The Jew of Malta (Broadview Editions)

About this book

First performed by Shakespeares rivals in the 1590s Christopher Marlowes The Jew of Malta was a trend-setting innovative play whose black comedy and final tragic irony illuminate the darker regions of the Elizabethan cultural imagination. Although Jews were banished from England in 1291 the Jew in the form of Barabas the plays protagonist returns on the stage to embody and to challenge the dramatic and cultural anti-Semitic stereotypes out of which he is constructed. The result is a theatrically sophisticated but deeply unsettling play whose rich cultural significance extends beyond the early modern period to the present day. The introduction and historical documents in this edition provide a rich context for the world of the plays composition and production including materials on Jewishness and anti-Semitism the political struggles over Malta and Christopher Marlowes personal and political reputation.