Religious prejudices and economic interests in Christopher Marlowe's The Jew of Malta

Abstract

Marlowe's The Jew of Malta is a significant example in the transition from the Morality Plays to a period of more developed and mature drama in the Elizabethan period. The themes that Marlowe handles and the hero he presents in the play emerge as aspects of a distinctive approach to dramatic representation and to the concept of drama of that time. First of all, Marlowe throws light upon religious conflicts among different communities and emphasizes the raison d'etre lying behind the long standing 'holy' prejudices. Secondly he sees and interprets the world as a whole functioning through certain principles one of which is the inevitable priority of the economic interests. This theme is reflected through two channels: imperialism on a macrocosmic level and economic domination of the Jewish community in Malta on a microcosmic level. Finally, the hero, Barabas, is another original creation within the tradition of the Elizabethan drama with his vitality and multidimensionality. This thesis centers mainly on these three points and tries to show underlying interconnections among them. For this reason, there are supporting chapters as well as the fundamental ones designed to explore the relationships between religious enmity, Machiavellism, and economic interests in the Elizabethan time. MLA style sheet has been followed throughout the thesis