Introduction to the play
The real Timon of Athens lived there in the fifth century BCE, making him a contemporary of Socrates and Pericles. Shakespeare presents Timon as a figure who suffers such profound disillusionment that he becomes a misanthrope, or man-hater. This makes him a more interesting character than the caricature he had become to Shakespeare’s contemporaries, for whom “Timonist” was a slang term for an unsociable man.
Shakespeare’s play includes the wealthy, magnificent, and extravagantly generous figure of Timon before his transformation. Timon expects that, having received as gifts all that he owned, his friends will be equally generous to him.
Once his creditors clamor for repayment, Timon finds that his idealization of friendship is an illusion. He repudiates his friends, abandons Athens, and retreats to the woods. Yet his misanthropy arises from the destruction of an admirable illusion, from which his subsequent hatred can never be entirely disentangled.
The Folger Shakespeare
Our bestselling editions of Shakespeare's plays and poems
When every feather sticks in his own wing
Lord Timon will be left a naked gull
—Senator
Act 2, scene 1, lines 31–32
Sun, hide thy beams. Timon hath done his reign.
—Timon
Act 5, scene 2, line 255
Timon of Athens in our collection
A selection of Folger collection items related to Timon of Athens. Find more in our digital image collection
Essays and resources from The Folger Shakespeare
Timon of Athens
Learn more about the play, its language, and its history from the experts behind our edition.
About Shakespeare’s Timon of Athens
An introduction to the plot, themes, and characters in the play
Graphic: A Map of Ancient Greece
Reading Shakespeare’s Language
A guide for understanding Shakespeare’s words, sentences, and wordplay
An Introduction to This Text
A description of the publishing history of the play and our editors’ approach to this edition
Textual Notes
A record of the variants in the early printings of this text
Appendix: Historical Background
A Modern Perspective
An essay by Coppélia Kahn
Further Reading
Suggestions from our experts on where to learn more
Shakespeare and his world
Learn more about Shakespeare, his theater, and his plays from the experts behind our editions.
Shakespeare’s Life
An essay about Shakespeare and the time in which he lived
Shakespeare’s Theater
An essay about what theaters were like during Shakespeare’s career
The Publication of Shakespeare’s Plays
An essay about how Shakespeare’s plays were published
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Teaching Timon of Athens
Use the Folger Method to teach any of Shakespeare’s works. Become a Teacher Member to get exclusive access to lesson plans and professional development.
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Early printed texts
Timon of Athens was printed first in the 1623 First Folio, and that text is the source of all subsequent editions.
