19222-79-7
WebPDF: 978-81-19222-55-1
Published by
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About the Author
What many of us would find interesting is that the extremely famous English playwright, poet and actor William Shakespeare’s real name was something else. And most of us are not aware of it even after almost breathing and living Shakespeare for years. It was Gulielmus Shakspere, as has been recorded at his baptism in 1564. Gulielmus is the Latin word for William. But then why would we call him William Shakespeare! It is because Shakespeare called himself ‘Will’ in his Sonnets and most of his associates referred to him as William Shakespeare.
William Shakespeare is believed to have been born on 23 April even though baptised on 26 April 1564. He is considered the greatest writer ever in the history of English language and his reputation as the world’s pre-eminent dramatist goes unrefuted. The millions of Shakespeare followers all across the world have for ages referred to him as England’s national poet and the Bard of Avon. His huge gamut of works of different genres combined, including the collaborations with contemporary authors, include about 39 plays, 154 sonnets, three long narrative poems, and other verses.
Shakespeare is said to be one of the top three greatest translated authors in all human history after Agatha Christie and Jules Verne. Shakespearean plays have been translated into almost every major living language and they are performed more frequently on stage compared to all other playwrights that the world has ever produced. His influence in the world English language is incomparable, and his works are read with the same enthusiasm, emotion and interest even in the modern age. They were never out of fad or fashion and were never shunned in any period of literary history. Critics and researchers are ever passionate to unfurl new levels of meanings and emotions, intent and depth as they continue to study and reinterpret his vast treasure of creative jewels.
Shakespeare was born and brought up in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire. He is believed to have left Stratford upon Avon in the late 1580s and moved to London. Though the exact address is not known, the first evidence that we get of his living in London is somewhere in Bishopsgate in 1596 nearby Leadenhall Street and St. Mary Avenue. At the age of 18, he married Anne Hathaway, who was 26 years old at that time and three months pregnant with Shakespeare’s first child. Thus, their first child, Susanna, was born six months after their marriage. They had two more children, a son, Hamnet, who died in 1596, and another daughter, Judith. His only granddaughter Elizabeth, daughter of Susanna, died childless in 1670 leaving no descendants to his family.
At age 49, approximately around the year 1613, he is said to have retired to Stratford, where he died three years later. Very few records of his private life can be found. We do not know much about his private life, his religious beliefs and sexuality. There is some controversy regarding the fact whether all his works have been originally produced by him.
Most of his known works were written between 1589 and 1613. His comedies and histories are regarded as the world’s best ever works produced. He also wrote quite a handful of heart-wrenching tragedies until 1608, among which Hamlet, Othello, King Lear, Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet are among the finest and most poignant works in the English language. His collection of 17 great comedies includes The Merchant of Venice and Much Ado About Nothing and of his 10 history plays, Henry V and Richard III rightfully deserves mention.
The greatness of his plays had been proven by the fact that Shakespeare and his theatre company had the privilege to perform before both Queen Elizabeth I and James I, who were both enthusiastic patrons of his creativity. Shakespeare’s close connection with King James I was known. The King designated the actors of Shakespeare’s company as ‘Grooms of Chamber’. Following this, Shakespeare changed the company’s name from the ‘Lord Chamberlain’s Men’ to the ‘King’s Men’ which went a long way to make him a favourite with the King. He thus made a good headway for being a desired artist for all performances at the royal court.
Shakespeare was not only an immensely talented composer of plays and sonnets, but he was also an accomplished actor who performed in many of his own plays along with the plays by other playwrights. Early evidence suggests that he played the role of a ghost in Hamlet and Adam in As You Like It.
The mystery and enigma surrounding this great name doesn’t cease to exist even after his death. Amusingly and interestingly, Shakespeare had penned a curse for his grave, keeping miscreants, who dares to move his body from the final resting place, at bay. His epitaph says:
Good friend for Jesus’ sake forbear,
To dig the dust enclosed here:
Blest be the man that spares these stones,
And curst be he that moves my bones.
Good friend for Jesus’ sake forbear,
To dig the dust enclosed here:
Blest be the man that spares these stones,
And curst be he that moves my bones.
And though it was customary to dig up the bones from older graves to accommodate new ones, the remains of Shakespeare’s grave are still intact, left undisturbed. Guess the threat of curse worked out nicely for his bodily remains.
