The Life of Timon of Athens Act 4, Scene 1 Summary

Read the full text of The Life of Timon of Athens Act 4 Scene 1 with a side-by-side translation HERE.


  • You could say Timon is pretty angry at Athens. He stands outside the city walls and rants about how awful the people inside are.
  • Timon's got a laundry list of bad wishes for the city. We'll warn you right here: it ain't pretty.
  • Wives should become slutty, says Timon. Children, go ahead and be disobedient. Slaves, steal from your masters. Oh yeah, and everything in Athens should rot and decay.
  • As if that weren't enough, Timon wants to drive the point home: Athens = bad. So, he removes everything he has from Athens, even his clothes. That's one way to make a point.
  • Timon's off to the woods, where no one from Athens can bug him.