The good time of day to you, sir.
Good day to you.
Hello.
good day
I also wish it to you. I think this honourable lord did but try us this
other day.
And to you. I think this noble lord was just testing us the other day.
Back at you. I think he was just testing our loyalty.
testing us the other day
Upon that were my thoughts tiring when we encountered. I hope it is not
so low with him as he made it seem in the trial of his several friends.
That is what I have been thinking since we met. I hope he is not really in the trouble he showed us when testing friends.
Yeah, that's what I've been thinking. I hope he's not really in the bad shape he showed us.
hope it's not as bad as shown
It should not be, by the persuasion of his new feasting.
It should not be, judging by this new feast he is throwing.
It can't be that bad if he's throwing a feast.
new feast persua
I should think so. He hath sent me an earnest inviting, which many my
near occasions did urge me to put off; but he hath conjured me beyond
them, and I must needs appear.
I agree. He sent an earnest invitation that many obligations made me want to refuse, but he pushed me beyond that, and I had to come.
Yeah. He sent a real insistent invite. I had other things to do, but he basically demanded I come.
earnest invite had to appear
In like manner was I in debt to my importunate business, but he would
not hear my excuse. I am sorry, when he sent to borrow of me, that my
provision was out.
Similarly, I was busy with business, but he would not hear my excuse. I am sorry that when he asked to borrow, I had nothing left to give.
Same here — I was tied up, but he wouldn't accept my excuse. I feel bad that when he asked to borrow, I was tapped out.
in debt to business could not lend
I am sick of that grief too, as I understand how all things go.
I understand that grief too — things are not going well for him.
I get it. He's in trouble.
understand all things go
Every man here’s so. What would he have borrowed you?
Everyone here feels it. How much did he want to borrow from you?
Yeah, we all know. How much was he asking you for?
how much
A thousand pieces.
A thousand pieces.
A thousand coins.
thousand pieces
A thousand pieces!
A thousand pieces!
That much?
thousand!
What of you?
What of you?
How much from you?
what of you?
He sent to me, sir—here he comes.
He asked me too—look, here he comes.
Same here—wait, he's coming.
here he comes
With all my heart, gentlemen both! And how fare you?
I welcome you all with genuine warmth, gentlemen both! How are you doing?
I'm really glad you could both make it! How have you been?
so happy you're here! how are you doing?
Ever at the best, hearing well of your lordship.
Always well, having heard good things of you.
Doing great, thanks to your good reputation.
always well
The swallow follows not summer more willing than we your lordship.
The swallow follows summer no more eagerly than we follow you.
We follow you as eagerly as birds follow summer.
swallow follows summer we follow you
[_Aside_.] Nor more willingly leaves winter, such summer birds are men.
Gentlemen, our dinner will not recompense this long stay. Feast your
ears with the music awhile, if they will fare so harshly o’ th’
trumpet’s sound; we shall to’t presently.
Nor do they willingly leave winter—such are men, like summer birds. Gentlemen, our dinner will not make up for this long wait. Entertain your ears with music for a while, if they can tolerate the harsh sound of the trumpet; we'll proceed to dinner shortly.
They don't want to leave winter either—that's what men are like, summer birds fleeing cold. Gentlemen, dinner won't be worth all this waiting around. Listen to some music if you can stand the trumpet's noise; we'll eat soon.
men r like birds. dinner wont make up for the wait. enjoy the music & trumpet sounds
I hope it remains not unkindly with your lordship that I returned you
an empty messenger.
I hope you're not upset that when you sent for me, I couldn't bring you any money.
I'm hoping you didn't hold it against me that I came back with nothing.
hope ur not mad i had nothing
O, sir, let it not trouble you.
Do not let it trouble you.
Forget about it.
not trouble you
My noble lord—
My noble lord—
My lord—
my lord
Ah, my good friend, what cheer?
How are you, my friend? What is your news?
Friend! How are you?
what cheer
My most honourable lord, I am e’en sick of shame that when your
lordship this other day sent to me I was so unfortunate a beggar.
My most honored lord, I am ashamed that when you asked to borrow, I was so poor I could give nothing.
My lord, I'm embarrassed that when you came asking, I had nothing.
sick of shame beggar
Think not on’t, sir.
Do not think of it.
Don't worry.
think not
If you had sent but two hours before—
If you had come just two hours earlier—
If only you'd asked two hours sooner—
two hours before
Let it not cumber your better remembrance.
Let that not weigh on your better memory.
Let's not dwell on that.
let it not cumber
Come, bring in all together.
Come, bring everything in.
Come on, bring it all in.
bring it all in
All covered dishes!
All covered dishes!
Everything's covered up!
covered dishes
Royal cheer, I warrant you.
A royal feast, I promise you.
