Barabas the Jew
Encyclopedia
Barabas is a fictional character
who appears at the centre of Christopher Marlowe
's play The Jew of Malta
.
He is named after Barabbas
, the thief, murder
er and (arguably) terrorist
who was released from prison and pardoned from crucifixion
in place of Jesus
in the Bible
(Matthew 27
v. 16-21, 26, Mark 16
v. 7-15). Described in the play's prologue as "a sound Machiavil" (meaning he is extremely Machiavellian), Barabas is interesting as a character in that he is possibly the first ever stage-portrayed psychopath
(at least within English literature
), taking people into confidence by playing on their desires and then killing them. Like Shakespeare
's Shylock
—the idea of whom may have been inspired by Barabas—he is open to interpretation as a symbol of anti-Semitism
. However, also like Shylock, he occasionally shows evidence of humanity (albeit very rarely).
—perhaps already playing on the stereotypical view of Jews' being misers. However, it is when his money is stolen from him that he really lives up to the anti-Semitic stereotype, turning into, rather than already existing as, the very sort of monster people all around him accuse him of being simply for having different beliefs. Stripped of all he has for protesting at the Governor of Malta
's seizing on the wealth of the country's whole Jewish population to pay off the warring Turks
, he develops a murderous streak by, with the help of his slave Ithamore, tricking the Governor's son and his friend into fighting over the affections of his daughter, Abigail. When they both die in a duel, he becomes further incensed when Abigail, horrified at what her father has done, runs away to become a Christian
nun
. In retribution, Barabas then goes on to poison her along with the whole of the nunnery
, strangles an old friar
(Barnadine) who tries to make him repent for his sins and then frames another friar (Jacomo) for the first friar's murder. He then, after Ithamore falls in love with a prostitute who conspires with her criminal friend to blackmail and expose him after Ithamore drunkenly tells them everything his master has done, poisons all three of them, and when he is caught, drinks "of poppy
and cold mandrake
juice" so that he will be left for dead and then plots with the enemy Turks to besiege the city.
When at last Barabas is pronounced governor, he switches sides with the Christians once again. After devising a trap for the Turks' galley slave
s and soldiers
in which they will all be demolished by gunpowder
, he then secures a trap for the Turkish prince
himself and his men, hoping to boil them alive in a hidden cauldron
. Just at the right moment, however, the former governor emerges and causes Barabas to fall into his own trap. He dies, but not before the Turkish army has indeed been demolished according to his plans, thus delivering the Turkish prince into the hands of the Christians and revealing them to be every bit as scheming and hypocritical as the Jew they had condemned.
Through his constant paranoia
, isolation (from the beginning) from his fellow Jews and frequent loss of identity when disguising himself to dupe potential victims or being thrown over the wall when he is mistaken for a corpse, Barabas could be said to portray very well the mindset of those who are suppressed or looked down upon, or whose lives are dominated by money or personal impulse. Perhaps that is why the Prologue of the play introduces it as "The Tragedy of a Jew".
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
who appears at the centre of Christopher Marlowe
Christopher Marlowe
Christopher Marlowe was an English dramatist, poet and translator of the Elizabethan era. As the foremost Elizabethan tragedian, next to William Shakespeare, he is known for his blank verse, his overreaching protagonists, and his mysterious death.A warrant was issued for Marlowe's arrest on 18 May...
's play The Jew of Malta
The Jew of Malta
The Jew of Malta is a play by Christopher Marlowe, probably written in 1589 or 1590. Its plot is an original story of religious conflict, intrigue, and revenge, set against a backdrop of the struggle for supremacy between Spain and the Ottoman Empire in the Mediterranean that takes place on the...
.
He is named after Barabbas
Barabbas
Barabbas or Jesus Barabbas is a figure in the Christian narrative of the Passion of Jesus, in which he is the insurrectionary whom Pontius Pilate freed at the Passover feast in Jerusalem.The penalty for Barabbas' crime was death by crucifixion, but according to the four canonical gospels and the...
, the thief, murder
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
er and (arguably) terrorist
Terrorism
Terrorism is the systematic use of terror, especially as a means of coercion. In the international community, however, terrorism has no universally agreed, legally binding, criminal law definition...
who was released from prison and pardoned from crucifixion
Crucifixion
Crucifixion is an ancient method of painful execution in which the condemned person is tied or nailed to a large wooden cross and left to hang until dead...
in place of Jesus
Jesus
Jesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
in the Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
(Matthew 27
Matthew 27
Matthew 27 is the 27th chapter in the Gospel of Matthew, part of the New Testament.-Overview:Matthew describes the trial, crucifixion and burial of Jesus....
v. 16-21, 26, Mark 16
Mark 16
Mark 16 is the final chapter of the Gospel of Mark in the New Testament of the Christian Bible. It begins with the discovery of the empty tomb by Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome — there they encounter a man dressed in white who announces the Resurrection of Jesus.Verse 8 ends...
v. 7-15). Described in the play's prologue as "a sound Machiavil" (meaning he is extremely Machiavellian), Barabas is interesting as a character in that he is possibly the first ever stage-portrayed psychopath
Psychopathy
Psychopathy is a mental disorder characterized primarily by a lack of empathy and remorse, shallow emotions, egocentricity, and deceptiveness. Psychopaths are highly prone to antisocial behavior and abusive treatment of others, and are very disproportionately responsible for violent crime...
