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    Short (The Jew of Malta)

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    Anum Mubashar
    The document provides summaries of Christopher Marlowe's play "The Jew of Malta". It summarizes that the play is set in 1565 Malta, portrays Christians, Jews and Muslims in conflict, and focuses on the wealthy merchant Barabas who seeks revenge through deception, betrayal and murder after his property is confiscated. It also interprets and explains several quotes and key events from the play, such as Barabas devising a plan to destroy the Turkish army that ultimately leads to his own demise.

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    Short (The Jew of Malta)

    Uploaded by

    Anum Mubashar
    230 views3 pages
    The document provides summaries of Christopher Marlowe's play "The Jew of Malta". It summarizes that the play is set in 1565 Malta, portrays Christians, Jews and Muslims in conflict, and focuses on the wealthy merchant Barabas who seeks revenge through deception, betrayal and murder after his property is confiscated. It also interprets and explains several quotes and key events from the play, such as Barabas devising a plan to destroy the Turkish army that ultimately leads to his own demise.

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    Short(the jew of Malta)

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    The document provides summaries of Christopher Marlowe's play "The Jew of Malta". It summarizes that the play is set in 1565 Malta, portrays Christians, Jews and Muslims in conflict, and focuses on the wealthy merchant Barabas who seeks revenge through deception, betrayal and murder after his property is confiscated. It also interprets and explains several quotes and key events from the play, such as Barabas devising a plan to destroy the Turkish army that ultimately leads to his own demise.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    230 views3 pages

    Short (The Jew of Malta)

    Uploaded by

    Anum Mubashar
    The document provides summaries of Christopher Marlowe's play "The Jew of Malta". It summarizes that the play is set in 1565 Malta, portrays Christians, Jews and Muslims in conflict, and focuses on the wealthy merchant Barabas who seeks revenge through deception, betrayal and murder after his property is confiscated. It also interprets and explains several quotes and key events from the play, such as Barabas devising a plan to destroy the Turkish army that ultimately leads to his own demise.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    of 3

    Short Questions

    Write the names of four plays of Marlowe.


    Ans. Marlowe has left us from his short, but brilliant, career of seven plays, and in several of
    them he was a pioneer in that particular genre. His famous plays include; Tamburlaine the
    Great, The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus, The Jew of Malta, and The Tragedy of Edward II.

    What is the setting of the play 'The Jew of Malta'?


    Ans. The five acts of the play are set in Malta in 1565, the year that the Ottoman Turks besieged
    the tiny Mediterranean nation. Besides the main island of Malta, the nation includes four other
    islands.

    What are the major themes of 'The Jew of Malta'?


    Ans. Hypocrisy, Machiavellian Strategy, revenge, love and avarice, lies and deceit, justice and
    judgment, wealth, religion, prejudice, perseverance and politics are the major themes of "The
    Jew of Malta".

    Name the religious groups mentioned in 'The Jew of Malta'.


    Ans. The play portrays characters of three religious groups -- Christians, Jews, and Muslim
    Turks -- in constant enmity with one another.

    Define the term 'Machiavellian'.


    Ans. "Machiavellian" is a widely-used negative term to characterize unscrupulous politicians of
    the sort Machiavelli described in "The Prince". "Machiavellian" is often associated with deceit,
    deviousness, ambition, and brutality, although Machiavelli likely only used it as a stylistic device
    to gain the reader's attention for his close analysis of the actual techniques used by rulers.
    Machiavel is a Senecan ghost in "The Jew of Malta".

    What is Malta's political situation in 'The Jew of Malta'?


    Ans. Malta is in a tricky political situation. Even though it is home to a majority Western,
    Christian population, it lives under the shadow of the Turks. To stay safe, Malta has to pay a
    monetary tribute to the Turks. In exchange for this protection money, the Turks protect them.

    Interpret 'I count religion but a childish toy'.


