CORE-II ENGLISH DRAMA # Unit II, Lesson 2: Christopher Marlowe - The Jew of Malta
CORE-II ENGLISH DRAMA
# Unit II, Lesson 2: Christopher Marlowe - The Jew of Malta
## 2 Marks Questions and Answers (10)
1. Question: When was "The Jew of Malta" first
performed?
Answer: The exact
date is unknown, but it was likely first performed around 1589-1590.
2. Question: Who is the protagonist of "The Jew of
Malta"?
Answer: The
protagonist is Barabas, a wealthy Jewish merchant.
3. Question: What is the setting of the play?
Answer: The play is
set on the island of Malta in the Mediterranean.
4. Question: What event triggers the main conflict in the
play?
Answer: The Turkish
demand for tribute from Malta, leading to the confiscation of Barabas's wealth.
5. Question: Who is Abigail in the play?
Answer: Abigail is
Barabas's daughter, who becomes a nun to help her father recover his wealth.
6. Question: What is the name of Barabas's Turkish slave?
Answer: Barabas's
Turkish slave is named Ithamore.
7. Question: How does Barabas die at the end of the play?
Answer: Barabas
falls into a cauldron of boiling oil that he had prepared for his enemies.
8. Question: Who is Ferneze in the play?
Answer: Ferneze is
the governor of Malta.
9. Question: What religious groups are represented in the
play?
Answer: The play
features characters from Jewish, Christian, and Muslim backgrounds.
10. Question: What genre is "The Jew of Malta"
typically classified as?
Answer: It is
often classified as a tragedy, though it has elements of dark comedy and
satire.
## 5 Marks Questions and Answers (5)
1. Question: Analyze the character of Barabas in "The
Jew of Malta".
Answer: Barabas is
a complex and controversial character:
1. Motivation:
Initially driven by material wealth, later by revenge against those who wronged
him.
2. Intelligence:
Highly cunning and manipulative, often outsmarting his opponents.
3. Morality:
Presents a skewed moral compass, justifying his actions through a distorted
interpretation of Old Testament law.
4. Stereotype:
Embodies and subverts anti-Semitic stereotypes of the time, presenting a
challenge to interpret for modern audiences.
5. Tragic Hero: Can
be seen as a tragic hero whose fatal flaw (greed and desire for revenge) leads
to his downfall.
Barabas's character
reflects Marlowe's tendency to create morally ambiguous protagonists who
challenge societal norms.
2. Question: Discuss the role of religion in "The Jew
of Malta".
Answer: Religion
plays a central and complex role in the play:
1. Religious
Conflict: The play depicts tensions between Jews, Christians, and Muslims,
reflecting historical realities.
2. Hypocrisy:
Characters of all faiths are shown to be hypocritical, using religion to
justify self-interest.
3. Stereotypes: The
play both employs and subverts religious stereotypes, particularly of Jews and
Catholics.
4. Power Dynamics:
Religion is often used as a tool for political and economic control.
5. Critique: The
play can be read as a critique of religious institutions and the way religion
is used to manipulate others.
Marlowe uses the
religious setting to explore themes of power, morality, and human nature.
3. Question: Examine the theme of revenge in "The Jew
of Malta".
Answer: Revenge is
a central theme in the play:
1. Motivation:
Barabas's actions are primarily driven by his desire for revenge against those
who wronged him.
2. Escalation: The
cycle of revenge escalates throughout the play, leading to increasingly violent
and destructive acts.
3. Justification:
Characters, particularly Barabas, use various justifications (religious, moral,
political) for their vengeful actions.
4. Consequences:
The play demonstrates the destructive consequences of revenge, both for the
avenger and their targets.
5. Critique:
Through the theme of revenge, Marlowe critiques the moral and social values of
his time.
The treatment of
revenge in the play reflects the popularity of revenge tragedies in Elizabethan
theatre while also subverting some of the genre's conventions.
4. Question: Analyze the role of Abigail in "The Jew of
Malta".
Answer: Abigail,
Barabas's daughter, plays a significant role in the play:
1. Loyalty:
Initially loyal to her father, she helps him regain his wealth by becoming a
nun.
2. Moral Compass:
As the play progresses, she becomes increasingly troubled by her father's
actions.
3. Transformation:
She undergoes a genuine religious conversion, choosing to remain a nun.
4. Victim: Becomes
a victim of her father's schemes, dying by poison intended for others.
5. Contrast: Serves
as a moral contrast to her father, highlighting his increasing villainy.
Abigail's character
development adds depth to the play's exploration of morality, loyalty, and
religious faith.
5. Question: Discuss the elements of satire in "The Jew
of Malta".
Answer: Marlowe
employs various satirical elements in the play:
1. Religious
Hypocrisy: Satirizes the gap between professed religious beliefs and actual
behavior across all faiths.
2. Political
Machinations: Mocks the self-serving nature of political leaders and their use
of religion for political ends.
3. Stereotypes:
Exaggerates and subverts racial and religious stereotypes, potentially
critiquing societal prejudices.
