How we cite our quotes: (Act.Scene.Line)
Quote #1
TIMON:
I take no heed of thee; thou'rt an Athenian,
therefore welcome: I myself would have no power;
prithee, let my meat make thee silent. (1.2.34-36)
Here, Timon says he doesn't want power... but that's easy to say when you already have it. Here, Timon's hosting a banquet and showing off his wealth by feeding expensive food to huge crowds. It's hard for us to believe he doesn't care about the prestige of it all; this guy's kidding himself if he thinks he doesn't have power. He's certainly got the power to make all the popular guys in Athens act like his friends.
Quote #2
TIMON:
Why, I
have often wished myself poorer, that I might come
nearer to you. We are born to do benefits. And what
better or properer can we can our own than the riches of
our friends? O, what a precious comfort 'tis, to have so
many, like brothers, commanding one another's fortunes! (1.2.97-102)
Timon delivers this nugget at his banquet. He says wants to be poor because he's rich in friends. Well, that's a nice idea, but Timon misses out on the fact that he has so many friends precisely because he's rich. At this point, Timon really thinks he's all that, so maybe he really does think he doesn't need money anymore.
Quote #3
APEMANTUS:
Methinks, false hearts should never have sound legs,
Thus honest fools lay out their wealth on court'sies. (1.2.239-240)
Apemantus is skeptical by nature, but he's got a point. He doesn't see the point of showing off money to people like Timon does; it only attracts people who want to take the money for themselves.
Quote #4
TIMON:
What is here?
Gold? Yellow, glittering, precious gold?
No, gods, I am no idle votarist.
Roots, you clear heavens! Thus much of this will make
Black white, foul fair, wrong right,
Base noble, old young, coward valiant.
Ha, you gods! Why this? What this, you gods? Why, this
Will lug your priests and servants from your sides,
Pluck stout men's pillows from below their heads:
This yellow slave
Will knit and break religions, bless the accursed,
Make the hoar leprosy adored, place thieves
And give them title, knee and approbation,
With Senators on the bench: this is it
That makes the wappened widow wed again;
She, whom the spi-house and ulcerous sores
Would cast the gorge at, this embalms and spices
To th' April day again. Come, damned earth,
Thou common whore of mankind, that put'st odds
Among the route of nations, I will make thee
Do thy right nature. (4.3.25-45)
If you found a pile of gold in the woods, would you think you were cursed? Timon sure does, and that just goes to show us how far he's come since the beginning of the play. It's clear he thinks gold is destructive, but we think the "yellow slave" comment is particularly fitting for his situation. We'll admit it: after reading this baby, we'd think twice about picking up that pile of gold, too.
Quote #5
ALCIBIADES:
Hast thou gold yet? I'll take the gold thou givest me,
Not all thy counsel. (4.3.130-131)
Even though Timon tries to use his newfound gold to buy him some power over Alcibiades, it doesn't work. Alcibiades tells Timon plainly that he needs the money to fund his army, and he won't follow Timon's order. Well, he gets points in our book for being honest. Looks like money doesn't always buy you power; that works mostly on shallow people like Timon's ex-BFFs. Sorry, Timon.
Quote #6
TIMON:
Thee thither in a whirlwind. If thou wilt,
Tell them there I have gold; look, so I have.APEMANTUS:
Here is no use for gold. (4.3.290-292)
Same scene, different location. Apemantus still has a way of getting under Timon's skin, even out in the woods. When Timon tries to boast of his money (and, by extension, his power), Apemantus doesn't buy it. He flatly tells Timon that money is irrelevant out in the woods, since there's nothing out there to buy. Is he right?
Quote #7
TIMON:
O thou sweet king-killer, and dear divorce
'Twixt natural son and sire! thou bright defiler
Of Hymen's purest bed! thou valiant Mars!
Thou ever young, fresh, loved and delicate wooer,
Whose blush doth thaw the consecrated snow
That lies on Dian's lap! thou visible god,
That solder'st close impossibilities,
And makest them kiss! that speak'st with every tongue,
To every purpose! O thou touch of hearts!
Think, thy slave man rebels, and by thy virtue
Set them into confounding odds, that beasts
May have the world in empire! (4.3.383-394)
Now Timon actually talks to his gold. Say what? That's right, he knows what gold can do, and he wants it to work its magic… or its damage. He's had the power that comes with money, and he wants it again; this time, though, he wants to use it to wreck the earth. What's up with these mood swings? Why does Timon want to destroy everyone and everything? Why does he get to decide who gets destroyed?
Quote #8
FIRST BANDIT:
Where should he have this gold? It is some poor
fragment, some slender sort of his remainder.
The mere want of gold, and the falling-from of his
friends, drove him into this melancholy. (4.3.400-403)
Rumor has it that Timon has gold, so the bandits hunt him down to see if it's true. Before they can even find him, the bandits do some thinking about the importance of gold. Sure, it's cool and all, but it's pretty dangerous. Hmmm… that's a little ironic coming from a couple of thieves.
Quote #9
FLAVIUS:
For any benefit that points to me,
Either in hope or present, I'd exchange
For this one wish, that you had power and wealth
To requite me, by making rich yourself. (4.3.522-525)
In the beginning of the play, Flavius worked hard to convince Timon that he had money troubles. Now, Flavius is wishing that his master would get rich again so that he could get back at all his friends. Money doesn't buy happiness, but it sure can buy a lot of power. From where Flavius is sitting, Timon doesn't have much of either, anymore. This passage also reveals that Flavius thinks money is a prerequisite for friendship, at least among popular people like Timon and his friends.
Quote #10
TIMON:
Look you, I love you well; I'll give you gold,
Rid me these villains from your companies:
Hang them or stab them, drown them in a draught,
Confound them by some course, and come to me,
I'll give you gold enough. (5.1.98-102)
Timon might be speaking to the Painter and Poet, but these words are fitting for just about any of his friends. Even in the woods, he has people seeking him out for his money. But he also has a whole lot of power over them: he mocks the merchants for being so quick to follow anything he says in exchange for his money.