Nama : Na’afi Sejatning Sekar

NIM : 13020119140121
Mata Kuliah : Elizabethan Drama BC
The Jew of Malta
QUESTION
1. Who wrote The Jew of Malta?
2. What is the Theme of The Jew of Malta?
3. Who is the Characters in The Jew of Malta?
4. Point out two examples of renaissance characteristics?
5. Who says in Jew of Malta “I count religion but a childish toy” and what is the
purpose?
6. Is Barabas a tragic hero?If your answer is “YES”, prove it!!
7. Why does Barabas decide to kill Ithamore?
8. Where does Barabas Argosy arrive from?
9. Who is Bellamira?
10. What does Ithamore reveal about his past deeds to Barabbas?

ANSWER
1. The Jew of Malta was written by Christopher Marlowe. Christopher Marlowe is an
Elizabethan poet known for writing dramatic blank verses influenced by earlier writer
William Shakespeare. Marlowe's major plays including: Tamburlaine (1587), The Jew
of Malta (1590), The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus (1592), The Passionate
Shepherd (1599), as well as a translation of Ovid's work.

2. The theme of The Jew of Malta is religion and revenge. The problem that arise since
the beginning of the drama was abou Judaism and Christianity. And the theme
revenge reprsents how the main characters maintain his ideology unti the end of the
drama

3. The Characters in The Jew of Malta

a. Barabas, a wealthy Jew. The main character of the drama
b. Abigail, Barabas’s daughter.
c. Ithamore, a ruthless Arabian slave that Barabas buys to be one of his
complotant.
d. Ferneze, a governor of Malta.
e. Lodowick, Ferneze’s son and the victim of Barabas’s evil plan.
 f. Mathias, a gentleman that also become the victim of Barabas’s evil plan.
g. Katharine, mother of Mathias.
h. Jacomo and Barnardine, friars from Malta.
i. Abbess and Nuns.
j. Bellamira, a prostitute.
k. Pilia-Borza, a bully, attendant to Bellamira
l. Two Merchants. Three Jews.

4. The example of Renaissance are One of the characteristics of the Renaissance is the
expansion of possible sexiness. With the rediscovery of ancient learning and another
characteristic of humanism in the Renaissance, it is consistent with the values and
teachings of the church. Another example of Renaissance characteristic is the absence
of pity and fear.

5. This line comes form the Prologue, spoken by Machiavel, that is, the Florentine
political philosopher Machiavelli, a symbol of unrestrained immorality in the
Elizabethan period:
I count religion but a childish toy, And hold there is no sin but ignorance. Birds of the
air will tell of murders past! I am asham'd to hear such fooleries.

6. Yes, Barabbas is a tragic hero. A tragic hero is a type of character in a tragedy, and is
usually the protagonist. Tragic heroes typically have heroic traits that earn them the
sympathy of the audience, but also have flaws or make mistakes that ultimately lead
to their own downfall. Barabbas deed was good because he. Barabbas had good
intentions in adhering to his religion. But the ways in which he kept his ideology were
fraught with evil and led to his downfall.

7. Barabbas kills Ithamore beause Ithamore blackmails him.

8. He arrives from Alexandria, Egypt.

9. Bellamira is a prostitute who tricked Ithamore to bribe Barabas. Bellamira is willing

to commit crimes if her business dries up and thus shows a basic interest in money as
a mean of survival. She was killed by Barabbas using poisonous flowers.
10. After Barabas spins his own history of stereotypical Jewish evil-doing, Ithamore in
turn tells Barabas all about how he's burned down Christian villages, murdered
random travellers and crippled religious pilgrims.