The ideas of home and identity are equally important thematic elements to Shakespeare’s Timon of Athens and King Lear, and there are some striking similarities between the characters Lear and Timon. Both of their respective identities are wrapped up in their ideas of home. Timon, of Athens after all, starts off a proud Athenian with (as far as he knows) money to burn and good friends on which to burn it. When he finds out the truth is quite the opposite his whole idea of home and safety are warped in his mind, which seems to warp his actual mind. In Lear’s case, we have a king who splits his kingdom (or his home depending on how you look at it) to give equal shares to his daughters. When he realizes two of his three daughters are not what they originally seemed, and are in fact horrible, conscienceless people, and that he banished the one daughter…show more content… a gift, I warrant. Why, this hits right; I dreamt of a silver basin and ewer to-night (3.1).
Unfortunately for Lucullus (and Timon really), Flaminius carries with him only an empty box, and conveys Timon’s request for fifty talents of gold from each of his friends. Let’s see how that goes,
Lucullus: La, la, la, la! 'nothing doubting,' says he? Alas, good lord! a noble gentleman 'tis, if he would not keep so good a house. Many a time and often I ha' dined with him, and told him on't, and come again to supper to him, of purpose to have him spend less, and yet he would embrace no counsel, take no warning by my coming. Every man has his fault, and honesty is his: I ha' told him on't, but I could ne'er get him from't (3.1).
So barely minutes after getting excited about potentially receiving another gift from Timon, he has the audacity to chastise his steward for his master’s excessive spending. Lucullus displays a remarkable level of internal compartmentalization here, expecting to receive a gift in his left hand while he uses the right to chastise Timon’s spending and gift giving