Foil

Character Role Analysis

Apemantus

Timon wouldn't want to hear it, but Apemantus is totally his foil. Apemantus is a misanthrope right from the start, which only highlights how opposite Timon is. In the beginning of the play, Timon is open and generous with just about everyone he meets. Hanging out with his friends is his favorite pastime, and he's not afraid to show it. He thinks Apemantus is just one big party-pooper.

By the time we see Timon in the woods, though, the story has changed. Timon is horrifically cranky, and he hates everyone he comes across, whether he has reason to or not. When he and Apemantus rate one another on the grouchy scale, they can't decide who wins because both of them are—guess what—too irritated at the other to even have a conversation.

In these moments, we learn that Apemantus has never been "beloved" by anyone but himself (4.3.316-317). We feel for the guy, but we also appreciate the opportunity it gives us to compare his situation with Timon's. Apemantus hates the world because the world has never loved him; Timon, on the other hand, knows exactly what it's like to be loved by the world, but he also knows what it's like to be deceived by the world too. Apemantus gives us the chance to think about which is worse.