It'll be fit for a king.
royal cheer
Doubt not that, if money and the season can yield it.
Provided money and the season allow it.
If there's enough money and supplies.
money and season
How do you? What’s the news?
How are you? What is the news?
How's everything? Any news?
what's news
Alcibiades is banished. Hear you of it?
Alcibiades has been banished. Have you heard?
Alcibiades got banished. You heard?
alcibiades banished
Alcibiades banished?
Alcibiades banished?
Banished?
banished?
’Tis so, be sure of it.
It is so, be certain.
Yeah, for sure.
'tis so
How, how?
How? Why?
Why?
how how
I pray you, upon what?
For what reason?
What did he do?
upon what
My worthy friends, will you draw near?
My worthy friends, will you come closer?
Friends, come here.
draw near
I’ll tell you more anon. Here’s a noble feast toward.
I'll give you more details shortly. A splendid meal is being prepared.
I'll fill you in later. We've got quite the fancy dinner coming up.
more soon fancy meal coming
This is the old man still.
He is still his old generous self.
Still the same old lord.
old man still
Will’t hold, will’t hold?
Will it last?
Will it hold up?
hold hold
It does, but time will—and so—
It seems so, but time will tell...
Seems like it for now.
time will
I do conceive.
I understand.
I get it.
conceive
Each man to his stool with that spur as he would to the lip of his
mistress. Your diet shall be in all places alike. Make not a city feast
of it, to let the meat cool ere we can agree upon the first place. Sit,
sit. The gods require our thanks:
You great benefactors, sprinkle our society with thankfulness. For your
own gifts make yourselves praised, but reserve still to give, lest your
deities be despised. Lend to each man enough, that one need not lend to
another; for, were your godheads to borrow of men, men would forsake
the gods. Make the meat be beloved more than the man that gives it. Let
no assembly of twenty be without a score of villains. If there sit
twelve women at the table, let a dozen of them be as they are. The rest
of your foes, O gods, the senators of Athens, together with the common
lag of people, what is amiss in them, you gods, make suitable for
destruction. For these my present friends, as they are to me nothing,
so in nothing bless them, and to nothing are they welcome.
Uncover, dogs, and lap.
Every man hurry to his seat as eagerly as he would hurry to kiss his lover's lips. The food will be the same wherever you sit. Don't turn this into a formal civic banquet, where the dinner goes cold before we settle who gets the seat of honor. Sit down, sit down. The gods deserve our thanks: You great givers, scatter gratitude over this company of ours. Make people praise you for what you give, but always keep something back to give later, or else your divinity will be held in contempt. Lend every man enough that no one has to lend to anyone else; because if you gods ever had to borrow from men, men would abandon the gods. Make people love the meal more than the man who pays for it. Let no gathering of twenty be anything but twenty villains. If twelve women sit at the table, let all twelve of them be exactly what they are. As for the rest of your enemies, O gods, the senators of Athens and the common dregs of the population, whatever is wrong in them, you gods, make it fit for destruction. And as for these friends of mine here, since they are nothing to me, bless them with nothing, and to nothing are they welcome. Take the lids off, you dogs, and lap it up.
Everybody grab a chair, and move as fast as you would for a kiss from your girlfriend. Doesn't matter where you sit, the food's the same everywhere. Let's not do the whole fancy city-dinner thing where everything gets cold while we fight over who sits at the top. Sit! Sit! Let's say grace: Dear generous gods, give this crowd a little gratitude. Get yourselves praised for your gifts, but always hold some back, or people will stop respecting you. Give every man just enough that nobody has to lend to anybody, because the minute you gods start borrowing from humans, humans will ditch you. Make people love the dinner more than the guy who's paying for it. In any group of twenty, make sure all twenty are crooks. If twelve women are at the table, let all twelve be just what they are. And the rest of your enemies, gods, the Athenian senators and the lowlife masses, whatever's rotten in them, get it ready to be wiped out. As for my so-called friends here: they mean nothing to me, so bless them with nothing, and they're welcome to nothing. Lids off, dogs. Start lapping.
grab a seat fast, food's the same everywhere grace: gods, never lend to humans or they'll ditch u every guest here = a villain senators + the mob? destroy em my 'friends' get nothing lids off, dogs. lap it up 🐶
What does his lordship mean?
What does he mean by this?
What is he doing?
what does this mean
I know not.
I do not know.
No idea.
know not
May you a better feast never behold,
You knot of mouth-friends! Smoke and lukewarm water
Is your perfection. This is Timon’s last,
Who, stuck and spangled with your flatteries,
Washes it off and sprinkles in your faces
Your reeking villainy.
May you never see a better feast, you band of mouth-friends! Smoke and lukewarm water is your perfection. This is Timon's last meal. I have been decorated with your flattery and now I wash it off and throw your stinking falseness in your faces!
