ISBN: ced2640f9b3628eb3351dde5742f0792

'Tell me worldlings, underneath the sun, If greater falsehood ever has been done'The Jew of Malta, written around 1590, can present achallenge for modern audiences. Hugely popular in its … Plus…

'Tell me worldlings, underneath the sun, If greater falsehood ever has been done'The Jew of Malta, written around 1590, can present achallenge for modern audiences. Hugely popular in its day, the playswings wildly and rapidly in genre, from pointed satire, to bloodyrevenge tragedy, to melodrmatic intrigue, to dark farce and grotesquecomedy. Although set in the Mediterranean island of Malta, the playevokes contemporary Elizabethan social tensions, especially the highlycharged issue of London's much-resented community of resident merchantforeigners. Barabas, the enormously wealthy Jew of the play's title,appears initially victimized by Malta's Christian Governor, who quotesscripture to support the demand that Jews cede their wealth to payMalta's tribute to the Turks. When he protests, Barabas is deprived ofhis wealth, his means of livelihood, and his house, which is convertedto a nunnery. In response to this hypocritical extortion, Barabaslaunches a horrific (and sometimes hilarious) course of violence thatgoes well beyond revenge, using murderous tactics that includeeverything from deadly soup to poisoned flowers. The play's sometimescomplex treatment of anti-Semitism and its relationship toShakespeare's Merchant of Venice remain matters of continuing scholarly reflection.This student edition contains a lengthy Introduction with backgroundon the author, date and sources, theme, critical interpretation andstage history, as well as a fully annotated version of the playtext inmodern spelling.James R. Siemon is Professor of English at Boston University. Literary Criticism in Drama AU,DE,ES,FR,GB,UK,IT,MX,US, English Literature, Bloomsbury Publishing<

ISBN: ced2640f9b3628eb3351dde5742f0792

The spirit of Machiavelli presides over The Jew of Malta, in which the title character relentlessly plots to maintain and extend his political influence and wealth. A paragon of remorsele… Plus…

The spirit of Machiavelli presides over The Jew of Malta, in which the title character relentlessly plots to maintain and extend his political influence and wealth. A paragon of remorseless evil, Barabas befriends and betrays the Turkish invaders and native Maltese alike, incites a duel between the suitors for his daughter's hand, and takes lethal revenge upon a convent of nuns. Both tragedy and farce, this masterpiece of Elizabethan theater reflects the social and political complexities of its age. Christopher Marlowe's dramatic hybrid resonates with racial tension, religious conflict, and political intrigue — all of which abounded in 16th-century England. The playwright, who infused each one of his plays with cynical humor and a dark world view, draws upon stereotypes of Muslim and Christian as well as Jewish characters to cast an ironic perspective on all religious beliefs. The immediate success of The Jew of Malta on the Elizabethan stage is presumed to have influenced Marlowe's colleague, William Shakespeare, to draw upon the same source material for The Merchant of Venice. The character of Barabas is the prototype for the well-known Shylock, and this drama of his villainy remains a satirical gem in its own right. Dover Publications British Drama 9780486431840, BE,DE,FR,GB English Literature, Dover Publications<