Prepare for Timon of Athens

    by | Aug 14, 2019 | Education Resources, Plays

    Prepare for Timon of Athens

    Here, at ImprovEd Shakespeare, we firmly believe you should get to know the story before jumping into a Shakespeare play. Therefore, in honor of our fall production, we want to share some resources with you.

    Unfortunately, Timon of Athens is one of the lesser-known, as well as lesser performed works. This means it doesn’t have as many resources as some of the other plays. On the other hand, fewer documented interpretations of this play has unexpected advantages. To enumerate, we can approach our studies relieved of the weight of rigid preconceptions.

    YOUTUBE

    If you like YouTube, then we have a playlist on our channel. While you are there, subscribe, and check out our original videos. In the meantime, for more information click Studies: Timon of Athens.

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    SHORT WRITTEN SUMMARIES

    • Shmoop – Timon of Athens – Okay, some families will find this site agreeable, while others less so. In this case, Shmoop is very tongue-in-cheek. There are lots of subjective observations inserted into the summary. Additionally, more mature jargon also exists. For example, “PITA” and “WTF?” However, it’s entertaining and enlightening for a quick overview of the story. And, yes, Shakespeare academics cringe at using Shmoop as your primary source.
    • Royal Shakespeare Company – Synopsis of Timon of Athens – Here, you will find a summary exploration into the main points of the play in their menu.
    • Absolute Shakespeare website – Timon of Athens.
    • Tales from Shakespeare: Timon of Athens by Charles and Mary Lamb – So, this is an old as well as an old-fashioned book. In fact, the link above connects to one of those publishers who reproduced the out-of-print classics. We’re a bit annoyed because this particular publisher omits Mary Lamb’s name from the header. In any case, the book contains longer synopses of multiple plays, but with antiquated phrasing. Therefore, some Kids enjoy it, whereas others don’t. You might be able to find one of the older versions used. Or, you can read it online for free. Click on the link above to view it.
    • Beautiful Stories from Shakespeare: Timon of Athens by E. Nesbit – Another old-fashioned distribution, plus the printing situation is similar to the Lamb’s book described previously. Nesbit’s version is slightly more modernized than the Lamb version. And, it’s online for free too. The link is above.

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    BACKGROUND

    Utah Shakespeare Festival – Timon of Athens Study Guide

    ENTIRE PLAY

    • MIT has all of Shakespeare’s works available for free online – Timon of Athens.
    • Or visit your local library! As to the editions or publishers? It’s up to you, but:
      • Arden Shakespeare – Many actors like the footnotes found in the Arden editions.
      • Folger Library Shakespeare – Quite a few readers enjoy the annotation plus layout of the Folger editions. Additionally, many high schools use this edition.

    FILM VERSIONS

    There is also one filmed version on the YouTube playlist, Studies: Timon of Athens.

    • Timon of Athens (2019) – Before, the Stratford Festival began creating film versions of the Shakespeare canon. And now, they are available to rent online. Directed for the screen by Barry Avrich. Starring Joseph Ziegler.
    • BBC Television Shakespeare: Timon of Athens (1981) – Amazon has a strange Broadway subscription that you can use to watch this version. However, some libraries have it on DVD. Directed by Jonathan Miller. Starring Jonathan Pryce.
    • Shakespeare: The King’s Man, Episode 1 – Not a film version of the play, but it includes discussion about the state of the country at the time Shakespeare wrote Timon of Athens.

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    CONCLUSION

    Finally, a short note about modern translations. Although serious Shakespeare academics and scholars feel that starting Kids off with these versions is abhorrent, we disagree. At ImprovEd Shakespeare, we appreciate those fresh interpretations. In fact, we view them as a jumping-off point. For example, sometimes, you come across a phrase that just doesn’t make sense. Without being immersed in Shakespeare’s language, it can be hard to understand. A current rendering helps a-plenty. In other words, it helps you to appreciate the beauty of Shakespeare’s words.

    In any case, there’s no one right way to approach Shakespeare. Indeed, the trick is to find what works for you.

    We hope these resources are helpful to get you started on your journey with this play!

    PERFORMANCES

    Each fall and spring, ImprovEd Shakespeare develops a new production for live performance. In honor of the traditional Renaissance traveling troupe, during a period of a few weeks, we present Kid-friendly plays at various venues around town. Our Players, between 3rd-12th grade, gear themselves with playful, as well as engaging interpretations of works by the Bard of Avon. Suitable for all ages, each performance runs for about an hour.

    Furthermore, these shows are always FREE. However, we gladly accept Donations! Additionally, visit ImprovEd Shakespeare, Shakespeare for Kids by Kids on Facebook, Instagram, & Twitter. And don’t forget to click on our BLOG for the stories behind these videos.