Christopher Booker is a scholar who wrote that every story falls into one of seven basic plot structures: Overcoming the Monster, Rags to Riches, the Quest, Voyage and Return, Comedy, Tragedy, and Rebirth. Shmoop explores which of these structures fits this story like Cinderella’s slipper.
Plot Type : Tragedy
Anticipation Stage
Timon is pretty happy with his life in the beginning of the play… or is he? We see him party with his friends like it's 1999, all the time. He's got friends and cash to go around, but then he throws a wrench in it when he says: "I have often wished myself poorer, that I might come nearer to you" (1.2.97-99). Wait, what? It seems like even Timon wants more out of life. We're not sure he'll get it by being poorer, though, and we're going to tell you why.
Dream Stage
Looks like being rich and having friends is easy: all you have to do is borrow money from everyone else. Timon gets money from Lucius, Lucullus, Ventidius, Sempronius, Isidore, and Varro—to name a few—in order to bankroll his extravagant lifestyle. Maybe he sincerely doesn't realize how much he owes on his credit cards, but we have to wonder whether this is the best business plan.
Frustration Stage
When the bills start rolling in, Timon loses it. He's astounded his buddies don't come to his rescue, and he's shocked that creditors are knocking down his doors when they just ate his food and took his gifts that very week. He wonders: "Have I been ever free?" (3.4.81). He goes into a rage and even throws stones at his so-called friends.
Nightmare Stage
Timon's life quickly becomes a nightmare. After he kicks his friends out, he has nowhere to go; even his house has been promised to someone else. He finds himself out of luck, with no food, no friends, and no hope. Yikes. Off to the woods he goes.
Death Wish Stage
Timon can leave Athens, but Athens never really leaves him. A slew of characters—Apemantus, Alcibiades, Flavius, the Poet and Painter, bandits, and Senators—visit him in the woods, where he says he just wants to be alone. He focuses on writing his epitaph—talk about a death wish. All Timon can focus on is his own end. Which, soon enough, comes.