Previous
Maria
An “honest Hebrew,” Moses is a Jewish moneylender. It is suggested that he is more scrupulous than other Jews, but his character nevertheless embodies several stereotypes about Jews prevalent in British society in the late eighteenth century. He is greedy for money, but also seeks to shift blame for the hardship caused by his enormous rates of interest onto others.
Moses Quotes in The School for Scandal
The The School for Scandal quotes below are all either spoken by Moses or refer to Moses. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Act 3, Scene 1 Quotes
SIR OLIVER. Sir, I understand you have lately had great dealings with my nephew, Charles.
MOSES. Yes, Sir Oliver, I have done all I could for him; but he was ruined before he came to me for assistance.
SIR OLIVER. That was unlucky, truly; for you have had no opportunity of showing your talents.
MOSES. None at all; I hadn't the pleasure of knowing his distresses till he was some thousands worse than nothing.
SIR OLIVER. Unfortunate, indeed! –But I suppose you have done all in your power for him, honest Moses?
Related Characters:
Related Symbols:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Moses is a moneylender who has lent money to the extravagant Charles. Sir Oliver is recruiting Moses’s help because he wants to understand his nephew’s true character. At the time when the play was written, Jews were often caricatured as selfish moneylenders who preyed on financially irresponsible, upper-class Christians, especially young men, by giving them loans on unfavorable terms. They were thought to ask for especially high rates of interest from young men who lacked the presence of mind to refuse these bad terms, often in the hopes that their families would later bail the young men out. Sir Oliver Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita
Act 4, Scene 1 Quotes
CHARLES. Bravo, Careless! —Well, here’s my great-uncle, Sir Richard Raveline, a marvelous good general in his day, I assure you. He served in all the Duke of Marlborough’s wars, and got that cut over his eye at the battle of Malplaquet. —What say you, Mr. Premium? —look at him—there’s a hero! not cut out of his feathers, as your modern clipped captains are, but enveloped in wig and regimentals, as a general should be. What do you bid?
MOSES. Mr. Premium would have you speak.
CHARLES. Why, then, he shall have him for ten pounds, and I’m sure that’s not dear for a staff officer.
SIR OLIVER. Heaven deliver me! his famous uncle Richard for ten pounds! [Aside.] —Well, sir, I take him at that.
Related Characters:
Related Symbols:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Sir Oliver is pretending to be the broker Mr. Premium in order to learn more about his nephew Charles’s true character. Sir Oliver is looking for an heir whose values echo his own and who he believes will bring credit to the Surface family name. Charles has shocked Sir Oliver by suggesting that he will sell him the Surface family portraits in an auction. As the auction begins, Charles makes light of the proceedings, acting as if he is unconcerned by the disrespect that he is showing his ancestors by selling their portraits. At the same time, however, he shows Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas
Act 4, Scene 2 Quotes
MOSES. Well, sir, I think, as Sir Peter said, you have seen Mr. Charles in high glory; 'tis great pity he's so extravagant.
SIR OLIVER. True, but he would not sell my picture.
MOSES. And loves wine and women so much.
SIR OLIVER. But he would not sell my picture.
MOSES. And games so deep.
SIR OLIVER. But he would not sell my picture. —Oh, here's Rowley.
Enter Rowley.
ROWLEY. So, Sir Oliver, I find you have made a purchase—
SIR OLIVER. Yes; yes, our young rake has parted with his ancestors like old tapestry.
ROWLEY. And here has he commissioned me to re-deliver you part of the purchase-money—I mean, though, in your necessitous character of old Stanley.
MOSES. Ah! there is the pity of all; he is so damned charitable.
ROWLEY. And I left a hosier and two tailors in the hall, who, I'm sure, won't be paid, and this hundred would satisfy them.
SIR OLIVER. Well, well, I'll pay his debts, and his benevolence too.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Related Literary Devices:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Sir Oliver, pretending to be the broker Mr. Premium, has just bought all the Surface family portraits from Charles at auction, except for one: his own. Sir Oliver is touched by Charles’s refusal to sell this portrait. As Moses gives a litany of the bad behaviors Sir Oliver has just seen his nephew engaged in, Sir Oliver focuses only on one fact: Charles’s steadfast refusal to sell the portrait of the man he described as a generous benefactor to whom he owed a debt of gratitude. Sir Oliver sees that Charles does possess loyalty and gratitude after all, despite his Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Quia soluta itaque. Deleniti nisi earum. Ad tenetur laboriosam. Eum accusam
Get the entire School for Scandal LitChart as a printable PDF.
"My students can't get enough of your charts and their results have gone through the roof." -Graham S.
Moses Character Timeline in The School for Scandal
The timeline below shows where the character Moses appears in The School for Scandal. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Act 3, Scene 1
...Sir Oliver that he has also arranged for them to meet with a Jewish moneylender, Moses, who can give them a sense of Charles’s financial position. Rowley says that Moses has...
(full context)
Moses enters. Sir Oliver says he hears that Moses has done business with his nephew, and...
(full context)
Sir Oliver asks how he will be able to pass for a Jew, but Moses replies that Mr. Premium is Christian. Sir Oliver says that is a shame, and then...
(full context)
Act 3, Scene 2
Sir Oliver, pretending to be “Mr. Premium,” arrives at Charles’s house with Moses. While Charles’s servant Trip is telling Charles that he has a visitor, Sir Oliver recognizes...
(full context)
...he often gets paid late, he also takes his master’s cast-off clothing. Trip consults with Moses about getting a loan from him, offering to use clothing he expects to get from...
(full context)
Act 3, Scene 3
...but Charles warns that wine will only bring out their natural bad qualities. Trip escorts Moses and Sir Oliver (who is pretending to be Mr. Premium) in. Careless and the other...
(full context)
Moses begins to make an elaborate introduction between “Mr. Premium” and Charles, but Charles cuts him...
(full context)
Act 4, Scene 1
...Oliver writes Charles a check for even more than they agreed on and leaves with Moses. Charles asks that Mr. Premium make sure the paintings are handled carefully when they are...
(full context)
Act 4, Scene 2
In the parlor in Charles’s home, Moses says to Sir Oliver that it is a shame Charles is so extravagant, but all...
(full context)
