Timon of Athens

by William Shakespeare , Edited by Karl Klein

• ISBN13: 9780521222242
• ISBN10: 0521222249
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2001-04-03
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Summary

Lively, instructive access to Shakespeare's rich and complex works. Karl Klein's edition of Timon of Athens introduces Shakespeare's play as a complex exploration of a corrupt, moneyed society. Klein sees the protagonist not as a failed tragic hero, but as a rich and philanthropic nobleman, surrounded by greed and sycophancy, who is forced to recognise the inherent destructiveness of the Athenian society from which he retreats in disgust and rage. Klein establishes Timon as one of Shakespeare's late works, arguing, contrary to recent academic views, that evidence for other authors besides Shakespeare is inconclusive. The edition shows that the play is neither tragedy, satire nor comedy, but a subtle and complete drama whose main characters contain elements of all three genres. This edition was near completion at the time of Karl Klein's death, and was prepared for publication by his colleagues and by Brian Gibbons.

Table of Contents

List of illustrations	vi
Acknowledgements	vii
List of abbreviations and conventions	viii
Introduction	1	(1)
Date	1	(1)
The play and its themes	1	(16)
Critical approaches	17	(18)
The play on the stage	35	(12)
Timon at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre 1999	47	(5)
A. R. Braunmuller
Narrative and dramatic treatments of the Timon legend	52	(9)
Authorship	61	(9)
List of characters	68	(2)
THE PLAY	70	(105)
Supplementary notes	175	(6)
Textual analysis	181	(15)
Appendix: The Timon legend	196	(6)
Reading list	202