Hey Tim, I’ve been making my way through the bard chronologically and live being able to jump into these videos. Thanks for these. They are truly a blessing!
very interesting play. a similar set of circumstances happened in my life. I was timon of course. the strange thing is I didn't see the gold twist coming at the end, but that happened too. in short, I did become a misanthrope, but not by my own doing (everyone avoids me, not the other way around) -- and I didn't stay angry with everyone or even blame them for my being such parasites. the events taught me how life works (it's all attraction), and that was actually the gold I discovered, because I freely give that gold knowing that any use of that knowledge/gold only strengthens that attraction for both them and for me. as a result, self-destruction for them (athens) is just as imminent for them as it was for me (it's all attraction) -- which at this point, even if I could go back and alter history, I would *still* rather be where I am today, than in the flattery of the people that partied with my money (though we did have a lot of fun and I differ from timon in that I understood that none of them were actually friends).
This was the most recent Shakespeare play I watched and I can understand why it's not performed often. Timon seems very one dimensional and his unconditional generosity seems unrealistic and contrived. Although he ends up in poverty it's hard to feel sorry for him. He goes from tone-deaf and generous to cynical about the world, all in a flash. Both the "old Timon" and "new Timon" seem hyperbolic and contrived, not very relatable. He has chances to avoid and remedy his situation and for some reason refuses to take them. The good news is that for Shakespeare newbies, it's a very simple plot with not a lot of characters.
