Our terrible approach.
And our terrible approach.
And we're terrifying everyone as we come.
our terrible approach terror before us
The Senators appear upon the walls.
Till now you have gone on and filled the time
With all licentious measure, making your wills
The scope of justice. Till now myself and such
As slept within the shadow of your power
Have wandered with our traversed arms, and breathed
Our sufferance vainly. Now the time is flush,
When crouching marrow, in the bearer strong
Cries of itself, “No more!” Now breathless wrong
Shall sit and pant in your great chairs of ease,
And pursy insolence shall break his wind
With fear and horrid flight.
The senators appear upon the walls. Until now you have gone on and filled the time With all kinds of immoral behavior, making your desires The measure of justice. Until now, myself and others Who lived within the shadow of your power Have wandered with our arms crossed, and endured Our suffering pointlessly. Now the moment has come, When the very core of human strength, though it may crouch, In strong bodies cries out, 'No more!' Now oppression without mercy Will sit gasping in your comfortable chairs, And bloated arrogance will struggle for breath With fear and terrible flight.
Look, the senators are on the walls. You guys have been doing whatever you want this whole time, treating your personal desires as the law. Those of us living under your power have just been walking around with our hands tied, suffering pointlessly. But now things are changing. When you push people down hard enough, something deep inside them breaks free and says 'I'm done.' All that injustice and cruelty you've been doling out is about to collapse, gasping and terrified in those fancy seats of yours.
senators on the walls now. you ruled us however you wanted. we suffered under your power for nothing. but now we're done. people can't stay crushed forever. your oppression is crumbling. terror is coming.
Noble and young,
When thy first griefs were but a mere conceit,
Ere thou hadst power or we had cause of fear,
We sent to thee to give thy rages balm,
To wipe out our ingratitude with loves
Above their quantity.
Noble and young Alcibiades, when your first griefs were only an idea, before you had power and we had cause to fear, we sent to you to soothe your anger, to erase our ingratitude with love that exceeded what we owed.
Alcibiades, you're noble and young. When your grievances were just beginning, before you were powerful and before we had to be afraid, we sent you messages to calm your anger and to make up for how we treated you with overwhelming kindness.
when your griefs were young before you had power we sent to soothe you to erase our wrongs with love beyond measure
So did we woo
Transformed Timon to our city’s love
By humble message and by promised means.
We were not all unkind, nor all deserve
The common stroke of war.
So we did try to win transformed Timon back to our city's love through humble messages and promised recompense. We were not all unkind, nor do all of us deserve the common blow of war.
We did try to win Timon over with humble words and promises. Not all of us were cruel to you, and not all of us deserve to be destroyed by war.
we courted timon with humble words with promises not all of us were unkind
These walls of ours
Were not erected by their hands from whom
You have received your griefs; nor are they such
That these great towers, trophies, and schools should fall
For private faults in them.
These walls of ours were not built by the hands of those who caused you grief. These great towers, monuments, and schools should not fall because of the private faults of individuals.
This city wasn't built by the people who wronged you. The buildings, monuments, and schools shouldn't be destroyed just because some people hurt you.
these walls weren't built by those who wronged you the buildings the schools shouldn't fall for private faults
Nor are they living
Who were the motives that you first went out.
Shame, that they wanted cunning, in excess
Hath broke their hearts. March, noble lord,
Into our city with thy banners spread.
By decimation and a tithed death,
If thy revenges hunger for that food
Which nature loathes, take thou the destined tenth,
And by the hazard of the spotted die
Let die the spotted.
Those who originally wronged you are not even alive. Shame that they lacked cunning has broken their hearts. Enter our city with your banners displayed. If your vengeance hungers for a price that nature abhors, take the ordained tenth through killing one in every ten. And by the chance of casting lots, let the stained die.
