"Timon of Athens" by William Shakespeare is a play written around 1606. It follows a wealthy Athenian gentleman who generously lavishes gifts and money on friends and flatterers until his fortune runs dry. When Timon falls into debt and seeks help, those he aided abandon him completely. Betrayed and embittered, he retreats to a wilderness cave, renouncing all humanity. There he discovers gold, attracting visitors with various motives while he descends deeper into misanthropy and rage against mankind. (This is an automatically generated summary.)