Abstract

Abstract:What do Shakespeare and Michelangelo have in common? William Shakespeare and Thomas Middleton's Timon of Athens is labelled as unfinished, akin to Michelangelo's Prisoners sculptures whose fragmentary shapes inspired non-finito aesthetics. As the only Shakespearean play to mention sculpture, I argue that Timon of Athens invites a nonfinito interpretation that captures the infinite performativity of dramatic characters who, like Michelangelo's Prisoners, cannot escape their form. Accepting Timon—as is—reveals the process of collaborative playwriting and offers a creative license for interpretation to performers and readers alike.