Lucius: The Friend Who Was Never One
ingratitude
false friendship
social hypocrisy
First appears: Act 3, Scene 2
Lucius is one of the false friends whose refusal to help Timon triggers the play's central transformation. He received gifts from Timon, accepted his hospitality, and borrowed money from him.
When Timon's servant comes asking for help, Lucius expresses astonishment that Timon could be in need, insists he would help if he could, and produces reasons why it is currently impossible. The hypocrisy is breathtaking.
His scene is one of three almost identical scenes in Act 3, each showing a different false friend refusing in a different style. The repetition is deliberate: Shakespeare is cataloguing the varieties of social dishonesty.
Key Scenes
Themes
Other Characters in Timon of Athens
← Read Timon of Athens
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