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Act 4, Scene 1 — Without the walls of Athens
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Enter Timon.
TIMON ≋ verse [absolute renunciation—he is burning every bridge to civilization, calling down plague itself on the city he loved]

Let me look back upon thee. O thou wall

That girdles in those wolves, dive in the earth

And fence not Athens! Matrons, turn incontinent!

Obedience fail in children! Slaves and fools,

Pluck the grave wrinkled senate from the bench

And minister in their steads! To general filths

Convert, o’ th’ instant, green virginity,

Do’t in your parents’ eyes! Bankrupts, hold fast;

Rather than render back, out with your knives

And cut your trusters’ throats! Bound servants, steal!

Large-handed robbers your grave masters are,

And pill by law. Maid, to thy master’s bed,

Thy mistress is o’ th’ brothel. Son of sixteen,

Pluck the lined crutch from thy old limping sire,

With it beat out his brains! Piety and fear,

Religion to the gods, peace, justice, truth,

Domestic awe, night-rest and neighbourhood,

Instruction, manners, mysteries and trades,

Degrees, observances, customs and laws,

Decline to your confounding contraries,

And let confusion live! Plagues incident to men,

Your potent and infectious fevers heap

On Athens, ripe for stroke! Thou cold sciatica,

Cripple our senators, that their limbs may halt

As lamely as their manners! Lust and liberty,

Creep in the minds and marrows of our youth,

That ’gainst the stream of virtue they may strive

And drown themselves in riot! Itches, blains,

Sow all th’ Athenian bosoms, and their crop

Be general leprosy! Breath infect breath,

That their society, as their friendship, may

Be merely poison! Nothing I’ll bear from thee

But nakedness, thou detestable town!

Take thou that too, with multiplying bans!

Timon will to the woods, where he shall find

Th’ unkindest beast more kinder than mankind.

The gods confound—hear me, you good gods all!—

Th’ Athenians both within and out that wall,

And grant, as Timon grows, his hate may grow

To the whole race of mankind, high and low!

Amen.

Look at you one last time, you wall that keeps those wolves penned inside. Break down. Let the earth swallow you up—don't protect Athens anymore. Mothers, abandon virtue. Children, forget your parents. Slaves and common criminals, drag the senators from their seats and take their places. Turn all innocence to filth in an instant. Break your bonds with honor; kill your creditors with your own hands rather than repay them. Servants, steal from your masters. Your masters are already robbing you by law. Maids, betray your mistresses in your fathers' beds. Young men, beat your elderly fathers with their own crutches. Respect for the gods, justice, peace, truth, family honor, sleep, community, learning, custom, law—let all of this vanish into utter chaos. Send plague after plague to Athens. Make our senators cripple with disease until they walk as badly as they live. Let lust and madness poison our youth, driving them to destroy themselves in riots. Spread disease like leprosy across this city until even breath itself becomes poison from mouth to mouth. Let their friendships become deadly. Nothing will I take from you but my naked body, you hateful city. I curse you as I leave. I'm going to the woods, where wild animals are kinder than any human. May the gods destroy every Athenian, inside and outside these walls. And as my hatred grows, let it spread to all of mankind—high and low alike. Amen.

That's it. I'm done with you. That wall keeping the wolves inside? Tear it down. Let your mothers stop caring. Let kids turn on their parents. Let criminals take over the government. Every innocent thing you have—wreck it. Murder your lenders instead of paying them back. Servants, rob your masters blind. Maids, sleep with your mistresses' lovers. Beat your own fathers with their crutches. Throw out every law, every custom, every decent thing. Just let chaos take over. Plague should hit this city—make your leaders so sick they can barely walk. Let our kids get so into sex and partying they destroy themselves. Let disease spread everywhere until just breathing on someone poisons them. That's what I think of your friendship and loyalty—it's all poison. I'm leaving. I'm taking nothing but myself and my hatred for this place. The woods have better company than you humans do. I'm going to hate everyone now—all of mankind, rich and poor, everyone. That's my prayer.

done with all of you go corrupt yourselves everything you built should crumble i'm cursing this place as i walk away to hate everyone forever

[_Exit._]

The Reckoning

If this happened today…

Continue to 4.2 →