Timon of Athens Summary
William Shakespeare

Biography Essay"He was not of an age, but for all time." So wrote Ben Jonson in his dedicatory verses to the memory of William Shakespeare in 1623, and so we continue to affirm today. No other writer,... Read more

Considered by critics, scholars, and the theater-going public the most important dramatist in the history of English literature, William Shakespeare occupies a unique position in the pantheon of great... Read more

William Shakespeare's reputation is based primarily on his plays. With the partial exception of the Sonnets (1609), quarried since the early nineteenth century for autobiographical secrets allegedly ... Read more

In the following essay, Davidson interprets the title figure in Timon of Athens as a Renaissance emblem of failed friendship. The realization that iconographic tableaux appear at central points in ... Read more

In the following excerpt, Kernan, calling Timon of Athens "the most penetrating analysis ever made of the satiric sense of life," argues that the title character represents an aberration... Read more

In the following essay, White examines the decline of Athens in Timon of Athens, pointing out that ingratitude and corruption amongst the city officials and flatterers caused the decay. Let us expl... Read more

In the following essay, Wallace analyzes Timon of Athens from a Senecan perspective, suggesting that Shakespeare was influenced by the philosopher's De beneficiis and his ideas on gift-giving. ... Read more

In the following essay, Muir provides a general assessment of Timon of Athens, maintaining that its "last two acts are Shakespeare's most powerful statement of what he seems to have rega... Read more

In the following essay, Bayley asserts that Timon of Athens ultimately fails as a tragedy because the extreme nature of the movement from complete generosity to absolute misanthropy allows no room for... Read more

In the following essay, Soellner analyzes the ambiguous character of Alcibiades, maintaining that his "credentials as champion of good against evil are weakened by his lax morality and excessiv... Read more

In the following essay, originally delivered as a lecture in 1966, Bradbrook contends that Shakespeare wrote Timon of Athens for the new indoor theater at Blackfriars, where the critic suggests the pl... Read more

In the following essay, Konstan explores concepts of misanthropy by comparing Timon of Athens to Menander's Dyscolus and Moliére's Le Misanthrope. The misanthrope is not merely... Read more

In the following essay, Hunt discusses the role of the paragone, a historic comparison between and art and poetry, in Timon of Athens. It is almost fifty years since in the Journal of the Warburg I... Read more

In the following essay, Rockas examines the inconsistencies in the play and suggests possible revisions that Shakespeare may have intended to make. There is a controversy over whether and to what e... Read more

In the following essay, Mellamphy identifies the inherent problems in Timon of Athens by analyzing the Grand Theatre Company of London Ontartio's performance of the play in 1983. In the 1960... Read more

In the following essay, Wilcher assesses Timon of Athens as an experimental work of art, and studies the issues of genre and artistic vision through an exploration of the play's structure. I ... Read more

In the following essay, Erlich asserts that in Timon of Athens Shakespeare used allegory and its “dream language” to explore Timon’s narcissism. One can try to explain away the... Read more

In the following excerpt, Armstrong appraises the Oregon Shakespeare Festival production of Timon of Athens as directed by Penny Metropulos, noting that the director viewed the play as a work-in-progr... Read more

In the following excerpt, Russell applauds Gregory Doran's simple staging of Timon of Athens, singling out Michael Pennington's Timon and Richard McCabe's Apemantus, and noting th... Read more

In the following essay, Ruszkiewicz examines Timon's behavior and attitude toward friendship within the context of Renaissance views regarding liberality and friendship. I The nature of Timo... Read more

In the following essay, Bulman presents evidence that Shakespeare's chief source for Timon of Athens was an English academic comedy known as Timon. Timon of Athens, fraught with inconsistenc... Read more

In the following essay, Cohen examines the theme of wealth in Timon of Athens and contends that it is Timon's realization of its corrupting effect on society that leads to his misanthropy. T... Read more

In the following essay, Cartelli contends that Shakespeare deliberately refused to accommodate the conventional expectations of tragedy in Timon of Athens, and calls the play a “radical experim... Read more

In the following essay, Fischer examines Timon's character in light of his “economic faults.” Fischer finds Timon to be an unsatisfying hero whose failure lies in his inability to... Read more

In the following review, Torrens praises Michael Langham's National Theatre production of Timon of Athens, claiming that “against all odds” it enthralled Broadway audiences. Th... Read more

In the following review, Brantley discusses Brian Kullick's Public Theater/New York Shakespeare Festival production of Timon of Athens. Brantley admires the inventiveness shown by both the dire... Read more

In the following essay, Maxwell discusses the date, sources, and structure of Timon of Athens. Authenticity and Date The Life of Tymon of Athens was first printed in the 1623 Folio, in the space in... Read more

In the following essay, Brownlow argues that there is no evidence for the dating of Timon of Athens and suggests that the play may indeed have been Shakespeare's last work. The critic also disc... Read more

In the following review, the critic emphasizes the shortcomings of Gregory Doran's 1999 Royal Shakespeare Company production of Timon of Athens as well as the shortcomings of Shakespeare'... Read more

In the following excerpted review, Morley applauds Gregory Doran's 2000 Royal Shakespeare Company production of Timon of Athens, noting that the director celebrates this difficult play “... Read more

In the following essay, Fulton studies the symbolism of the Cupid and Amazon masque figures in Timon of Athens. The masque of Cupid and Amazons in Shakespeare's Timon of Athens enjoys a high... Read more

Timon of Athens, a play by William Shakespeare, tells how a gentleman's generosity is taken advantage of. Timon, a noble Athenian, is very wealthy. He is very charitable towards his fellow Athe... Read more