Hello and welcome to the Discourse. The Jew of Malta by Christopher Marlowe is a dark and provocative play that blends tragedy, satire, and revenge drama. The story follows Barabas, a wealthy Jewish merchant in Malta, whose life is upended when the Christian governor seizes his wealth to pay tribute to the Ottoman Empire. Barabas responds with a ruthless quest for vengeance, employing deception, murder, and Machiavellian cunning. The play is notable for its exaggerated villainy, dark humor, and sharp critique of religious hypocrisy. While it reflects the anti-Semitic stereotypes of its time, it also exposes the corruption of Christian and Muslim characters, creating a morally ambiguous world where greed and power dominate.
The play was likely written around 1589–1590 and first performed by Lord Strange’s Men in the early 1590s, with the famed actor Edward Alleyn in the role of Barabas. The play was not published until 1633, long after Marlowe’s death, in a quarto edition by Nicholas Vavasour. Though popular in its time, its reception fluctuated due to its controversial themes. Revivals in the Restoration era and modern adaptations have kept it alive in the history of theatre. However, its portrayal of Barabas continues to spark debate over whether it critiques or perpetuates anti-Semitic stereotypes.
Historical and Cultural Background
Written during the Elizabethan era, The Jew of Malta emerges from a society where Jews had been officially expelled from England since 1290 but remained figures of fascination and prejudice. Marlowe’s portrayal of Barabas draws on popular stereotypes of Jews as greedy and deceitful, yet the play complicates this image by making its Christian and Muslim characters equally corrupt. The setting of Malta—a strategic Mediterranean island contested by Christian and Muslim powers—reflects real-world tensions of the period, particularly the threat of the Ottoman Empire. The play’s prologue, spoken by a figure resembling Machiavelli, sets the tone for its exploration of ruthless ambition and political manipulation, themes that resonated in Renaissance England.
Genre, Themes, and Significance
The Jew of Malta resists easy genre classification. It mixes revenge tragedy with black comedy and biting satire. Like Thomas Kyd’s The Spanish Tragedy, it features a protagonist obsessed with vengeance, but Barabas is no tragic hero—he relishes his villainy with theatrical flair. The over-the-top violence and irony suggest Marlowe may have been parodying both religious moralism and the revenge genre itself. Onstage, Barabas (likely performed by the famed actor Edward Alleyn) demands a powerful performance, blending charisma with malevolence.
Themes of greed, hypocrisy, and power drive the narrative. Barabas’s undoing stems as much from his own thirst for revenge as from persecution. Marlowe critiques all institutions of faith by highlighting their duplicity, creating a morally ambiguous world. The play’s influence can be seen in Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice and later Jacobean tragedies. Whether read as satire or stereotype, The Jew of Malta remains a striking commentary on religion, revenge, and human corruption in Renaissance drama.
Characters of The Jew of Malta
Barabas is the protagonist and antihero of the play. He is a wealthy Jewish merchant in Malta. Cunning, vengeful, and unapologetically greedy, he embodies Machiavellian ruthlessness. When the Christian governor seizes his wealth, Barabas plots elaborate schemes of revenge, manipulating friends and enemies alike. Though a villain, his intelligence and dark humor make him a compelling figure, blurring the line between victim and perpetrator. Abigail is Barabas’s virtuous daughter, who initially aids her father but later converts to Christianity, disillusioned by his cruelty. Her tragic fate—poisoned by Barabas for betraying him—highlights the play’s themes of betrayal and the corruption of innocence. Ferneze is the Christian governor of Malta who represents hypocritical authority. He confiscates Jewish wealth to pay Ottoman tributes while preaching morality. His political cunning mirrors Barabas’s ruthlessness, underscoring the play’s critique of religious and political hypocrisy. Ithamore is Barabas’s Turkish slave and accomplice in revenge. A morally bankrupt figure, he revels in violence but ultimately betrays Barabas for money. His partnership with the Jew underscores themes of greed and moral decay. Bellamira is a courtesan who seduces Ithamore to extort money from Barabas. Her scheming adds another layer of deception to the play, though she meets a gruesome end at Barabas’s hands. Lodowick is Ferneze’s son, and Mathias is his close friend. They are young Christian rivals vying for Abigail’s love. Barabas manipulates them into killing each other, showcasing his skill in exploiting human weaknesses. Calymath is the son of the Ottoman Sultan. He demands tribute from Malta. His presence heightens the political tensions in the play. Martin del Bosco is the Spanish vice-admiral who convinces Ferneze to resist Ottoman demands rather than pay tribute. His militaristic counsel escalates the conflict, showing how foreign powers manipulate Malta's political situation. Friar Jacomo and Friar Bernardine are two corrupt Christian friars who compete for Barabas's supposed conversion (and wealth). Their greed and hypocrisy exemplify Marlowe's satire of religious institutions. Barabas ultimately strangles Bernardine and frames Jacomo for the murder. Machevill is the Prologue speaker. He is a stand-in for Machiavelli; he introduces the play’s themes of amoral pragmatism, framing Barabas as a product of a corrupt world.
