Timon of Athens

Roles

• First Stranger - Young Adult (20-35), Adult (36-50), Senior (>50), Male

About this piece

First Stranger comments on Timon's friends' ungratefulness

Summary

Timon is a generous wealthy man in Athens who enjoys sharing his wealth with his friends without expecting anything in return. In the first scene of the play we are introduced to him when a poet, a painter and a jeweler arrive to his house, hoping to sell their goods and services, knowing of his generous nature. He buys from them and then negotiates to pay for the release of a friend who is in jail because of his debts, Ventidius. After throwing a feast for his friends and giving them several gifts, various people wonder how he can manage not to run out of money. When three creditors send their servants to collect from Timon, Flavius, Timon's servant, tells his master that he is in debt and has no money left. Timon sends his three servants to ask his friends for a loan. The first servant goes to Lucullus' house and he refuses to give him a loan. In ACT III, Scene 2, the second servant, Servilius, goes to Lucius' house and asks him for a loan and Lucius refuses too. At the end of the scene, when everybody departs, three strangers are left to comment on the situation. In this monologue one of the strangers expresses his surprise on how Timon's friends are treating him and how ungrateful they turned out to be considering Timon's generosity.

Tone

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