The Jew of Malta Christopher Marlowe 9781450519700 Books
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The Jew of Malta, written by legendary author Christopher Marlowe is widely considered to be one of the greatest books of all time. This great classic will surely attract a whole new generation of readers. For many, The Jew of Malta is required reading for various courses and curriculums. And for others who simply enjoy reading timeless pieces of classic literature, this gem by Christopher Marlowe is highly recommended. Published by Classic Books International and beautifully produced, The Jew of Malta would make an ideal gift and it should be a part of everyone's personal library.
The Jew of Malta Christopher Marlowe 9781450519700 Books
I purchased this book for a religious studies class I was taking. It is interesting to ready. A little hard to follow especially with the language. I had to read some passages more than a few times to understand what was going on. But the content was incorporated very well with the other reading material that was assigned with this book. Very interesting.Product details
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Tags : The Jew of Malta [Christopher Marlowe] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. The Jew of Malta, written by legendary author Christopher Marlowe is widely considered to be one of the greatest books of all time. This great classic will surely attract a whole new generation of readers. For many,Christopher Marlowe,The Jew of Malta,CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform,1450519709,FICTION Classics
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The Jew of Malta Christopher Marlowe 9781450519700 Books Reviews
I actually read an online version of this text provided by my teacher as part of my Introduction to Drama course, so this is not the same version I'm writing about, but is the same work. In many ways, this is the predecessor to The Merchant of Venice, which is a distinction that would already make it notable, but it also has a great amount of value in its own right. While perhaps not as powerful or seemingly progressive as its counterpart, there are very good dramatic speeches, powerful characters, and a tragic ending to consider, and it is certainly a great glimpse into the society from which it came. I certainly would suggest it to anyone that has an interest in dramatic works.
Similar to Shakespeare's commercial epicenter, Venice, Malta bubbles with the primordial ooze of modern business. As David Thurn says, "The Jew of Malta may be understood as symptomatic of one phase in the prehistory of capitalism." Among other modern business practices, during the Italian Rennaissance, accounting found a rebirth and in the 16th century became common practice. By the end of Barabas's opening scene, Malta seems as globalized as today's economy. Malta is strategic to vilifying the Jew. Barabas is a merchant working the water hub of the Mediterranean, and like an overseer of a distribution center, squares his assets with his liabilities down to the last silverling. He dislikes accounting his petty cash, saying, "Fie, what a trouble `tis to count this trash!" (1.1.7). His irritation resonates today; like Barabas, large modern firms do not bother with accounting entries below certain dollar values, because of two reasons time and money. Before "heaps of gold," Barabas hoards his money, and the characterization broadcasts the grossest kind of cartoonish greed, like that of Ebeneezer Scrooge. Instead of entrepreneurial visionary, we see a miserly, selfish, abominable grotesque of greed. Barabas awaits his incoming ships, which creates a striking similarity to Antonio in The Merchant of Venice. However, more important than the mood of the merchant is his religion. The motivation of the Christian merchant seems to be the common good, while the Jew works strictly in self-interest.
Like other great villains, Barabas keeps a master inventory of other people's weaknesses. It is a terrifying joy to watch a great villain arrange characters into annihilating arrangements. He has no qualms holding scripture in one hand, a knife in the other, as he explains to Abigail, "religion / hides many mischiefs from suspicion" (1.2.283). To get revenge with the government, he looks past Ferneze to his family, to Ludowick. In a disturbing introspection, Barabas tells what he has learned from years of oppression under the Christians.
We Jews can fawn like spaniels when we please;
And when we grin we bite, yet are our looks
As innocent and harmless as a lamb's.
I learned in Florence how to kiss my hand,
Heave up my shoulders when they call me dog (2.3.20-24).
Years of gross condescension and abuse taught Barabas cunning deceits, but that unfortunate education assists his revenge. Like an effective salesperson or manager, rather than lash out, he knows how to keep bridges intact, at least until he can ignite a blaze on his own terms. He knows to hold his tongue when provoked, to stoop in subordination when helpless, and to attack along appropriate avenues when the hour is right.
