Later in the play, after Claudio falsely accuses and publicly humiliates Hero, we see another friend of Claudio’s, Benedick, turn against him - taking the side of his beloved, Beatrice, over that of his friend. Happily for Claudio, Don Pedro remains a true friend in this instance. “Friendship is constant in all other things Claudio accepts but then later panics, believing that Don Pedro will woo Hero for himself instead. Remarkably, the men reconcile at the end of the play after Proteus repents and Valentine forgives him.ĭoes love always get in the way of friendship? In Much Ado About Nothing, Claudio’s friend Don Pedro offers to woo Hero on his behalf. ’Mongst all foes that a friend should be the worst!”

When Valentine discovers what’s going on, he’s crushed: Consider The Two Gentlemen of Verona, in which Proteus betrays his best friend Valentine by (unsuccessfully) attempting to woo Valentine’s beloved, Sylvia. Timon of Athens is not the only Shakespeare play where we see the pain and dysfunction that results when friends betray friends or lead them astray. Most friendship is feigning, most loving mere folly.” Timon’s situation brings to mind these lyrics from another Shakespeare play, As You Like It: However, when his fortunes take a turn for the worse, his friends show their true colors and desert him, leading Timon to become a misanthrope. Recanting goodness, sorry ere ’tis shown īut where there is true friendship, there needs none. To set a gloss on faint deeds, hollow welcomes, The title character in Timon of Athens believes himself surrounded by devoted friends, the beneficiaries of his lavish generosity and hospitality. On the flipside, friendship proved false can bring great disappointment and anger. “And doth beget new courage in our breasts.” Particularly in times of uncertainty, being able to rely on friends brings a boost to one’s spirits.Īs in a soul rememb’ring my good friends” Good friendships can engender feelings of warmth, happiness, and security. Friend or foe? These Shakespeare quotes about friendship depict the complexities of relationships between characters in his plays: the bad and the good, the jealous and the self-sacrificing, the treacherous and the loyal.

Friend quote