A Comparison of The Jew of Malta and Merchant of Venice

Submitted By

TASAWAR IQBAL

Roll No 42

Submitted To

SIR QAMAR

Section

MA-2-SS-1

Date of Submission

16-02-2022
The Jew of Malta's anti-Semitic image, I believe, stems from Barabas' totally
immoral and stereotypically terrible character, as opposed to the Merchant of
Venice's more nuanced portrayal of Shylock, who can be and now is usually
depicted sympathetically. It's impossible to see Barabas giving such a
sympathetic performance. The secret to the Jew of Malta, though, is that none
of the other characters are any better — in fact, they all turn out to be at least
as nasty as, if not worse than, Barabas. Ithamore, a Turkish Muslim slave
bought by Barabas, shows to be more ruthless, violent, and immoral than his
owner, despite being far less clever. The Turks, who are constantly invading
Malta, have devised a grand plan to convert the whole Maltese population into
galley slaves. In terms of the Christians in the drama, I would say that they
outdo both the Jews and the Muslims in terms of avarice, hypocrisy, brutality,
and outright badness at every point.

William Shakespeare's (1564-1616) play "The Merchant of Venice" and

Christopher Marlowe's (1564-1593) play "The Jew of Malta" were both written
during a time when anti-semitism was rampant in England. Anti-Semitism
refers to a strong hate for and prejudice against Jews. The Christians loathed
the Jews because they were seen as a despised race. They were marked with a
disgraceful and hostile plaque. Shylock, as a Jew, was also subjected to
prejudice. Despite the fact that the genres of these two plays are so dissimilar,
both feature characters who are surprisingly similar. Both Shylock and Barabas
from 'The Merchant of Venice' and 'The Jew of Malta' are affluent, materialistic
Jews.

Barabas was a Jewish murderer and revolutionary who was set free at the time
of Jesus' crucifixion, according to the Bible. After him, the character Barabas
appears in the film 'The Jew of Malta.' Barabas was a prosperous Jewish
merchant. Barabas was a materialistic man who believed he was the chosen
one. His hubris arose from his sense of superiority within his own species. He
was deceptive and had highly selfish motives for obtaining what he desired,
and he could even exploit his own daughter, whom he adored, to accomplish
his goals.

Shylock and his daughter Jessica appear in The Merchant of Venice, while
Barabas and his daughter Abigail appear in The Jew of Malta. The two Jewish
guys are similar in that they both deal with the same issues.
In The Merchant of Venice it is Shylock and his daughter Jessica and in The Jew
of Malta it is Barabas and his daughter Abigail. The two Jewish men are similar
as they both deal with money, Shylock as a lender and Barabas as a merchant.

Furthermore, these Jewish protagonists have formed a great animosity for

Christians as a result of the bigotry and racism they experience. In the case of
Barabas, this animosity drove him to behave irrationally, murdering three
Christians who tried to steal his money (1.2). In the play The Merchant of
Venice, Shylock does not murder anyone and is not portrayed as a bloodthirsty
fiend. Shylock merely wants to be appreciated for who he is as a Jew and as a
person; the only difference between the two is religion. 'I am a Jew,' she says.
Doesn't a Jew have eyes? Has not a Jew been born with hands, organs,
proportions, senses, affections, and passions; fed with the same food, and
wounded with the same weapons?

Their daughters, in addition to money, are extremely important to them. 'I

Their daughters, in addition to money, are extremely important to them. 'I
have but one lone daughter, whom I hold as dear/As Agamemnon did his
Iphigen/And all I have is hers,' Barabas writes in The Jew of Malta (1.1.136-
138). Both Shylock's and Barabas' daughters, on the other hand, turn their
backs on them for Christianity in each of the plays. Jessica, Shylock's daughter,
falls in love with a Christian named Lorenzo in The Merchant of Venice. She
flees her father's mansion with his wealth and rushes away to marry her true
love. Shylock's daughter is now dead to him as a result of her betrayal, yet he
does not kill her or Lorenzo physically.