Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Jew of Malta, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
God and Machiavellianism
Religious Hypocrisy
Anti-Semitism
Money and Greed
Betrayal and Revenge
Summary
Analysis
Barabas enters with Selim-Calymath and the Turks, holding Ferneze and his knights as prisoners. Calymath says the Turks have conquered Malta and taken the people captive, and he ask Ferneze if he has anything to say. Ferneze says he has nothing; he is conquered and must submit. Yes, Calymath says, the Christians must submit to their “Turkish yokes.” Then Calymath turns to Barabas. “We make thee Governor,” Calymath says to Barabas, “Use them at thy discretion.”
This passage, too, reflects widespread Machiavellianism. Selim-Calymath quickly conquers Malta and takes everyone captive as slaves under “Turkish yokes,” and when he makes Barabas governor, he gives Barabas free reign to do whatever he wants to Ferneze and the others. Calymath knows Barabas won’t be kind, and he doesn’t care.
Themes
“Oh fatal day to fall into the hands / Of such a traitor and unhallowed Jew!” Ferneze cries, “What greater misery could heaven inflict!” Calymath bids Barabas farewell and leaves him with Ferneze and his knights. Barabas orders the Turks to take Ferneze and the knights to prison, and Ferneze curses Barabas, swearing revenge, as the Turks drag him away. Alone, Barabas congratulates himself on his successful scheming. Now, he is the Governor of Malta, but everyone still hates him and likely wants him dead. Barabas decides that the only thing to do is maintain his power with the same scheming he used to secure it.
Here, Marlowe implies that governing and politics always involve some level of Machiavellianism. Barabas must instill fear in the Maltese citizens if he expects them to obey him, otherwise they will rise up and kill him. The only way Barabas can effectively rule the people is through corruption, which he is clearly adept at. Ferneze’s cries of the “misery” of falling into the hands of an “unhallowed Jew” again reflects the 16th-century’s anti-Semitic society, as Ferneze and Malta’s capture is made worse by Barabas’s Jewish identity.
Themes
Barabas sends a guard to fetch Ferneze, and when Ferneze and Barabas are alone, Barabas asks him what he should do with his new power. Malta’s future and Ferneze’s life are in Barabas’s hands, and he can put an end to both. Ferneze says he sees nothing but Malta’s destruction and Barabas’s cruelty, but Barabas tells him not to be so negative. Barabas will let Ferneze live—as long as Ferneze lives for Barabas. Ferneze asks Barabas if he will “be good to Christians,” and Barabas asks what it would be worth to the Christians if he delivered them Selim-Calymath and the Turks, dead. Ferneze says such an act would be worth “great sums of money” to the Christians, and they would probably want Barabas to remain their governor, too.
It is ironic that Ferneze asks if Barabas will “be good to the Christians,” since the Christians have done nothing but marginalize, insult, and exploit Barabas as a Jew. Again, it appears as if money is more important to Barabas than religion and the way he was treated by the Christians, as he easily excuses them in exchange for the ”great sums of money” Ferneze promises for Calymath and the Turks’ deaths. In this way, this passage underscores both Barabas’s greed and his religious hypocrisy, which clearly outweigh his desire for revenge.
Themes
Barabas tells Ferneze that he is free to go and visit Malta’s citizens and see how much money he can collect, and then Barabas promises to kill Selim-Calymath and his men and free Malta from the Turkish power. Barabas will invite Calymath to a feast, and at a predetermined time, Ferneze will “perform / One stratagem that [Barabas will] impart to thee.” Afterward, both Ferneze and Malta will be free. Ferneze shakes Barabas’s hand, swears to carry out the plan, and exits.
Notably, Barabas can’t execute his plan without Ferneze, and he needs Ferneze to “perform / One stratagem.” In short, Barabas will have to trust that Ferneze will not betray him, which Marlowe suggests isn’t likely, since betrayal and corruptions are so widespread.
Themes
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Alone again, Barabas remarks on his ability to scheme and connive and decides that whoever is still alive at the end of the feast—Ferneze or Calymath—will be his new friend. Barabas claims that Jews are used to such deviousness, and Christians are, too, for that matter. Then, Barabas exits, planning his feast.
During Marlowe’s time, Jews were stereotypically thought to be dishonest and devious, which underscores the anti-Semitism of the time; however, Marlowe suggests that Christians are just as dishonest as Jews, which implies such deceit is a innate human quality and not dependent on one’s religion.
Themes