Before revenge clouds his judgment, Barabas opposes violence and has no political aspirations. Violence leads to temporary gains "Nothing violent / Oft have I heard tell, can be permanent" (1.1.131-132). A surprising insight comes from his statement where he admits a preference for Christian rulers, saying, "Give us a peaceful rule, make Christians kings / That thirst for so much principality" (1.1.133-134). He prefers to stay in the shadows, behind the halls of government and the public eye. This adds to his Machiavellian persona, and almost indicates that the Christians are his puppets, who play childish games of glory while he stockpiles wealth. This is a wonderfully evil notion, and here another mapping could be made to Enron, industrial deregulation, and greed. Those in positions of government perceive control, but in effect take the risk for the real operators beneath them.
It is both exciting and nefarious to watch. Yet Barabas forgets his aversion to violence and political power. By the end of the play, he's slashed and burned his way to the governor's seat, and suddenly a high-profile bureaucrat, seeks to profit from his office and then magnanimously defer power back to Ferneze. Blinded by his successful raging revenge, once in power Barabas sees the danger "I now am governor of Malta. True, / But Malta hates me, and in hating me, / My life's in danger" (5.2.29-31). Worse yet, he tells himself, "by wrong thou got'st authority" (5.2.35). Now he's pinned behind his earlier comment about the temporality of violence, and he cannot undo his power so easily. Instead of looking up at power, he is looking down, and now it is his weaknesses that are highlighted to the world.
I can't quite place this play of Marlowe's up there with "Dr. Faustus," "Edward II," "Dido Queen of Carthage," or "Massacre At Paris." But still, it is a good play.
We meet Barabas. We see that his financial resources are more important to him than his spiritual values. But he does have a daughter named Abigail who he loves. (We can guess that Barabas is a widower since Abigail's mother never appears.) Well, the governor of Malta (Ferneze) seizes Baraba's wealth to pay tribute to Calymath and the Turks. (And on top of that Barabas's house is to be turned into a convent.) And at this point, we can feel sympathy for Barabas.
But all is not lost. His daughter Abigail works her way into her father's house and is able to retrieve a nice amount of wealth for her father. Well, Ferneze learns that even paying tribute to the Turks may not be enough to keep Malta safe. Moving on, we might sympathize with Barabas when Lodowick (the son of Ferneze who seized Barabas's wealth) wants Abigail. And after some double talk, Barabas arranges for Lodowick to fight Matthias. This is where things start to shift. Abigail loves Mathias and is repulsed. (We also know that Mathias did nothing to Barabas.) Our sympathy for Barabas starts to diminish. The repulsed Abigail converts to Christianity and becomes a nun.
Barabas furthers his descent into evil when (with the help of the vile Ithamore) he poisons not only his daughter Abigail, but the entire group of nuns. As horrible as this was, Marlowe adds an on stage event to emphasize how evil Barabas has grown. He murders a Friar and frames another. (And at this point, if we had any sympathy for Barabas, it's gone now.)
Well, things start to turn. With some convincing, Ithamore decides he knows enough about Barabas to choke some money out of him. (Or he will tell.) Barabas is frightened, but should he be surprised? When you engage in foul games of this sort, how honorable can your accomplices be? Barabas manages to poison Ithamore and his 2 friends, but not before Ferneze learns of Barabas's crimes.
But Barabas has another card to play. He betrays Malta and allows Calymath and his forces in. Ferneze is taken prisoner and Barabas is made governor of the town. But Barabas realizes that he will not last long if he is the governor of an area that hates him. It would seem he is out of cards to play. But his ambition can not cease. He makes a deal with Ferneze to kill Calymath, but Ferneze flips the tables, and Barabas is finally defeated.
While better Marlowe certainly exists, this is still a good play. Barabas's technique of double talk was one that Shakespeare would eventually make use of. ("King Lear's" Edmund to name one) Also, like many other of Marlowe's protagonists, Barabas can not keep himself behind the line of 'this far, and no further.'
Subpar cover design. Looks thrown together.
Materials are poor. What do doves and a tree have to do with the Jew of Malta?
Great story if you are up on you Shakespearean English. If not, it is very difficult to follow. If it came with a modern English translation it would be much better. Getting the Shakespearean "flavor" is one thing but it needs to be readable.
Interesting read.
My first reading of Marlowe's work. Look forward to reading his other works.
I purchased this book for a religious studies class I was taking. It is interesting to ready. A little hard to follow especially with the language. I had to read some passages more than a few times to understand what was going on. But the content was incorporated very well with the other reading material that was assigned with this book. Very interesting.
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