    Ans. This line is from the Prologue spoken by Machiavell in "The Jew of Malta" by Marlowe. In
    this line, Machiavell denounces religion. He says that religion is nothing but a toy in the hands of
    religious fundamentalists and priests. It is a tool one uses to manipulate other people. This line
    also sets the tone of Barabas's actions throughout the rest of the play, as he lies constantly and
    makes plenty of derogatory comments on Christianity

    Interpret 'Weigh not men, and therefore, not men's words'.


    Ans. This line is from the Prologue spoken by Machiavell in "The Jew of Malta '' by Marlowe.
    Machiavelli is a symbol of Barabas's philosophy. He says that it is a cynical attitude about not
    trusting others or what they say. Human worth and words are not important.
    Interpret 'For, so l live, perish may all the world!'
    Ans. This line is from Act V spoken by Barabas in "The Jew of Malta" by Marlowe. Barabas plots
    to undo everything once he is Governor of Malta -- Christians, Turks, anyone in his way. He only
    cares for his own skin.

    Interpret 'Excess of wealth is cause of covetousness'.


    Ans. This line is from Act I spoken by Ferneze in "The Jew of Malta" by Marlowe. Ferneze
    blames Barabas for being rich; it leads others to do wrong, and therefore, it is all his own fault if
    others take his money from him.

    How is the Turkish army destroyed?


    Ans. Barabas secretly makes a deal with Ferneze to kill all of the Turks in Malta in return for a
    huge sum of money. Barabas' plan works but Ferneze batrays him at the last minute. The
    Turkish army is destroyed and Barabas is killed in the trap he devised for Calymath.

    Who is Barabas?
    Ans. Barabas is the protagonist of the play "The Jew of Malta". He is a wealthy merchant who is
    unrelenting in his efforts to gain revenge against his enemies. As the prime malefactor in the
    play, Barabas resorts to deceit, betrayal, sedition, usury, extortion, and murder as means toward
    his ends.

    What are the priorities of Barabas?


    Ans. Barabas has two priorities: money, and his only daughter, Abigail. Though the priorities of
    Barabas shift and evolve in the play, his motivations seem consistently threefold; he continues
    to seek and obtain "Great sums of money, he continues to pursue revenge on Ferneze, and
    driven by an insatiable desire for mayhem and destruction.

    Why is Barabas' all property confiscated?


    Ans. Ferneze, the governor of Malta, issues a decree ordering the confiscation of half of each
    Jew's estate to pay tribute to the Turks; if the Jewish property owner refuses, he must become a
    Christian; if he refuses to become a Christian, he "shall absolutely lose all he has". Having
    resisted both the confiscations, Barabas loses all he has.

    Why is Barabas impatient with stash of gold?


    Ans. Barabas' all property is confiscated by Ferneze except a hidden stash of gold that Barabas
    hasn't 'fessed up to'. So he is very impatient with stash of gold in his house which has now been
    turned into a nunnery.

    Who is Basso?
    He is a military officer or pasha of Turkey came with Callymath.
    How does Barabas get Mathias and Lodowick killed?
    Barabas killed Mathias and Lodowick in a fake duel. Barabas wrote a forged letter to Mathias
    that is supposedly from Lodowick, challenging him to a duel.

    How does Ferneze treat Basso when Basso demands tribute?


    Ferneze got one month's time to collect the dues for tribute when Basso demanded tribute.

    With whom is Abigail in love with?


    Methias. He is a young man and son of Catherine. Mathias also loves her very much.

    Why does Barabas decide to kill Ithamore?


    Because he is blackmailing him.

    What does Ferneze suggest for Callymath in the end of "The Jew of Malta"?
    Imprisonment.

    What action does Barabas take against his converted daughter?


    Barabas killed his converted daughter by poisoning.

    What guise does Barabas have to kill Ithamore?


    Barabas in the guise of a French musician poisoned Ithamore and Ithamore died.

    What is Barabas reaction to the death of Abigail?


    Barabas celebrates the successful plan of poisoning the nuns. He is only grieved that his
    daughter lived long enough to become a Christian.

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