(at least within English literature
English literature
English literature is the literature written in the English language, including literature composed in English by writers not necessarily from England; for example, Robert Burns was Scottish, James Joyce was Irish, Joseph Conrad was Polish, Dylan Thomas was Welsh, Edgar Allan Poe was American, J....
), taking people into confidence by playing on their desires and then killing them. Like Shakespeare
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
's Shylock
Shylock
Shylock is a fictional character in Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice.-In the play:In The Merchant of Venice, Shylock is a Jewish moneylender who lends money to his Christian rival, Antonio, setting the security at a pound of Antonio's flesh...
—the idea of whom may have been inspired by Barabas—he is open to interpretation as a symbol of anti-Semitism
Anti-Semitism
Antisemitism is suspicion of, hatred toward, or discrimination against Jews for reasons connected to their Jewish heritage. According to a 2005 U.S...
. However, also like Shylock, he occasionally shows evidence of humanity (albeit very rarely).
Role in the play
Barabas begins the play in his counting-houseCounting house
A counting house, or compting house, literally is the building, room, office or suite in which a business firm carries on operations, particularly accounting. By a synecdoche, it has come to mean the accounting operations of a firm, however housed...
—perhaps already playing on the stereotypical view of Jews' being misers. However, it is when his money is stolen from him that he really lives up to the anti-Semitic stereotype, turning into, rather than already existing as, the very sort of monster people all around him accuse him of being simply for having different beliefs. Stripped of all he has for protesting at the Governor of Malta
Malta
Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...
's seizing on the wealth of the country's whole Jewish population to pay off the warring Turks
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
, he develops a murderous streak by, with the help of his slave Ithamore, tricking the Governor's son and his friend into fighting over the affections of his daughter, Abigail. When they both die in a duel, he becomes further incensed when Abigail, horrified at what her father has done, runs away to become a Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
nun
Nun
A nun is a woman who has taken vows committing her to live a spiritual life. She may be an ascetic who voluntarily chooses to leave mainstream society and live her life in prayer and contemplation in a monastery or convent...
. In retribution, Barabas then goes on to poison her along with the whole of the nunnery
Abbey
An abbey is a Catholic monastery or convent, under the authority of an Abbot or an Abbess, who serves as the spiritual father or mother of the community.The term can also refer to an establishment which has long ceased to function as an abbey,...
, strangles an old friar
Friar
A friar is a member of one of the mendicant orders.-Friars and monks:...
(Barnadine) who tries to make him repent for his sins and then frames another friar (Jacomo) for the first friar's murder. He then, after Ithamore falls in love with a prostitute who conspires with her criminal friend to blackmail and expose him after Ithamore drunkenly tells them everything his master has done, poisons all three of them, and when he is caught, drinks "of poppy
Poppy
A poppy is one of a group of a flowering plants in the poppy family, many of which are grown in gardens for their colorful flowers. Poppies are sometimes used for symbolic reasons, such as in remembrance of soldiers who have died during wartime....
and cold mandrake
Mandrake (plant)
Mandrake is the common name for members of the plant genus Mandragora, particularly the species Mandragora officinarum, belonging to the nightshades family...
juice" so that he will be left for dead and then plots with the enemy Turks to besiege the city.
When at last Barabas is pronounced governor, he switches sides with the Christians once again. After devising a trap for the Turks' galley slave
Galley slave
A galley slave was a slave rowing in a galley. The expression has two distinct meanings: it can refer either to a convicted criminal sentenced to work at the oar , or to a kind of human chattel, often a prisoner of war, assigned to his duty of rowing.-Antiquity:Contrary to the popular image of the...
s and soldiers
Military of the Ottoman Empire
The history of military of the Ottoman Empire can be divided in five main periods. The foundation era covers the years between 1300 and 1453 , the classical period covers the years between 1451 and 1606 , the reformation period covers the years between 1606 and 1826 ,...
in which they will all be demolished by gunpowder
Gunpowder
Gunpowder, also known since in the late 19th century as black powder, was the first chemical explosive and the only one known until the mid 1800s. It is a mixture of sulfur, charcoal, and potassium nitrate - with the sulfur and charcoal acting as fuels, while the saltpeter works as an oxidizer...
, he then secures a trap for the Turkish prince
Ottoman Dynasty
The Ottoman Dynasty ruled the Ottoman Empire from 1299 to 1922, beginning with Osman I , though the dynasty was not proclaimed until Orhan Bey declared himself sultan...
himself and his men, hoping to boil them alive in a hidden cauldron
Cauldron
A cauldron or caldron is a large metal pot for cooking and/or boiling over an open fire, with a large mouth and frequently with an arc-shaped hanger.- Etymology :...
. Just at the right moment, however, the former governor emerges and causes Barabas to fall into his own trap. He dies, but not before the Turkish army has indeed been demolished according to his plans, thus delivering the Turkish prince into the hands of the Christians and revealing them to be every bit as scheming and hypocritical as the Jew they had condemned.
Through his constant paranoia
Paranoia
Paranoia [] is a thought process believed to be heavily influenced by anxiety or fear, often to the point of irrationality and delusion. Paranoid thinking typically includes persecutory beliefs, or beliefs of conspiracy concerning a perceived threat towards oneself...
, isolation (from the beginning) from his fellow Jews and frequent loss of identity when disguising himself to dupe potential victims or being thrown over the wall when he is mistaken for a corpse, Barabas could be said to portray very well the mindset of those who are suppressed or looked down upon, or whose lives are dominated by money or personal impulse. Perhaps that is why the Prologue of the play introduces it as "The Tragedy of a Jew".