Timon of Athens characters
Timon
Timon of Athens is the title character in
Shakespeare's Timon of Athens. Beginning the play as a wealthy man,
Timon enjoys giving gifts to his friends and sharing his wealth. He believes
that friendship means giving to his friends, without expecting something in
return. Timon's servants all await the day when Timon's bounty runs out, for
Timon has spent all of his money and more without listening to their reports
about the status of his accounts. When creditors show up asking for payment on
his debts, Timon finally listens, and discovers that he is bankrupt. He sends
servants to his friends to ask for loans, but all come back empty-handed.
Convinced all humanity has turned against him, Timon declares his hatred for
mankind and takes off for the forest, where, to his dismay, he becomes a
sought-after guru-like figure, and he discovers a hidden stash of gold. People
constantly want to contact him, though his only discourse consists of curses
for flatterers and false friends. Timon ends his days filled with bile at
mankind.
Apemantus is not one of Timon's friends, but
he attends Timon's feasts anyway, looking for an opportunity to scorn Athenian
citizens. He always scoffs at Timon's greetings, promising he will never be
polite to Timon's friendly words. While Timon's other friends receive gifts,
Timon withholds them from Apemantus until he should choose to be more sociable.
Apemantus thinks Timon's friends are all flatterers and false money-grubbers.
When Timon's luck changes, and he leaves Athens, Apemantus is delighted, and
follows Timon to the wilderness merely to remind him that his villainous
friends refused to loan him money. The two insult each other heartily and seem
to dislike each other, yet they form a curious bond. Apemantus's poor
upbringing makes him used to suffering while Timon is new to it, says Timon. But
they are finally in the same boat, hating mankind together. Yet Timon still
shoos him away from his forest home.
Alcibiades is an acquaintance of Timon,
apparently a soldier. When one of his friends is sentenced to death by the
Senators, Alcibiades protests and is banished. He promises to raise an army and
conquer Athens. He encounters Timon in the woods after he has left Athens, and
offers to help him after he sacks Athens. Timon enthusiastically supports the
idea of destroying Athens, and gives Alcibiades a sum of gold to aid his army.
So when Alcibiades stands outside the gates of Athens, he attempts to right
both the wrongs done to him and those done to Timon, becoming his final
champion after his death.
Flavius - One of Timon's servants, Flavius is terrified
to talk to Timon about his finances because Timon refuses to listen to him.
Timon has not only run out of money, but he has gone into debt in order to
continue giving gifts to his friends, and all his land is mortgaged. Finally Flavius
has to confront Timon with the facts. When Timon is unable to procure a loan
from his friends, he leaves Athens, and Flavius and his other servants mourn
the fall of such a good man, brought down by his own generosity. Flavius shares
out his last cash among the remaining servants, and determines to continue to
serve Timon, going into the wilderness after him. Upon finding Timon, he offers
his last remaining gold and weeps at Timon's downfall. Astonished, Timon
declares Flavius is the only honorable man he knew in Athens, the only man who
escapes his cursings of mankind, and gives him a sum of gold as a reward.
One of Timon's friends, Lucullus accepts
Timon's gifts but refuses to give him a loan when he runs out of cash.
One of Timon's friends, Lucius accepts Timon's
gifts but refuses to give him a loan when he runs out of cash.
One of Timon's friends, Lucius
accepts Timon's gifts but refuses to give him a loan when he runs out of cash.
Sempronius claims he is insulted to be asked after three other friends, and
refuses Timon.
One of Timon's friends,
Ventidius accepts Timon's gifts but refuses to give him a loan when he runs out
of cash. Timon begins the play by paying for his release from prison, yet
Ventidius quickly forgets that when Timon needs cash.
One of Timon's servants.
One of Timon's servants, sent
to ask for a loan from Timon's friends.
One of Timon's servants, sent to ask for a
loan from Timon's friends.
One of Timon's servants, sent to ask for a
loan from Timon's friends.
A servant of a creditor, one
of Timon's friends who loaned Timon money, sent to Timon's house to demand the
payment of a loan.
A servant of a creditor, one
of Timon's friends who loaned Timon money, sent to Timon's house to demand the
payment of a loan.
A servant of a creditor, one of
Timon's friends who loaned Timon money, sent to Timon's house to demand the
payment of a loan.
One of Timon's hangers-on, the Poet composes
verses for pay when Timon is wealthy. The Poet goes to the wilderness to seek
Timon after his fall, having heard Timon found gold and hoping to get into his
good graces. Timon thinks he's a money-grubbing flatterer.
One of Timon's hangers-on, the
Painter paints Timon's likeness for pay when Timon is wealthy. The Painter goes
to the wilderness to seek Timon after his fall, having heard Timon found gold
and hoping to get into his good graces. Timon thinks he's a money-grubbing
flatterer.
One of Timon's hangers-on,
the Jeweler provides the ostentatious jewelry that Timon gives as gifts to his
friends.
The Fool appears with Apemantus outside
Timon's house while servants of creditors wait for their payments. The Fool
makes parallels between those who go to creditors and those who go to
prostitutes. As is often the case in Shakespeare, the Fool appears to be
unconsciously wiser than most other characters.
Timon encounters these
thieves in the wilderness, and he offers them gold to cause destruction and
mayhem in Athens. Timon speaks so enthusiastically of the damage he hopes they
will cause that they are put off their own profession.
Members of the Athenian Senate, the
Senators judge Alcibiades's friend, and later seek to bring Timon back to
Athens. They try to defend Athens from Alcibiades, explaining that not everyone
in the city is a bad person, only a few select characters, who can be singled
out and punished.
Among Timon's many friends who attend his
feasts and accept his gifts.
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