Timon d'Athènes. Adaptation française de Jean-Claude Carrière

Plutarch tells us that Timon was a noted misanthrope, of legendary proportions in Athens during the Peloponnesian war. Shakespeare uses this simple idea to write a very acerbic play about how most of one's friends are really convenient acquaintances already to share in good times but not willing to help in times of need. After losing or giving away his money, Timon leaves Athens for the woods, and once there he makes a fortuitous gold strike which he uses to fund Alcibiades successful capture of the city. Then he dies, unhappy with his experience with the bulk of mankind. ( )

Unlike the plots of his great tragedies, the story of Timon of Athens is simple and lacks development. It demonstrates events in the life of Timon, a man known for his great and universal generosity, who spends his fortune and then is spurned when he requires help. He puts on a feast, invites his fair-weather friends, serves them warm water, and throws it in their faces. Leaving Athens filled with hatred, he goes to live in a cave. There he is visited by his loyal servant Flavius, by the churlish philosopher Apemantus, and by two mistresses of the general Alcibiades, all of whom sympathize to some degree with Timon’s plight, but to no avail; Timon has turned his back on ungrateful humankind. While digging for roots to eat, Timon uncovers gold, most of which he gives to Alcibiades’ mistresses and to Alcibiades himself for his war against Athens. Word of his fortune reaches Athens, and, as a variety of Athenians importune Timon again, he curses them and dies. ( )

Maybe I need to see a good performance to like it. ( )

This is a weird one for me. I'm basically slowly plowing through the various plays and I'm the first to admit that I'm quite ignorant on the world of Shakespeare. I see others commenting on how this was a collaboration with Middleton and I think...who the hell's Middleton?

I think it should be noted that, as I (far too rapidly) approach my sixth decade on the planet, I decided to right a wrong from high school. That is, to come at Shakespeare's works with no expectations, just to enjoy them, to love the language, and let them wash over me as they will. Because in high school, Mr. Elsie (who looked remarkably like an undernourished G.I. Joe action figure...think G.I. Joe Inaction Figure) had us autopsy a couple of Shakespeare's plays, flaying virtually every scene and demanding that we wring out every ounce of subtext and meaning we could either glean or simply make up to appease the teacher enough to award a respectable, if ultimately disappointing grade. In short, he killed all enjoyment of Shakespeare's works for me, an avid reader even then.

So here I am, four decades later, coming at them and mostly enjoying them. Which is a long way back around to this particular play.

Supposedly this is a comedy, and while it held some smirkable lines, it didn't have me laughing out loud as some of his earlier works did. It's not quite a tragedy, yet Timon cuts a rather tragic figure.

And of all of Shakespeare's works, I'll admit to literally never having heard of this one until I started working on his entire output of work. And ultimately, while it's not my favourite by any means, I did enjoy Shakespeare's take on the "no good deed goes unpunished" theme. ( )

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