Summary of The Jew of Malta
It is a Five-Act play opening with a Prologue.
The play opens with Machevill, a personification of Machiavellian philosophy, delivering a provocative introduction that sets the cynical tone for the drama. He dismisses religion as insignificant and celebrates ruthless pragmatism, introducing Barabas as the embodiment of these principles. This prologue serves as both a thematic overture and a challenge to Elizabethan moral conventions, preparing the audience for the morally ambiguous world they are about to enter.
Act 1
The first act establishes the political and religious tensions in Malta. When the Turkish Calymath demands tribute from the Christian-ruled island, Governor Ferneze responds by confiscating Jewish wealth, particularly targeting the prosperous merchant Barabas. After losing his entire fortune despite his protests, Barabas begins his transformation into a vengeful schemer. The act culminates in Barabas's clever manipulation of his daughter Abigail, who feigns conversion to Christianity to recover his hidden gold from their former home, now converted to a nunnery. This initial deception sets the pattern for Barabas's increasingly complex plots.
Act 2
Barabas puts his recovered wealth to use in an elaborate revenge scheme. He manipulates two rival suitors - Mathias and Lodowick (Ferneze's son) - who both court Abigail. Through forged letters and careful psychological manipulation, Barabas engineers a deadly duel between the young men. The successful execution of this plot marks a turning point, as Abigail, horrified by her father's actions, genuinely converts to Christianity and enters the convent. Barabas's rage at this perceived betrayal foreshadows his increasingly violent actions in subsequent acts.
Act 3
This act showcases Barabas's complete moral descent. He takes on Ithamore, a Turkish slave, as his accomplice, and together they poison the entire nunnery, including Abigail. As Abigail dies, she confesses Barabas's crimes to Friar Bernardine, leading to a new complication. The two greedy friars, Jacomo and Bernardine, attempt to blackmail Barabas, demonstrating that Christian religious figures are just as corrupt as the Jewish protagonist. Barabas responds by strangling Bernardine and framing Jacomo for the murder, further demonstrating his cunning and ruthlessness.
Act 4
The consequences of Barabas's actions begin to multiply. Ithamore, now involved with the courtesan Bellamira, turns against his master and joins her in blackmailing Barabas. In response, Barabas disguises himself as a French musician and poisons all three conspirators. Meanwhile, the political situation escalates as the Turks besiege Malta, and Ferneze, advised by the Spanish captain Martin del Bosco, decides to resist rather than pay tribute. This act highlights Barabas's increasing isolation and the growing complexity of the political situation surrounding him.
Act 5
The final act brings all the threads of the plot to their violent conclusion. Barabas switches allegiance to help the Turks conquer Malta and is appointed governor. In his most ambitious scheme yet, he plans to murder all the Turkish leaders at a feast using a collapsible floor. However, Ferneze learns of the plot and turns it against Barabas, who falls through his own trap into a boiling cauldron below. The play ends with Ferneze's hypocritical moralizing about Jewish treachery, even as he demonstrates equal ruthlessness in his political maneuvers. The conclusion leaves the audience questioning who the real villain is in this morally bankrupt world.