The people who first hurt you aren't even alive anymore. Their shame over their stupidity broke their hearts. Come into Athens with your army. If you want revenge and need to kill, take just one person in ten. And let chance decide who dies.
the people who wronged you are dead shame killed them come into athens if you need revenge take one in ten let chance decide
All have not offended.
For those that were, it is not square to take,
On those that are, revenge. Crimes, like lands,
Are not inherited. Then, dear countryman,
Bring in thy ranks but leave without thy rage;
Spare thy Athenian cradle and those kin
Which in the bluster of thy wrath must fall
With those that have offended. Like a shepherd
Approach the fold and cull th’ infected forth,
But kill not all together.
Not all have sinned. For those who did, it's not just to take revenge on those who didn't. Crimes, like lands, are not inherited. So, dear countryman, bring in your army but leave your anger behind. Spare Athens's cradle and those kin who must fall in your wrath along with the guilty. Like a shepherd approach the fold and separate out the sick ones, but don't kill them all at once.
Not everyone's guilty. You can't punish the innocent for the guilty ones' crimes. Crimes aren't inherited like property. So come with your army but leave your anger outside. Protect Athens and the innocent people who'd die with the guilty. Be like a shepherd—pick out the sick animals but don't kill the whole flock.
not all offended crimes aren't inherited leave your rage outside spare the innocent the cradle the kin like a shepherd select the guilty don't kill all
What thou wilt,
Thou rather shalt enforce it with thy smile
Than hew to ’t with thy sword.
What you wish will be enforced more by your smile than by your sword.
You'll get what you want just by smiling—you won't need your sword.
smile instead of sword your kindness will enforce what you want
Set but thy foot
Against our rampired gates and they shall ope,
So thou wilt send thy gentle heart before
To say thou’lt enter friendly.
Just set your foot against our walled gates and they will open, as long as you send your gentle heart ahead to say you'll enter as a friend.
Just touch our gates with your foot and we'll open them, as long as you promise to come as a friend.
gates will open for your foot if you send gentleness ahead
Throw thy glove,
Or any token of thine honour else,
That thou wilt use the wars as thy redress
And not as our confusion, all thy powers
Shall make their harbour in our town till we
Have sealed thy full desire.
Throw your glove or any other token of your honor saying that you will use the wars as your remedy and not as our destruction. Then all your powers will find harbor in our town until we fulfill all your desires.
Give us your glove or some sign that you'll use war to fix wrongs, not to destroy us. Then all your soldiers can stay in Athens until we give you whatever you want.
give your glove as a token that war is remedy not destruction then we'll give all your desires
Then there’s my glove;
Descend and open your uncharged ports.
Those enemies of Timon’s and mine own
Whom you yourselves shall set out for reproof
Fall, and no more. And, to atone your fears
With my more noble meaning, not a man
Shall pass his quarter or offend the stream
Of regular justice in your city’s bounds,
But shall be remedied to your public laws
At heaviest answer.
Then here's my glove. Descend and open your unfortified ports. Those enemies of Timon's and mine own, whom you yourselves shall point out for correction, will fall, and no more. And to ease your fears with my more noble intent, not a single man shall overstep his assigned quarter or offend the stream of proper law in your city's bounds, but shall be held to answer most severely by your laws.
Here's my glove. Come down and open your gates. Those enemies of mine and Timon's—the ones you identify—will be dealt with and that's all. And to show I mean well, none of my soldiers will go beyond their area or break your laws. Anyone who does will face the harshest punishment from your courts.
here's my glove open your gates those enemies fall and no more my soldiers will obey your laws full accountability
’Tis most nobly spoken.
That's most nobly spoken.
That's spoken with real honor.
nobly spoken truly
Descend, and keep your words.
Come down and keep your word.
Come into Athens and keep your promise.
descend keep your word fulfill it
My noble general, Timon is dead,
Entombed upon the very hem o’ th’ sea,
And on his gravestone this insculpture, which
With wax I brought away, whose soft impression
Interprets for my poor ignorance.
