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Jew Of Malta. Christopher Marlowe. Christopher Marlowe. Christopher Marlowe. born in 1564 in Canterbury, England son of a shoemaker he gained a scholarship to Corpus Christi College Cambridge at the age of sixteen early interest in drama awarded his B.A. in 1584
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Jew Of Malta Christopher Marlowe
Christopher Marlowe • born in 1564 in Canterbury, England • son of a shoemaker • he gained a scholarship to Corpus Christi CollegeCambridge at the age of sixteen • early interest in drama • awarded his B.A. in 1584 • Elizabeth I's Privy Council secured him with an M.A in 1587
Machiavelli • Marlowe based his prologue character, Machevill, on the basis of a real philosopher, Machiavelli • Machiavelli was born in Florence, Italy at a time when the country was in political upheaval . • Machiavelli's greatest work is The Prince, written in 1513 and published after his death in 1532. • The work immediately provoked controversy and was soon condemned by Pope Clement VIII. • Its main theme is that princes should retain absolute control of their territories, and they should use any means of expediency to accomplish this end, including deceit. • Some readers initially saw The Prince as a satire on absolute rulers such as Borgia
Staging • Notice that this play actually has actors talking “aside” to the audience • The Renaissance theater is dealing with the complexity of symbolic locations that would allow for the “crossing” of imaginary boundaries ( extending out from the nebula to the 'Platae' of the stage area) • Notice the development of fresh interactive strategies for actors (whispering and conspiracy) • We begin to dissect “inner qualities” in the characters of this play.
He is: • The protagonist of the play. • He is a Jewish merchant who only cares for his daughter Abigail and gold. • His scheming for revenge lead to many deaths including Abigail’s.
He is marked as an outsider in Maltese society because of his religion and attitude (seen as Machevallian). • He is very honest about being the villain and doing these terrible things. He never attempts to justify his actions by religious doctrine. (Porrex- “Gorboduc”) • Very driven by HATE!
Remind us of anyone from a famous Shakespeare History Play???????????
Richard and Barabas • Love to hate them • Hate to love them • Vices who are simultaneously sympathetic and detestable • Their characters are intriguing, and the most interesting character to want to follow…do we REALLY see him as such a villain? • In the end, they both send out the same message: “To be good…is boring!”
A Few Fun Facts! • It is a Tragicomedy: satire of religious hypocrisy and Machiavellian scheming • It was written in 1589–1591, London • Publisher- Nicholas Vavafour, London • It was set during the 1565 Turkish siege of Malta, an island in the Mediterranean • Its themes are Religion; vengeance and retribution; and Machiavellian strategy • The dramatic climaxwas when Barabas' plot to kill Calymath backfires, and Barabas dies in a cauldron. AGREED?
?My Final Ponderings? • Is Barabas truly evil? • What role does Abigail play within the text? (innocent? Father’s pawn?)