Original: O blessed breeding sun, draw from the earth
Modern: Oh blessed life-giving sun, pull up from the earth

Original: Rotten humidity; below thy sister’s orb
Modern: All the rotten moisture; and below the moon

Original: Infect the air! Twinn’d brothers of one womb,
Modern: Infect the air with disease! Twin brothers from the same mother,

Original: Whose procreation, residence, and birth,
Modern: Whose conception, time in the womb, and birth

Original: Scarce is dividant, touch them with several fortunes;
Modern: Are barely separated—give them completely different fates;

Original: The greater scorns the lesser: not nature,
Modern: The richer one looks down on the poorer one: it’s not natural ability,

Original: To whom all sores lay siege, can bear great fortune,
Modern: Which suffers all kinds of troubles, that can handle great wealth,

Original: But by contempt of nature.
Modern: But only by rejecting what’s natural and good.

Original: Raise me this beggar, and deny ‘t that lord;
Modern: Make this beggar rich, and take wealth away from that nobleman;

Original: The senator shall bear contempt hereditary,
Modern: The senator will inherit shame and disgrace,

Original: The beggar native honour.
Modern: While the beggar will have natural-born honor.

Original: It is the pasture lards the rother’s sides,
Modern: It’s good grazing that makes the ox fat,

Original: The want that makes him lean. Who dares, who dares,
Modern: And lack of food that makes him skinny. Who dares, who dares,

Original: In purity of manhood stand upright,
Modern: As an honest man stand up boldly,

Original: And say ‘This man’s a flatterer?’ if one be,
Modern: And say “This man’s a kiss-up?” If one person is,

Original: So are they all; for every grise of fortune
Modern: Then they all are; because every step up the ladder of success

Original: Is smooth’d by that below: the learned pate
Modern: Is made easier by sucking up to those below you: the educated scholar

Original: Ducks to the golden fool: all is oblique;
Modern: Bows down to the rich idiot: everything is crooked;

Original: There’s nothing level in our cursed natures,
Modern: There’s nothing fair or honest in our corrupt human nature,

Original: But direct villany. Therefore, be abhorr’d
Modern: Except pure evil. Therefore, I curse and hate

Original: All feasts, societies, and throngs of men!
Modern: All banquets, social gatherings, and crowds of people!

Original: His semblable, yea, himself, Timon disdains:
Modern: Anyone like him, yes, even himself, Timon despises:

Original: Destruction fang mankind! Earth, yield me roots!
Modern: May destruction bite and kill all mankind! Earth, give me roots to eat!

Original: Who seeks for better of thee, sauce his palate
Modern: Whoever looks for better food from you, season his taste

Original: With thy most operant poison! What is here?
Modern: With your most powerful poison! What’s this here?

Original: Gold? yellow, glittering, precious gold? No, gods,
Modern: Gold? Yellow, shining, valuable gold? No, gods,

Original: I am no idle votarist: roots, you clear heavens!
Modern: I’m not a lazy worshipper praying for treasure: I want roots, you heavens above!

Original: Thus much of this will make black white, foul fair,
Modern: Just this much of this stuff will make black seem white, ugly seem beautiful,

Original: Wrong right, base noble, old young, coward valiant.
Modern: Wrong seem right, lowborn seem noble, old seem young, cowards seem brave.

Original: Ha, you gods! why this? what this, you gods? Why, this
Modern: Ha, you gods! Why this? What is this, you gods? Why, this

Original: Will lug your priests and servants from your sides,
Modern: Will drag your priests and servants away from serving you,

Original: Pluck stout men’s pillows from below their heads:
Modern: Pull the pillows from under strong men’s heads while they sleep:

Original: This yellow slave
Modern: This yellow servant of corruption

Original: Will knit and break religions, bless the accursed,
Modern: Will unite and destroy religions, make the cursed seem blessed,

Original: Make the hoar leprosy adored, place thieves
Modern: Make white-crusted leprosy seem lovable, give thieves positions of power