My noble general, Timon is dead, entombed right at the very edge of the sea. And on his gravestone there is this inscription, which I brought away imprinted in wax. Its soft imprint reveals the meaning to my poor understanding.
My general, Timon is dead. His tomb is right at the edge of the sea. I have the inscription from his gravestone here in wax. Let me read it for you.
timon is dead entombed at the sea's edge i have the inscription in wax brought it to you
[_Reads the Epitaph._] _Here lies a wretched corse, of wretched soul
bereft.
Seek not my name. A plague consume you, wicked caitiffs left!
Here lie I, Timon, who alive all living men did hate.
Pass by and curse thy fill, but pass and stay not here thy gait._
These well express in thee thy latter spirits.
Though thou abhorred’st in us our human griefs,
Scorned’st our brains’ flow and those our droplets which
From niggard nature fall, yet rich conceit
Taught thee to make vast Neptune weep for aye
On thy low grave, on faults forgiven. Dead
Is noble Timon, of whose memory
Hereafter more. Bring me into your city,
And I will use the olive with my sword,
Make war breed peace, make peace stint war, make each
Prescribe to other, as each other’s leech.
Let our drums strike.
[Reads the epitaph.] Here lies a wretched corpse, of wretched soul Bereft. Don't search for my name. May plague destroy you, wicked cowards left! Here I lie, Timon, who in life hated every living man. Pass by and curse all you want, but keep moving and don't linger here. These words express your final thoughts well. Though you despised our human suffering, Ridiculed our tears and the emotional flows that Come from nature's stinginess, yet your brilliant mind Taught you to make mighty Neptune weep forever Over your low grave, where faults are forgiven. Dead Is noble Timon, whom we will remember Further. Bring me into your city, And I will carry peace along with my sword, Make war create peace, make peace end war, have each Control the other, like physicians manage illness. Let our drums beat.
[Reads the epitaph.] Here lies a miserable corpse, with a miserable soul Stripped away. Don't even look for my name. May plague destroy you, you cowardly wretches! I'm Timon, and while I lived I hated every single person. Walk on by and curse me all you want, but just keep going, don't stop. These words really show what was going through your head at the end. Even though you despised our human pain, Ridiculed our tears and all the weeping that Comes from nature being stingy, yet your brilliant imagination Managed to make the whole ocean weep forever Over your low grave, where you're forgiven for everything. Dead Is noble Timon, whom we will remember More about later. Let me into your city, And I'll use peace alongside my sword, Make war create peace, turn peace into war, have each Keep the other in check, like a doctor manages an illness. Let our drums pound.
here lies wretched me all men were my enemy plague on u cowards left behind dont linger here u despised our suffering & tears but ur mind made the sea weep ill bring peace to ur city w my sword make war create peace make peace stop war let our drums sound
The Reckoning
The play ends with Alcibiades taking Athens by agreement instead of by force, while Timon lies dead in a grave by the sea that still curses everyone. The two men were both wronged by the same city and took opposite roads. Timon cut himself off and hated all of humanity to the end. Alcibiades comes back, lets the senators talk him down, and bargains. Pay attention to how the senators argue: crimes are not inherited, a shepherd should cull only the sick sheep. It is sensible and a little too convenient. Timon's epitaph gets nearly the last word, and it refuses any reconciliation. Then Alcibiades turns it into a tribute, 'noble Timon', and promises to use 'the olive with my sword.' Whether that closing peace feels earned or hollow is the question the play leaves you with.
If this happened today…
You have spent years building a case against the company that pushed you out, and now you finally have the leverage to sink it. The board calls. They say the executives who wronged you have gone, the rest of the staff did nothing, and you can come back on your own terms if you just drop the lawsuit. You take the deal. On the same day you hear that the friend they burned even worse has died alone, and his last message to everyone was simply to go to hell. You read it out, say something kind about him, and walk into the boardroom.