Timon of Athens

 

Timon of Athens

by William Shakespeare

★★★

 

Timon is a wealthy man who is happy to help his friends whenever they need him. He loans money without a second thought, helping one man marry the woman he loves and another pay off an outstanding debt. Soon the tables turn on Timon and he finds himself out of funds and in need of help. He soon discovers that fickle friends disappear when the coffers runs dry. He ends up exiled in the woods, disillusioned and angry.

 

As is the case with many of Shakespeare’s lesser known plays, this one shares themes and plot points with some of his more successful work. There are so many similarities with King Lear, the popular character becoming a friendless outcast, betrayal by those who are meant to be his truest supporters. Both plays also have one supporter who remains loyal to the title character: Cordelia (the daughter) in King Lear and Flavius (the steward) in Timon. Lear makes many of the same basic points in a more powerful way. There were also a few spots that reminded me of Coriolanus, including the banished character aiding an enemy force in attacking his former home.

 

Timon of Athens feels a bit disjointed. The first half is cheerful and optimistic, but once he is deserted by his friends and living in the woods it takes on a much darker tone. Scholars have apparently attributed this to a joint authorship. I have no idea if that’s true, but with the flow of the story it certainly makes sense.

 

BOTTOM LINE: Not one of my favorites, but another insight into Shakespeare’s development as a playwright. I love seeing him hone his skills in different works and seeing the many factors that affect whether that play will fail or succeed. I would love to see this one performed live.

 

“The moon's an arrant thief, And her pale fire she snatches from the sun.”

 

“Lips, let sour words go by and language end:

What is amiss plague and infection mend!

Graves only be men's works and death their gain!

Sun, hide thy beams! Timon hath done his reign.”

Back to the Classics Challenge 2013 Wrap-Up

Each year Sarah Reads Too Much hosts the Back to the Classics Challenge. I need very little prodding to read classics, but I always participate in this one because I love the categories she comes up with! I completed the challenge and below are my books with links to each review. I earned three entries by finishing all six main categories and the six optional categories.

I read some really fascinating books for this challenge. I encountered Hemingway in the unexpected gender-bender The Garden of Eden and comtemplated solitude with Thoreau in Walden. I considered the morality debates in The Brothers Karamozov and the impact of societal expectations in Native Son. It really was a wonderful collection of books!

I’d like to say a huge thank you to Sarah for hosting this. It’s a lot of work to coordinate something like this. She even has individual pages for each category to link up, etc. I’m a list maker, so I love being able to check these off my list as I go through the year. Thank you Sarah!

THE CATEGORIES

The Required Categories:

A 19th Century Classic – Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray (1848)

A 20th Century Classic – The Garden of Eden by Ernest Hemingway

A Pre-18th or 18th Century Classic – Coriolanus by William Shakespeare

A Classic relating to the African-American Experience – Native Son by Richard Wright

A Classic Adventure – Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas
A Classic that features an Animal – Cat on a Hot Tin Roof by Tennessee Williams

Optional Categories:

Re-read a Classic – Persuasion by Jane Austen
A Russian Classic – The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoyevsky.

A Classic Non-Fiction title – Walden by Hendy David Thoreau
Classic Children's/Young Adult title – Swallows and Amazons by Arthur Ransome

Classic Short Stories – A Good Man is Hard to Find by Flannery O’Connor

Coriolanus

Coriolanus

by William Shakespeare

★★★★

This Roman tragedy tells the story of Caius Marcius. He is a great warrior, but he’s lost when it comes to politics. After going to battle to fight for Rome, the people rejoice and give him a hero’s welcome when he returns. Soon he decides to use his popularity to enter into the political arena but the delicacies of pleasing the masses are beyond him. His enemies carefully manipulate the crowds into turning against him and he finds himself cast out of the city. He feels completely betrayed by the nation he has given up everything to protect and decides to give his allegiance to a former enemy, Tullus Aufidius.

There’s a moment when the mob, which only so recently called for Coriolanus’ exile, recants its words. Slowly a few people in the crowd start claiming, I never wanted him exiled, neither did I, me either, etc. It’s terrifying how easy it is to persuade a mob because no one feels like they are making the decision, they are only agreeing with everyone else. There’s nothing more dangerous than mindless followers.

The most memorable character in this dark story is Coriolanus’ mother, Volumnia. She is one tough cookie. She would rather her son die in battle than disgrace himself with cowardice. This attitude shows us why Coriolanus is as brutal as he is. He’s been trained that valor and glory are all that truly matter and anyone who doesn’t strive to earn those things is worthless.

In the end, that attitude, perpetuated by his mother’s guidance, is his downfall. It’s his disdain for the public he protects that turns their favor against him. He sees himself as so much better than them and because of that it’s easy to manipulate their loyalty away from him. There’s a chilling scene towards the end when we see what that legacy of violence has done to Coriolanus’ son as well. The reign of blood will continue with him.

BOTTOM LINE: An intense look at politics and war, as relevant today as it was centuries ago. It’s slower moving than many Shakespearean plays, so it’s no for everyone, but it should particularly appeal to fans of Julius Caesar. This isn’t my favorite of the tragedies, but it’s a powerful story.

The first film version was finally made in 2011 starring Ralph Fiennes and Gerard Butler. It’s a good introduction to the play if you can’t find a live production near you. I was lucky enough to get to see it at the Shakespeare Theatre Company in Washington D.C. last month. It starred Patrick Page as Coriolanus and he was incredible. I’m so glad I had the chance to see it performed live before I read it. It’s always easier for me to enjoy the language of the play when the action and plot are already clear in my mind.

I read this as part of the Let’s Read Plays yearlong event hosted by Fanda. From November 2012 to October 2013 participants will read 12 classics plays throughout the year, at least one each month.