I hope this is the worst meal you ever have, you fake friends! Smoke and warm water — that's what you deserve. This is my last dinner. I've been covered with your lies and now I'm throwing the truth at you!
mouth-friends smoke and lukewarm water timon's last washes off flatteries sprinkles villainy
Live loathed, and long,
Most smiling, smooth, detested parasites,
Courteous destroyers, affable wolves, meek bears,
You fools of fortune, trencher-friends, time’s flies,
Cap-and-knee slaves, vapours, and minute-jacks!
Of man and beast the infinite malady
Crust you quite o’er! [_They stand_.] What, dost thou go?
Soft! Take thy physic first; thou too, and thou!
Stay, I will lend thee money, borrow none.
Live despised and long, Most smiling, smooth, hated parasites, Courteous destroyers, affable wolves, pretended bears, You fools taken in by fortune, food-loving friends, time-serving flies, Obsequious slaves, vapors, and weathercocks! May the infinite sickness of man and beast Cover you completely! What, are you leaving? Wait! Take your medicine first; you too, and you! Stay, I will lend you money rather than borrow.
Stay despised forever, You smiling, smooth-talking parasites, You destroyers with polite manners, wolves pretending to be bears, You fortune-seeking food-lovers, time-servers, and shape-shifters! May disease consume you! Where are you going? Wait! Take your poison first; you and you too! Stay—I'll lend you money, not borrow from you.
live despised forever smiling parasites wolves in sheep's clothing disease eat u up where u going wait take ur medicine i'll lend money not borrow
What, all in motion? Henceforth be no feast
Whereat a villain’s not a welcome guest.
Burn, house! Sink Athens! Henceforth hated be
Of Timon man and all humanity!
What, everyone running? From now on, let there be no feast where a villain isn't a welcome guest. Burn, house! Sink, Athens! From now on, hated be I to all mankind, and all mankind to me!
Everyone fleeing? From now on, no dinner should happen without villains as guests. Burn everything! Sink Athens! I'm done— I'm hated by everyone and I hate them all!
everyones running no feast without villains burn the house sink athens im done hate everyone hate me
How now, my lords?
What happened, gentlemen?
What just happened?
how now
Know you the quality of Lord Timon’s fury?
Do you understand the nature of Lord Timon's anger?
Do you get what he's doing?
quality of fury
Push! Did you see my cap?
Never mind! Did you spot my cap?
Ah, forget it! Did you see where my cap went?
forget it u see my cap
I have lost my gown.
I've misplaced my gown.
I can't find my gown anymore.
can't find my gown
He’s but a mad lord, and nought but humours sways him. He gave me a
jewel th’ other day, and now he has beat it out of my hat. Did you see
my jewel?
He is just a mad lord, driven by whims. He gave me a jewel once and just beat it from my hat. Have you seen my jewel?
He's just crazy, that's all. He gave me a jewel before and just knocked it out. Did you see it?
mad lord humors sway him did you see
Did you see my cap?
Have you spotted my cap anywhere?
Did you see where my cap went?
u see my cap
Here ’tis.
Here it is.
Here.
here it is
Here lies my gown.
There's my gown lying here.
Found my gown.
it's here
Let’s make no stay.
Let us not linger.
Let's go.
no stay
Lord Timon’s mad.
Lord Timon has lost his mind.
Timon's insane.
mad
I feel’t upon my bones.
I felt it in my bones.
I felt it.
feel upon bones
One day he gives us diamonds, next day stones.
One day he's handing out jewels, the next he's throwing rocks.
Sometimes he gives us valuable gifts, sometimes he throws garbage at us.
one day gifts next day garbage
The Reckoning
This is the scene where Timon stops being a generous host and becomes a misanthrope: he hosts a banquet of warm water and uses it to strip his false friends bare. It mirrors the lavish feast of Act 1, and the contrast is the point. The same guests come for the same reasons, but this time Timon can see what they are. Listen to the lords before he enters. They count up what they refused him and wonder whether his wealth will 'hold'. Their apologies are as hollow as the covered dishes. Timon's grace is a bitter parody of a blessing, asking the gods to give nothing to men who are nothing. The comic ending matters too: the guests fuss over a lost cap, a gown and a jewel. Even after this humiliation, property is all they think about. His last line points the play toward exile and a hatred of all mankind.
If this happened today…
You lost everything, and the friends you'd spent years treating to dinners all turned down your calls for help. Now word goes round that you're throwing a party, and every one of them shows up, sure the money was never really gone. They tell you how sorry they were to be short that week. You smile, raise a glass and lift the lids on the serving trays. They're empty. Then you tell every one of them exactly what they are. On the way out they're checking their coats and phones and muttering that you've lost it.