One of Shakespeare's lesser-known plays, Timon of Athens (aka "How to Make Friends and Alienate People") may not be his most engaging yarn -- being co-authored by Thomas Middleton strikes your humble podcasters as one potential reason why -- but that doesn't mean that it can't be relatable and interesting, or that it won't resonate with modern life. On the contrary! A story about an uber-wealthy man who literally gives away the entirety of his fortune to the freeloading Athenians he believes are his friends but who abandon him the moment the going gets tough...feels strikingly modern in this day of growing wealth inequity and the reality of late-stage capitalism.

What a cheery way to start...

Well, join us today for a conversation about misanthropy, greed, and wealth and how it resonates from the Ancient Greeks all the way through to the 21st century via Shakespeare and Middleton's Timon of Athens.

Notes:

- "Shakespeare and Middleton’s Co-Authorship of Timon of Athens" by Eilidh Kane - BBC Production of Timon of Athens (1981) on iMDB - The New Yorker article (which is, admittedly, tongue-in-cheek, but which stirred up some discourse on the bird app) "Invoices for Various Recent Acts of Emotional Labor" - Shakespeare Onscreen's episode about Justin Kurzel's 2015 film version of Macbeth

Ancient Bickerings:

Can money buy happiness?