Timon of Athens

Timon of Athens is a play written by William Shakespeare, and probably also Thomas Middleton, circa 1606. It was published in the First Folio in 1623. Timon lavishes his wealth on parasitic companions until he is poor and rejected by them. He rejects mankind and goes to live in a cave.

     The earliest-known production of the play was in 1674, when Thomas Shadwell wrote an adaptation under the title The History of Timon of Athens, The Man-Hater. Multiple other adaptations followed over the next century by writers such as Thomas Hull, James Love, and Richard Cumberland. The straight Shakespearean text was performed at Smock Alley in Dublin in 1761, but adaptations continued to dominate the stage until well into the 20th Century.

     Timon of Athens was originally grouped with his tragedies, but some scholars consider it one of his problem plays.