Original: And give them title, knee and approbation
Modern: And give them noble titles, people bowing to them, and approval

Original: With senators on the bench: this is it
Modern: Right alongside senators in government: this is what

Original: That makes the wappen’d widow wed again;
Modern: Makes the worn-out, exhausted widow get married again;

Original: She, whom the spital-house and ulcerous sores
Modern: She, who with her hospital stays and infected sores

Original: Would cast the gorge at, this embalms and spices
Modern: Would make people vomit to look at, this gold perfumes and preserves

Original: To the April day again. Come, damned earth,
Modern: To make her fresh as a spring day again. Come here, cursed gold,

Original: Thou common whore of mankind, that put’st odds
Modern: You universal prostitute of humanity, that creates conflict

Original: Among the route of nations, I will make thee
Modern: Among the mob of nations, I will make you

Original: Do thy right nature.
Modern: Do what you naturally do best—corrupt and destroy.

Act IV, Scene iii of Timon of Athens opens with Timon alone in the woods outside Athens, having abandoned the city and human society entirely. He rails against humanity and calls upon nature to unleash destruction upon the world, wishing for chaos, disease, and moral corruption to overtake all people. He begins digging in the earth, searching for roots to eat, when he unexpectedly strikes gold. Rather than viewing this discovery as a stroke of fortune, Timon curses the gold itself, seeing it as the root of human greed and corruption. Shortly after, Alcibiades arrives, marching with his army toward Athens, accompanied by two courtesans, Phrynia and Timandra. Timon greets them with contempt and hostility, yet gives gold to Alcibiades, urging him to make war on Athens and slaughter its citizens without mercy.

Timon then turns his hostility toward Phrynia and Timandra, hurling insults at them while simultaneously giving them gold as well, encouraging them to spread disease and ruin among men. After Alcibiades and his companions depart, the philosopher Apemantus arrives and engages Timon in a lengthy and bitter exchange. The two trade insults and philosophical barbs, with Apemantus suggesting that Timon’s misanthropy is merely a pose born of self-pity rather than true philosophical conviction. Timon rejects this entirely and drives Apemantus away with curses and stones. A band of thieves then appears, drawn by rumors of Timon’s gold, and Timon gives them gold as well, encouraging them to steal from everyone they encounter. Finally, Timon’s loyal steward Flavius arrives, moved by genuine grief over his master’s condition, and Timon, though deeply suspicious, ultimately acknowledges Flavius as an honest man and gives him gold, sending him away.

Timon of Athens tells the story of a wealthy Athenian nobleman whose excessive generosity leads to his downfall. In the first half of the play, Timon lavishes gifts, throws extravagant banquets, and freely lends money to anyone who asks, despite warnings from his loyal steward Flavius about his dwindling finances. Timon dismisses these concerns, believing his generosity will be repaid by the loyalty of his many friends. However, his creditors eventually come calling, and Timon discovers he has no money left to pay his debts.

When Timon’s financial ruin becomes apparent, he sends servants to ask his former friends and beneficiaries for loans to help him through his crisis. One by one, they all refuse him with various excuses - Lucilius claims his money is tied up in investments, Lucullus pretends not to be home, and Sempronius feels insulted that Timon didn’t ask him first. Faced with this universal rejection, Timon invites all his false friends to one final feast, where he serves them warm water and stones, then curses them and banishes himself from Athens.

Timon retreats to a cave in the wilderness outside Athens, where he becomes a misanthropic hermit, railing against humanity and civilization. While digging for roots to eat, he discovers gold in the earth. Various visitors come to see him in his exile, including the loyal Flavius, the philosopher Apemantus (who had always criticized Timon’s generosity), thieves seeking the gold, and the exiled general Alcibiades who is marching against Athens. Timon gives away the gold freely but refuses all attempts at reconciliation or friendship. The play ends with news of Timon’s death reaching Athens, where Alcibiades has successfully taken the city and promises to restore order and justice.