Shakespeare’s “Timon of Athens” may have been inspired by ancient Greek works and the character of Timon appeared in non-surviving Greek tragedies. The play is considered a problem comedy and may have been co-authored with Thomas Middleton. Timon is a wealthy Athenian who becomes a misanthrope after losing his wealth and being denied by those he had previously helped. Possible sources for the play include Plutarch’s “Life of Marcius Antonius” and Lucian’s “Timon the Misanthrope.”
Playwright William Shakespeare is known for basing many of his plays on older sources. “Timon of Athens,” a tragedy or theatrical problem by Shakespeare, may have origins in ancient Greek works such as Lucian’s “Timon the Misanthrope” and Plutarch’s “The Life of Antony.” Timon’s character is also ancient. He is believed to have appeared in non-surviving Greek tragedies by Phrynichus. Timon is also mentioned by the Greek comedian Aristophanes.
Initially considered one of the writer’s tragedies, “Timon of Athens” has since been considered a problem comedy, as there are also elements of comedy within the play. The play was probably not produced during Shakespeare’s time and was most likely not finished at the time of his death. Some scholars believe that he co-authored Shakespeare and Thomas Middleton, another playwright.
The protagonist of “Timon of Athens” is a wealthy Athenian named Timon who is a misanthrope or a person who does not like others. At the beginning of the play, Timon is actually a generous character, but he changes after losing his wealth and being denied by those he had previously helped. Timon first appeared as a character in the 5th century BC, in the tragedies of a playwright named Phrynichus, who was one of the earliest Greek tragedy writers. No complete plays of Phrynichus have survived, only a few fragments. It is thought, however, that one of his tragedies centered around the character of Timon.
The character of Timon of Athens is also mentioned by later Greek playwrights and writers. Reference is made to Timon in “Lysistrata”, a play by the playwright Aristophanes. In it, a chorus of women sing about Timon, calling him a “true son of the Furies” and a “difficult customer.” Plutarch and Plato also mention a character of the same name, as do later Roman writers, such as the playwrights Seneca and Pliny the Elder.
It is thought that the two works most likely to have inspired Shakespeare’s “Timon of Athens” were Plutarch’s “Life of Marcius Antonius” and “Timon the Misanthrope” by Lucian, a Greek satirist. Timon is mentioned only briefly in Plutarch’s work. Shakespeare may have actually read these two works before writing his own work. Another possible source for the game is a collection of stories entitled “The Palace of Pleasure”, published in 1566 and written by William Painter. The first volume of “The Palace of Pleasure” contained 60 stories, one of which was called “Timon of Athens” and told of the “strange and bestial nature of Timon of Athens, enemy of mankind, with his death, burial , and Epitaph.”
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