Historical Context
The Catholic World
Throughout Marlowe's play, the author successfully portrays two major religious groups, the Roman Catholics and the Jews, in a negative light. These depictions mirror the prevailing sentiments of his English audience toward these groups. Much of the religious discourse in Marlowe's The Jew of Malta echoes the real-life conflicts between the Roman Catholic Church and the Church of England, formally established by Elizabeth I in 1559. Following the establishment of the Church of England, some of the previous twenty-five years' tensions eased, largely because the queen was more tolerant of religious diversity and less inclined to endorse the severe persecutions favored by Mary I. During Mary Tudor's brief reign from 1553-1558, religious intolerance and violence became widespread. As a devout Roman Catholic, Mary immediately reinstated Catholicism as England's official religion and restored the Pope's authority over the English church. She swiftly outlawed Protestantism to appease her new husband, Philip of Spain. Protestants faced severe persecution, and hundreds were executed by burning when they refused to convert to Catholicism. Mary's brutal actions earned her the infamous nickname, "Bloody Mary." In stark contrast to Mary's rule, Elizabeth brought a sense of renewal to the kingdom. Young, beautiful, and energetic, she quickly established Protestantism as the official religion but exhibited none of her sister Mary's intolerance. The legacy of Mary's reign was a deep-seated fear of Catholicism and a resolve to prevent any Roman Catholic from holding governmental power. The immediate impact of Mary's rule was such that any discovered plots, detected subversions, or unexpected crises were often attributed to Catholic sympathizers. Even nearly forty years after Mary's death, the English populace remained wary of the Catholic Church, fearing that the Pope might attempt to reclaim the country in the name of the Roman Catholic Church. This distrust of Catholics was evident in Marlowe's own life when the completion of his final degree from Cambridge was delayed. University officials were concerned that Marlowe intended to become a Catholic priest and join a group of expatriate Roman Catholic priests in Rheims, who, with the Pope's support, were allegedly plotting to overthrow Elizabeth I and the Church of England. Whether real or imagined, these plots left the average English citizen deeply suspicious of Catholics, convinced that they were all deceitful and untrustworthy.
The Jewish World
Understanding the stereotyping of Jews in Elizabethan England isn't straightforward. Historically, Jews faced massacres in England. In 1189, Jews were killed to mark the coronation of Richard I. The following year, over 500 Jewish men, women, and children were murdered by those indebted to Jewish moneylenders. By 1290, Jews were officially expelled by Edward I, largely due to pressure from Italian banks wanting to dominate English banking and commerce, thereby eliminating their competition. This expulsion nearly eradicated the Jewish population in England. Afterwards, until the mid-seventeenth century, only a handful of Jews, mostly physicians invited for their expertise, entered the country. There was a small group of crypto-Jews (individuals forced to convert to Christianity who secretly maintained their Jewish faith) in London during the late sixteenth century, but their presence was largely unknown to Marlowe's contemporaries. At the time Marlowe wrote The Jew of Malta , his audience had no direct experience with Jews. The portrayal of Jews in Marlowe's play highlights the widespread anti-Semitism in a country with little to no Jewish population. Marlowe, being an educated man, would have been aware of anti-Semitic stereotypes and knew his mostly uneducated audience would easily recognize these depictions. Similar to stereotypes about the Catholic Church, stereotypes about Jews resonated with an audience living in a tense and uncertain...
(This entire section contains 647 words.)
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world. Elizabeth's defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588, just a year before Marlowe began his play, underscored the threat of external forces in English life. When people feel endangered, they often lash out against those who seem different or threatening. In this context, both Catholics and Jews became convenient targets for stereotyping.
Literary Style
Acts
The Jew of Malta is structured into five acts. The first act serves as the exposition, where the audience learns about the wrong done to Barabas. By the conclusion of Act II, the complication arises, revealing that Barabas is not content with merely reclaiming his money. He seeks revenge on all the Christians in the city and plots to have Lodowick and Mathias kill each other. The climax unfolds in the third act with the deaths of these young men, Abigail's conversion to Christianity and entry into a convent, and her subsequent murder. Act IV features the falling action with the murder of the friars and Ithamore's betrayal of Barabas. The catastrophe occurs in the final act when Barabas overreaches and ultimately falls into his own trap, resulting in his death.
