When a man is parted from his fortune, will he be parted from his
friends as well? Is a man’s standing only as good as his
wealth? Shakespeare explores these questions through the medium of this play… Brought face to face to adversity, Timon knows who his real friends are. And in the end, Timon is left with only three true friends – the soldier Alcibiades (who spoke up for him), the philosopher Apemantus (who is the same to him in misfortune as in affluence), and his steward
Flavius (who continues to serve him, expecting nothing in return). All his other friends - and followers – forsake him; for to them it is the wealth that makes the man.
Forced to forsake his servants, his residence and his lands – to pay off his various creditors – Timus seeks refuge in the anonymity of a cave. It is the height of irony that he strikes gold in the earth while seeking for roots to fill his hunger. As news of his new found wealth spreads, the very aristocracy of
Athens (that had forsaken him) seeks him out anew so that they can profit from him once again. But, having seen the falsehood of his friends, Timus is not willing to return to his former life.
What a god’s gold,
That he is worshipt in a baser temple,
Than where swine feed!
It is thou that rigs the bark and ploughs the foam,
Settles admired reverence in a slave:
To thee be worship!
And thy saints for aye be crowned with plagues,
That thee alone obey!
This quotation (from Timus himself) sums up the essence of the play. But the real reason why Timus spirit is broken is that he had trusted; and then been betrayed. And, he had mistaken the outward show of
friendship for true friendship. It is difficult for us to know who our true friends are; the playwright seems to be saying. It is only when we need help – and help is forthcoming – can friendship be sanctified with such a name. Unlike other of his plays, there is no villain as such; unless the villain be our love for money. In that sense, this is an ideological play – where the playwright expounds his philosophy.
Another reason for treating this as an ideological play is that there are (strangely for Shakespeare) no women characters present. In other words, there is no romantic interest in this play, no love tangles to be sorted.
The play is one of Shakespeare’s shortest plays; and there is not time enough to develop any character in length except Timon himself – and his steward Flavius to some extent. Though Timus is embittered by the treatment he has received at the hands of his so-called friends and followers (who, he was confident, would come to his aid); Flavius feels that he is partly responsible for his own fall as he had outlived his substantial m