Throughout all five acts, Marlowe maintains a delicate balance between tragedy and dark comedy, using Barabas's increasingly outrageous schemes to critique religious hypocrisy, political opportunism, and human greed. The structure shows a clear escalation from financial dispute to mass murder, with Barabis's final ironic death serving as the culmination of his own destructive philosophy. The play's ambiguous ending challenges the audience to consider whether Barabas is the cause of Malta's corruption or merely its most visible symptom.
Important Quotes
Here are some of the most important quotes from The Jew of Malta, organized by theme and character significance:
Machiavellian Philosophy
The play's prologue immediately establishes its cynical worldview through Machevill's declaration: "I count religion but a childish toy,/And hold there is no sin but ignorance." This radical statement frames the moral universe of the play, where traditional values are inverted. Barabas later echoes this philosophy when justifying his actions: "What right had Caesar to the empire?/Might first made kings, and laws were then most sure/When like the Draco's they were writ in blood." These lines reveal Barabas's belief in power as the ultimate authority, demonstrating how Marlowe uses his protagonist to explore controversial Renaissance ideas about politics and morality that challenged religious orthodoxy.
Anti-Semitism and Prejudice
Marlowe gives Barabas eloquent speeches that both perpetuate and critique anti-Semitic stereotypes. When confronting Christian hypocrisy, Barabas demands: "Who hateth me but for my happiness?/Or who is honored now but for his wealth?" This rhetorical question exposes the economic jealousy underlying religious prejudice. In another moment of defiance, he challenges his accusers: "The man that dealeth righteously shall live;/And which of you can charge me otherwise?" These lines create uncomfortable complexity - while Barabas is undeniably villainous, his critiques of Christian society carry disturbing validity, forcing audiences to confront their own prejudices.
Revenge and Violence
Barabas's thirst for vengeance produces some of the play's most memorable lines. His ruthless personal motto - "For so I live, perish may all the world!" - encapsulates his radical individualism. More subtly revealing is his description of performing subservience: "I learn'd in Florence how to kiss my hand,/Heave up my shoulders when they call me dog,/And duck as low as any bare-foot friar." This speech unveils the psychological damage of oppression while foreshadowing his vengeful schemes. The contrast between his outward submission and inner rage dramatizes the tension between appearance and reality that drives the plot.
Religious Hypocrisy
Marlowe savagely satirizes religious institutions through pointed dialogue. Barabas's observation that "the people of Malta/Are more devout than virtuous" cuts to the heart of the play's critique of performative piety. Even more damning is Friar Bernardine's admission that "Weigh not men's wits, but the prizes of their wit," which reduces spiritual matters to material calculations. These quotes collectively paint a picture of a society where religion serves as a cover for greed and corruption, making Barabas's villainy seem almost honest by comparison.
Barabas's Cynical Wisdom
The Jewish merchant dispenses disturbing but insightful advice throughout the play. His recommendation to be "void of these affections:/Compassion, love, vain hope, and heartless fear" offers a chilling recipe for success in Malta's dog-eat-dog world. The ironic truth of his statement that "Excess of wealth is cause of covetousness" becomes apparent as the play progresses - his own hoarded treasure brings nothing but destruction. These paradoxical pronouncements make Barabas a compelling antihero, as his sharp understanding of human nature is warped by his own moral blindness.
Dark Humor
The play's grotesque comedy shines through in Barabas's most shocking lines. His gleeful remark after poisoning nuns - "There's no music to a Christian's knell./How sweet the bells ring now the nuns are dead!" - combines black humor with profound sacrilege. Even facing death, he maintains his cynical worldview, warning, "Oh trust not me, but have a care of thyself." These moments of humor serve multiple purposes: they entertain the groundlings, challenge moral sensibilities, and reveal how Barabas's wit makes him simultaneously repellent and fascinating. The comedy underscores the play's fundamental ambiguity about whether we should condemn or grudgingly admire its protagonist.
So this is it for today. We will continue to discuss the history of English literature. Please stay connected with the Discourse. Thanks and Regards!
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