Character
Characterization involves crafting a believable person from an author's imagination. This is achieved by endowing the character with distinct personality traits that influence their behavior in various situations. However, The Jew of Malta deviates from this strict definition, as its characters lack depth. The audience does not gain a thorough understanding of the characters as individuals. For example, Barabas is a stereotype, a caricature of a greedy Jew and usurer, a figure familiar to the audience.
Genre
Genre categorizes literature into types like mystery, science fiction, comedy, or romance. While The Jew of Malta is officially classified as a tragic drama according to its title page, many scholars now consider it an example of extreme satiric or black comedy.
Plot
The plot allows the author to delve into primary themes. Students often confuse plot and theme; however, plots narrate events, whereas themes explore underlying ideas. The plot of The Jew of Malta tells the story of Barabas, who, wronged by the Catholic governor, vows vengeance on the entire city, even sacrificing his own daughter. The theme, however, revolves around greed, corruption, and religious depravity.
Setting
The play is set in Malta, a significant choice as the English audience viewed nearly any location outside England as suspicious and rife with corrupting influences, particularly if it was under Catholic control.
Compare and Contrast
Sixteenth Century: The Anglican Church is founded in England in 1534 by Henry VIII, who declares Protestantism the official religion. Henry's decree also bans the Roman Catholic Church and allows him to confiscate church property, using it to fund his rule. Many support this move, believing Catholicism to be focused on outward appearances and lacking true devotion. This sentiment is reflected in Marlowe's portrayal of friars as greedy individuals more interested in Barabas' wealth than his soul.
Late Twentieth Century: The English continue to harbor suspicion towards the Catholic Church. Laws still exist preventing members of the monarchy from marrying Catholics, and the Anglican Church remains England's official church. No Catholic can ascend to the throne.
Sixteenth Century: Catholic Mary Stuart, Queen of Scots, is executed on February 8, 1587, by the order of her cousin Elizabeth I (sister of Mary Tudor). Mary Stuart's execution fuels further Catholic plots to restore England to Papal control against the Protestants, who view Catholics as a threat. Marlowe's audience would expect negative portrayals of Catholics, evident in the greed of the Catholic officials in Malta.
Late Twentieth Century: The Protestant-Catholic conflict persists, leading to bombings and deaths in both London and Ireland. Each faction continues to see the other as malevolent and destructive.
Sixteenth Century: This era marks the beginning of England's golden age of theatre. Playwrights like Thomas Kyd, John Lyly, William Shakespeare, and Marlowe are active. Marlowe and Shakespeare dominate the English theatre scene by century's end, paving the way for early seventeenth-century playwrights such as Ben Jonson, Thomas Middleton, Francis Beaumont, John Fletcher, Cyril Tourneur, John Webster, and John Ford.
Late Twentieth Century: Although many late sixteenth- and early seventeenth-century playwrights still have their works performed, only Shakespeare maintains a dominating presence on stage and in film. This enduring popularity highlights the timeless relevance of the themes explored by Marlowe and Shakespeare.
Sixteenth Century: English explorers like Sir Francis Drake and Sir Walter Raleigh seek to glorify England through the conquest of new lands. They return with treasures for their queen and establish colonies in the New World to honor England's greatness. Drake, in particular, excels as a naval captain, capturing Spanish ships and seizing their riches for his queen. Despite not being at war with Spain, stealing from Catholic Spain is celebrated. In Marlowe's play, the governor of Malta sees no issue with stealing from the Jews, who have committed no wrongdoing.
Twentieth Century: Throughout history, religion has often been employed to legitimize acts of violence. Adolf Hitler exploited religious intolerance to rationalize the genocide of European Jews. Religious conflicts are fundamental to the discord between Israelis and Palestinians. Additionally, the Catholic Irish and Protestant English persist in a guerilla conflict that started three centuries ago.
