Character Analysis
We see these two courtesans very briefly when they enter with Alcibiades in the woods. Ever the go-getter, Timon come up with a task for them that won't be easy: he wants them to infect as many dudes as possible with STDs.
Yeah, we didn't make that up.
Well, at this point, it's pretty clear that Timon has gone to a very dark place. What we're interested in, though, is the way Phrynia and Timandra take it all in their stride.
After Timon gives them a long list of nasty things to do, they reply in unison: "More counsel with more money, bounteous Timon" (4.3.168). Well, folks, we just got chills: these ladies' cold dedication is a little creepy. Timon is totally ranting about the deviant sexual nature of mankind, and PhryMandra are happy to listen... as long as there is a payday involved.
But Phrynia and Timandra serve a larger purpose, as well. They are the only women in the play aside from the Amazonian at the banquet, who don't even speak. Their few lines and demeanor give us some insight into what Timon's world is like for women: it's pretty grim.
And it we're just gonna go ahead and point out that if the only examples of sexual relationships we get in this play involve prostitution, you know something is wrong. There's no love in sight here, folks; there isn't even your average, garden-variety extramarital sex. This society is all about the moolah, so it's no surprise that sex isn't separate from money, either.