random observations from Jew of Malta

Barabus is kind of like the serial killer in the Saw movies: he doesn't necessarily commit the crimes (at first), but only constructs situations where death is impossible to avoid under the guise of a game. When Barabus "springs up" from the dead at the end of the play, it is similar to the first Saw movie where the serial killer, posing as a dead man on the floor throughout the movie, comes back to life, having orchestrated a twisted game.

If I were the director for a postmodern acting troupe, Playmakers or something similar, I think I'd stage this play in a very nihilistic tone. I'd play up all the comic elements and all the absurdity, but paint it all within a very grime world with the imminent threat of destruction: In 3.5 Ferneze is discussing with the Callapine a possible pending war, ending by saying "And naught is to be looked for now but wars, / And naught to us more welcome is than wars." Earlier, in 1.2.105, Barabus says "of naught is nothing made." Despite all the absurdity over religion, money, race, Other, hypocrisy, etc. the characters of this play have constructed a world where there is a true outside threat, but concern of money and social status are more important to its characters, and they are all ultimately destroyed.

I found it really interested how Ithamore develops as Barabus's "imp." As the play progresses, Ithamore picks up more of Barabus's manerisms, language, etc. Barabus is constantly using pig and hog imagery in terms of disgust, a habit that Ithamore develops by the end of the play. While they seem to connect in their first shared scene, Ithamore's claims of debauchery all mirror Barabus's - indeed, it would appear Ithamore engineers a background that would appeal to Barabus. The best evidence of this involves Ithamore's word choice based on his audience - when alone, he speaks in elongated blank verse, when around Bellamira and Pilia-Borza he speaks as they do, and is always sycophantic towards Barabus; he mocks Pilia-Borza by reversing his own words against him, much like Barabus does by inverting scripture when insulting Christians.

Marlowe's language is really brilliant. When he satirizes his own poem ("be my love..."), he is at the height of black comedy, where truly nothing is off limits. When appealing to the two holy men, Barabus's language mimics that of the Psalms, which would surly have moved the men's hearts. Barabus's bad imitation of a bad French attempt at English shows a great understanding of language, and even small word choices, like when Barabus exclaims "Corpe di dio!" show deep levels of meaning - how insulting it would have been for a Jew, and especially a Jew named Barabus, the name of the man exchanged for Christ, to cry out "the corpse of [and note he uses a lower case 'd' in 'dio'] god!"