The Jew of Malta (The Revels Plays) (Paperback)

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Editorial Reviews

Review

(in full The Famous Tragedy of the Rich Jew of Malta) Five-act tragedy in blank verse by Christopher Marlowe, produced about 1590 and published in 1633. In order to raise tribute demanded by the Turks, Ferneze, the Christian governor of Malta, seizes half the property of all Jews living on Malta. When Barabas, a wealthy Jewish merchant, protests, his entire estate is confiscated. Seeking revenge on his enemies, Barabas plots their destruction, but in the end he is betrayed and dies the death he had planned for his enemies. -- The Merriam-Webster Encyclopedia of Literature --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Review

"...an important scholarly publication."--Renaissance Quarterly
--This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Manchester University Press (January 15, 1988)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0719016185
• ISBN-13: 978-0719016189
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.1 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,270,406 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Infinite riches in a little play, October 12, 2006

By	Buffy "The English Teacher" (NYC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Jew of Malta (Revels Student Editions) (Paperback)

Ok, so perhaps not infinite, but lots. Marlowe's plays are all a bit strange in their own way. The Jew of Malta is sort of like a really raw take on the issues in the Merchant of Venice (i.e. no sweet love story here). But Marlowe's Barabas gets to enjoy being bad a lot more than Shylock does, and the character is amazingly capable of perhaps not earning the reader's sympathy but extracting her complicity instead. There's some great language in this play and some spectacular misanthropy. The revels editions are always a good bet; they have enough scholarly apparatus to be of significant help and are well-edited and well laid-out on the page. This one is very thin and portable, and so it can feel like a rip-off for 9 bucks. However, the quality of the critical help here is far greater than in the Everyman collected edition of Marlowe.

2 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not Marlowe's Best, But Still Interesting., March 25, 2000

By	Sean Ares Hirsch (Swan Lake, New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Jew of Malta, Second Edition (New Mermaids) (Paperback)

I do not feel this matches Marlowe's "Faustus," "Massacre At Paris," "Dido Queen of Carthage," or "Edward II." But it does have some memorable features. At first, Barabas is a sympathetic character, but like many of Marlowe's characters, he goes too far and becomes detestable. Barabas' daughter Abigail is a striking figure. She initially feels sorry for her father but later sees what he has become and falls victim to her father's wickedness. Her death as a Christain in 3.6 is memorable. Ithamore is convincing as a villain who knows no honor. Ferneze is fine as the hero who eventually restores order. It's not Marlowe's best play, but it is still worth some interest.