readers keep an eye on Kinbote they will often find in that the most elaborate parts of the commentary have less to do with the late John Shade and more to do with Kinbote himself . Immediately upon coming up with this theory one can find evidence such as the part of the commentary that starts :
“ Frankly I too never excelled in soccer and cricket : I am a passable horseman , a vigorous though unorthodox skier , a good skater , a tricky wrestler and an enthusiastic rock climber ” ( 1962 , 117 )
Though this section could have easily been a short statement saying how this was the start of the poet ’ s heart problems , Kinbote takes it and talks about what he is good at . In addition , he mentions what he would have added to the poem and how upset he was when his suggestions did not make it into the final draft . This happens throughout the commentary where instead of simply interpreting what Shade wrote , Kinbote offers many suggestions and critiques on what he would have done or his experience .
This thievery leads us to Timon of Athens . Overlooking the fact that Nabokov gets his title from this passage is a thievery of its own kind . Nabokov gives readers a slap in the face that says we are to look at this play . Just as this essay is filled with plagiarism , Nabokov ’ s book is filled with the
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