Setting
Malta
The entire drama unfolds on the island of Malta, a strategically significant cluster of islands in the Mediterranean, lying just south of Sicily. Throughout history, Malta's location made it a coveted prize, successively controlled by numerous foreign powers. During the period depicted in the play, the island is besieged by the formidable Ottoman Turks while under the governance of the Christian Knights of St. John. This turbulent setting provides a backdrop rich with tension and conflict, mirroring the play's unfolding drama.
Barabas’s House
At the heart of the play is Barabas’s residence, the abode of the titular wealthy merchant who commands significant influence and wealth. This house is more than just a home; it becomes a battleground of ideologies and personal vendettas. Barabas's refusal to either convert to Christianity or surrender half of his wealth to Malta's governor results in the confiscation of his property. Adding insult to injury, his house is converted into a Roman Catholic convent, where his daughter, Abigail, enters as a novice. This transformation ignites Barabas’s schemes of revenge as he endeavors to reclaim his hidden gold from beneath the floorboards, a symbol of his lost autonomy and dignity.
The house's architectural design, with its distinct upper and lower levels, plays a dramatic role in the unfolding narrative. These spaces are utilized to create a poignant scene in which Barabas, on the lower level, laments the loss of his wealth, while Abigail, above, mourns for her father. The house, much like Malta itself, is an apparent fortress that proves to be perilously fragile. Barabas, in a grim twist, poisons the inhabitants within, including Abigail, emphasizing his relentless pursuit of vengeance.
Amid his machinations, Barabas acquires a second house, which functions as a clandestine hub for his conspiracies against the city and those who have wronged him. This secondary location underscores his resourcefulness and determination to undermine and retaliate against the authorities and institutions that have subjugated him. Through these settings, the play vividly portrays the intricate weave of personal and political conflicts, set against the shadow of impending warfare.
Bibliography and Further Reading
Sources
Clapp, Susannah, "The Jew of Malta," in Guardian Unlimited, October 10, 1999.
Meyers, William, "Shakespeare, Shylock, and the Jews," in Commentary, Vol. 101, No. 4, April 1996, pp. 32-37.
Nightingale, Benedict, "The Big Play: The Jew of Malta," in Times (London), October 16, 1999.
Perrett, Manon D., "Shakespeare's Jew: Preconception and Performance," in Shakespeare Studies, Vol. 20, 1987, pp. 261-68.
Spencer, Charles, "The Arts: Portrait of a Psycho As Comic As It Is Chilling," in Daily Telegraph (London), October 7, 1999.
Williams, Carolyn D., "Interview Given by Stevie Simkin, Director of Marlowe's Jew of Malta, to Carolyn D. Williams," in Cahiers Elisabethains: Late Medieval and Renaissance Studies, Vol. 55, April 1999, pp. 65-73.
Further Reading
Brown, John Russell, ed., Marlowe: Tamburlaine The Great; Edward The Second and The Jew of Malta: A Casebook, Macmillan, 1982. This book offers a collection of critical essays on Marlowe's works.
Cole, Douglas, Christopher Marlowe and the Renaissance of Tragedy, Praeger, 1995. Cole's book explores the major literary traditions of Marlowe's era and how he adapted them to suit his themes.
Hammill, Graham L., Sexuality and Form: Caravaggio, Marlowe, and Bacon, University of Chicago Press, 2000. Hammill examines the interdisciplinary connections between sexuality and violence through Caravaggio's paintings, Marlowe's plays, and Bacon's scientific treatises.
MacLure, Millar, ed., Christopher Marlowe, Routledge, 1995. This book compiles critical essays that present contemporary responses to Marlowe's work.
Marlowe, Christopher, The Complete Plays, edited by J.B. Steane, Penguin, 1972. This collection includes all of Marlowe's plays, fully restored through recent scholarship.
Shapiro, James C., Rival Playwrights - Marlowe, Jonson, Shakespeare, Columbia University Press, 1991. Shapiro compares the works of three major Renaissance playwrights, examining them within their historical context. While some speculation is necessary, much of Shapiro's analysis is grounded in historical fact.
Thomas, Vivian, and William Tydman, eds., Christopher Marlowe: The Plays and Their Sources, Routledge, 1994. This compilation of forty-two texts includes all the major sources for Marlowe's plays.