4. Materialism:
Satirizes the rampant materialism and greed in society, particularly through Barabas's
character.
5. Dramatic
Conventions: At times, seems to satirize the conventions of revenge tragedy
itself through exaggeration and dark humor.
These satirical
elements contribute to the play's complexity and its status as a critique of
Elizabethan society and drama.
## Essay Question and Answer (1)
Question: Analyze "The Jew of Malta" as a critique
of Elizabethan society, discussing how Marlowe uses the play to explore issues
of religion, politics, and morality in his time.
Answer: Introduction:
Christopher Marlowe's "The Jew of Malta," written
around 1589-1590, stands as a complex and often controversial work that offers
a multifaceted critique of Elizabethan society. Through its exploration of
religious conflict, political machinations, and moral ambiguity, the play holds
a mirror up to the social, political, and religious tensions of late
16th-century England. This essay will examine how Marlowe uses the characters,
plot, and themes of "The Jew of Malta" to comment on and critique
various aspects of Elizabethan society.
Religious Critique:
Marlowe's treatment of religion in "The Jew of
Malta" is perhaps the most overt and complex aspect of his social
critique:
1. Religious Hypocrisy:
The play portrays characters from all three major religions
(Judaism, Christianity, and Islam) as hypocritical, using their faith to
justify self-interest and immoral actions. This critique extends from the protagonist
Barabas to the Christian governor Ferneze and the Turkish Calymath, suggesting
a universal corruption of religious ideals.
2. Anti-Semitism and Its Critique:
While the play employs anti-Semitic stereotypes in its
portrayal of Barabas, Marlowe's treatment is more nuanced than it might
initially appear. By making Barabas both the villain and the most compelling
character, Marlowe potentially subverts anti-Semitic expectations, inviting the
audience to question their prejudices.
3. Critique of Religious Institutions:
The portrayal of the nunnery and the clergy, particularly in
their willingness to accept Barabas's wealth, offers a critique of religious
institutions' moral corruption and materialism.
4. Religious Conflict:
The play's setting in Malta, a Christian outpost facing
Muslim invasion, reflects the religious tensions of Marlowe's time, including
fears of Ottoman expansion and anxieties about religious difference within
Europe.
Political Critique:
Marlowe's play also offers a sharp critique of political
systems and leadership:
1. Political Expediency:
The actions of Governor Ferneze, who confiscates Jewish
wealth to pay the Turkish tribute and later allies with the Jews against the
Turks, demonstrate the fickleness of political allegiances and the
prioritization of expediency over principle.
2. Power and Corruption:
The play suggests that political power inevitably leads to
moral corruption, as seen in the actions of both Ferneze and Barabas when he
briefly becomes governor.
3. Colonialism and Exploitation:
The setting of Malta, caught between European Christian
powers and the Ottoman Empire, allows Marlowe to comment on issues of
colonialism, exploitation, and the treatment of minorities under colonial rule.
Moral Ambiguity and Social Critique:
Through its complex characters and plot, "The Jew of
Malta" offers a broader critique of Elizabethan moral and social values:
1. Moral Relativism:
The play presents a world where absolute moral values seem
absent, with characters justifying their actions through situational ethics.
This moral ambiguity challenges the audience's expectations and moral
certainties.
2. Materialism and Greed:
Barabas's obsession with wealth, and the willingness of
other characters to commit immoral acts for financial gain, critiques the
growing materialism of Elizabethan society in an age of emerging capitalism and
colonial expansion.
3. Revenge and Justice:
The play's treatment of revenge, while fitting within the
popular revenge tragedy genre, also critiques the concept of personal vengeance
and its destructive consequences.
4. Gender Roles:
Through characters like Abigail and Bellamira, Marlowe
explores and potentially critiques Elizabethan gender roles and expectations.
Dramatic Conventions and Meta-theatrical Critique:
Marlowe's play also offers a critique of dramatic
conventions and audience expectations:
1. Genre Subversion:
While ostensibly a tragedy, the play incorporates elements
of comedy and satire, subverting audience expectations and potentially critiquing
the limitations of strict genre classifications.
2. Audience Complicity:
By making Barabas both villain and protagonist, Marlowe
implicates the audience in his crimes, challenging them to examine their own
moral positions.
3. Theatrical Artifice:
The play's over-the-top plot twists and Barabas's asides to
the audience draw attention to the artifice of theatre itself, inviting
reflection on the relationship between art and reality.
Conclusion:
"The Jew of Malta" emerges as a complex critique
of Elizabethan society, using its Mediterranean setting and diverse cast of
characters to comment on the religious conflicts, political machinations, and
moral ambiguities of Marlowe's England. Through his portrayal of religious
hypocrisy, political expediency, and moral relativism, Marlowe challenges his
audience to question societal norms and their own beliefs.
The play's enduring power lies in its ability to offer this
critique while simultaneously engaging audiences with its compelling plot and
characters. Marlowe's willingness to tackle controversial subjects and subvert
dramatic conventions makes "The Jew of Malta" not just a critique of
Elizabethan society, but also an important step in the development of English
drama.
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