So I leave you
To
the protection of the prosperous gods,
As
thieves to keepers.
-Timon
Timon of Athens
Act V Scene i, Line 182
Well, Timon doesn’t have any daughters
that we know of, but in his own way, he is cursing the world much like Lear
was. Unlike Lear, who briefly finds a bit of redemption with Cordelia before
dying in the end, Timon gets no redemption. This conversation with the
senators, who have come looking for his help, will be his last.
I think it’s interesting that the bitter
Timon is telling the senators to go pound sand. Earlier in the play, when
Flavius told Timon that the senators had refused to loan Timon any money, Timon
had this to say about them.
These
old fellows
Have
their ingratitude in them hereditary:
Their
blood is caked, ‘tis cold, it seldom flows;
‘Tis
lack of kindly warmth they are not kind;
And
nature, as it grows again toward earth,
Is
fashioned for the journey, dull and heavy.
To be fair, I’m not completely sure what
all that means. But I know that though it may not be particularly
complimentary, it is at least a little bit understanding and accepting of what
the senators are all about. At that point Timon was still inclined to feel good
about humanity. Here, very near the end of the play, he’s letting them know loud
and clear that he wants nothing to do with them or humanity in general.
Tragedy.
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