SOURCE: Fulton, Robert C., III. “Timon, Cupid, and the Amazons.” Shakespeare Studies 9 (1976): 283-99.

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 degree of resonance with the play which incorporates it. As in the case of contemporary masques produced at the court of James I, the significance of this show is determined by a body of interpretive tradition founded on the classical literature which invigorates the antique gods and heroes in the Renaissance. Unlike the shows at court, of course, the masque at Timon's house exists within a context created by the playwright and therefore represents part of a carefully controlled whole. My aim in this essay is to describe the nature and extent of the resonance between masque and play by taking account...