Notesale: Turn your study into money

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Jews, Machiavelli and Marlowe
Christopher Marlowe
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Allegedly a spy as he was absent from university and would not gain his MA but
Privy Council sent official letter suggesting Marlowe carried out service for Her
Majesty
Atheist – radical position to adopt
Constant need to compare to Shakespeare – is he better/worse
Poststructuralist approach – recognises how reality is shaped by discourse –
arguments that are circulating times – how we experience things are shaped by those
discourses that aren’t reality – more interesting ways at looking at the plays other than
proving the point of whether was homosexual

The Jew of Malta
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Malta is between Christian and Muslim world – point of potential tension between 2
cultures
1565 – Turks attacked but failed to gain Malta
Religion is seen in relation to political situation
Barabas’ lust for power causes the catastrophe of play

Niccolo Machiavelli
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Italian statesman and political philosopher
First to write about what occurs in politics – realpolitik
Published The Prince in 1513 – voiced various ideas about it such as it is safer for a
prince to be feared than loved – discusses ways in which rulers frequently manipulate
to attain and maintain power – ruler can use religion to exploit as political control
Advocating amoral and opportunistic nature – ‘Machiavellian’ is a term of abuse –
people misinterpreted the book as they believed he stated how rulers should behave as
opposed to him commenting the ways they do behave
Those who are less loyal and behave cunningly attain more but those who are
trustworthy don’t gain as much

Machiavel and the Jew
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‘make evil’
Barabas – Biblical robber saved in preference to Jesus – associated with someone that
has a negative relationship with Christianity – clear link with old morality of the vice
– questions whether Barabas is tragic hero figure or antihero
Barabas is a Jew – 1290s, Edward I had banished all Jews in England – weren’t
allowed to practice in this country – were converts from Judaism to Christianity
labelled ‘Marranos’ who were treated with suspicion
Contemporary hostility to foreigners/outsiders
“Englishners is juxtaposed with others” – Ania Loomba
Jews were associated with Satan

Politics of time interferes with the theatre and its interpretations

Stephen Greenblatt – argues Jew represent embodiment of everything Marlowe’s Christian
audience loathes and fears but Barabas is the true representative of Maltese society – they are
all motivated by money – “Barabas’ avarice, egotism, duplicity and murderous cunning do
not signal his exclusion from Malta”
Dena Goldberg – ritual sacrifice – someone is sacrificed for the good of the community –
Marlowe is parodying the very concept – Marlowe provokes audience to witness the
“phenomenon of sacrifice with analytic detachment rather than tragic empathy”
Prologue
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Marlowe is parodying the figure of Machevill – religious leaders follow
Machiavellian ideas to attain power – “they read me and thereby attain/To Peter’s
chair” – corrupt in attaining status, power, wealth – not openly following but in
secrecy
Sets the theme of play to be mocking religion – using religion as a motive to gain
political power and status – expressing Machiavellian ideas – “I count religion but a
childish toy”
“grace him as he deserves/ And let him not be entertained the worse/ Because he
favours me” – Barabus resembles Machevill but asks his readers/audience not to
judge Barabus because he favours Machiavellian views
Barabas is considered as an outsider due to his religion and his Machiavellian
methods of attaining wealth and power – compared to Ferneze who hides his cunning
ways

How is Barabus a Machiavellian character
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The attempted murder of Calymath in cauldron to get power of Turks and Malta
Poisoning of nunnery
Orchestrating the fight between Lodowick and Mathias
Teasing the friars by questioning which one to kill and his mockery of converting to
Christianity – highlights friars’ corruption because whoever Barabus joins he will
give them his wealth – conveys hypocrisy of religion
Manipulation of religion

Ferneze as a Machiavellian character
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Taking the Jews’ money
Not paying the Turks and keeping the money for himself



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