← 5.4
Act 5, Scene 5 — Before the walls of Athens
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Trumpets sound. Enter Alcibiades with his powers before Athens.
Sound to this coward and lascivious town
ALCIBIADES [completing his statement—our fearsome advance]

Our terrible approach.

And our terrible approach.

And we're terrifying everyone as we come.

our terrible approach terror before us

[_A parley sounds._]
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.
FIRST SENATOR ≋ verse [pleading—we tried to make peace when your anger was young]

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

SECOND SENATOR ≋ verse [continuing the plea—we courted Timon]

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

FIRST SENATOR ≋ verse [pointing out Athens deserves mercy]

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

SECOND SENATOR ≋ verse [offering a compromise—limited vengeance]

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

FIRST SENATOR ≋ verse [appealing for mercy—mercy, not revenge]

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

SECOND SENATOR ≋ verse [urging gentleness—your smile is more powerful than your sword]

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

FIRST SENATOR ≋ verse [offering unconditional entry—just signal peace]

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

SECOND SENATOR ≋ verse [pledging—use war for justice, not destruction]

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

ALCIBIADES ≋ verse [accepting—throwing the glove, accepting their terms]

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

BOTH [relieved and approving—nobly spoken indeed]

’Tis most nobly spoken.

That's most nobly spoken.

That's spoken with real honor.

nobly spoken truly

ALCIBIADES [commanding—now fulfill what you've promised]

Descend, and keep your words.

Come down and keep your word.

Come into Athens and keep your promise.

descend keep your word fulfill it

[_The Senators descend._]
Enter a Soldier.
SOLDIER ≋ verse [announcing death—Timon is gone]

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
ALCIBIADES [eulogy—mourning Timon while reading his epitaph]

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.

Deprived of everything. [He reads] 'Seek not my name. A plague consume you, wicked villains left behind! Here lie I, Timon, who in life hated all living men. Pass by and curse as you wish, but pass—don't linger here.' These words perfectly express your final spirit. Though you despised in us our human sorrows, scorned our emotional tears and those drops which grudging nature allows to fall, yet rich imagination taught you to make great Neptune weep forever over your low grave, on faults forgiven. Dead is noble Timon, of whose memory there will be more later. Bring me into your city, and I will use the olive branch along with my sword. I will make war breed peace, make peace restrain war, make each prescribe to the other as each other's remedy. Let our drums strike.

He's taken from us entirely. [Reading the epitaph] 'Don't look for my name. A plague on you wicked villains! I'm Timon, who hated all living men. Curse me if you want but keep moving.' These words show exactly what Timon became. You despised our human tears and sadness, but somehow you made the mighty ocean itself weep for you forever. Noble Timon is dead, and there will be more to say about him. Take me into Athens, and I'll use peaceful words as well as my sword. I'll make war create peace and peace stop war. Let our drums play—it's time for peace.

he reads the epitaph seek not my name plague on wicked villains i hated all living men curse me and move on timon made the ocean weep for his grave faults forgiven now peace drums strike olive with sword war breeds peace

[_Exeunt._]

The Reckoning

If this happened today…