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Timon of Athens

From Beautiful Stories from Shakespeare by E. Nesbit (1907), adapted from William Shakespeare

This story comes from Beautiful Stories from Shakespeare (1907) by E. Nesbit, retelling William Shakespeare's play Timon of Athens. The play itself is set in ancient Greece, four hundred years before Christ. Shakespeare wrote about how generosity without wisdom can turn to bitterness, and how true friendship is tested when fortune changes. Nesbit brought Shakespeare's tale to young readers while keeping its warning clear: ingratitude can poison the heart, but one loyal friend is worth more than a hundred flatterers. This text reflects its era; a few period terms have been modernised.

Band

Green · Independent readers, earlyTypical starting range: ages 9–11

Length

long · about 851 words in 6 sections · 3 pictures

Source

Beautiful Stories from Shakespeare, E. Nesbit and William Shakespeare

First published

1907

Regions

Canada · United States

Included formats

• · Web reader and PDF
• · EPUB for e-readers
• · Home-print sheet
• · Folded booklet
• · Binder edition (8.5 × 11)
• · Worksheet
• · Quick Check (10 questions) with answer key
• · Read-aloud script
• · Teacher’s Edition (members)

Readers are engineered from the original public-domain text with AI under HummingRead’s published canon and Content Philosophy, checked by automated audit and sampled by a person. Pictures are made with AI to HummingRead’s brief for each story. How a reader is made.

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