The Life of Timon of Athens Greed Quotes

Here, Apemantus is sharing his pessimistic thoughts with Timon at the banquet. What interests us is the way he thinks that these people are metaphorically eating and drinking Timon himself by hanging around him all the time.

Apemantus might be at Timon's banquet, but he still takes the opportunity to point out Timon's folly in overspending. His cynicism actually foreshadows what will happen to his host: in the end, Timon does eat roots and dig for food. Timon doesn't know it yet, but Apemantus is right: the actual components that make up the feast (water, vegetables, meat) are the same for a beggar and a rich man.

We'll be the first to admit that Apemantus is a party-pooper. He's at Timon's house, eating and drinking, when he asks Timon this thought-provoking question. Timon always throws lavish parties with all-you-can-eat banquets, and Apemantus wants to know what the deal is. Is he insecure about his friendships? Does he want to show off his wealth? Is the way to a man's heart really through his stomach? We're not sure what the answer is, but Apemantus is right about so much, at least when it comes to Timon, that we suspect he's probably onto something when he questions Timon's motives.

Timon finally sees the light, but it's too late. He realizes his friends aren't coming to his rescue, and it hurts all the more because he's in the very place where he welcomed them with open arms for huge parties.

Timon is quick to hatch a plan… and to change the meaning of feast. Before, his friends came to feast; now, he will feast on them. Well, he'll feast on their shame, anyway, or something like that.

There's nothing like throwing stones to get your dinner guests to leave. Timon's "friends" get the message loud and clear. It's fitting that he's chosen a banquet setting to reveal his disappointment in them, since they have feasted on his wealth for so long. Do you think these guys actually feel shame? Or are they just turned off by an awkward situation? They hardly seem to change after this feast happens, after all. So are Timon's actions in vain? How do Timon's actions differ from Alcibiades's?

Finally, someone offers Timon some food. This time, it's a measly old root from the ground, and the word "feast" is used with a hint of sarcasm. Timon and Apemantus have come full circle: we saw them in a grand feast in the beginning of the play, and now they are in the woods eating whatever's on the ground. Any takers?

Isn't it great when someone gives you advice way too late? Flavius doesn't mean to come across that way, of course; he's honestly trying to help his master. He also points out what we've all been thinking: Timon should have been suspicious of his so-called friends before, not just now, when he has nothing and is living in a cave.

Timon's down to the bare necessities now, and he's not going to give any gold the time of day, even if he's possibly found enough to pay off all his debts. But paying off his debts by himself wouldn't make his rage against his friends go away, so he's just not going to do it. He's going to stay in the cave instead. He realizes gold has no value out in the woods in his cave. All he cares about now is finding food for himself to feast on.

Timon hopes to feed the thieves with his gold and his advice. Is it just us, or is he beginning to sound a lot like Apemantus? He says the thieves should consume men, which is exactly what Apemantus said Timon's friends were doing in the beginning of the play. Funny how Timon has changed his tune.