The Jew of Malta

It is clear to see the similarities between the plays The Jew of Malta by Christopher Marlowe and The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare. Marlowe is thought to have been a contemporary of Shakespeare and he would have looked towards Shakespeare and his famous comedy for inspiration for his own work. One of the most significant similarities between the two plays is their Jewish characters, Barabas from The Jew of Malta and Shylock from The Merchant of Venice. However, it is said that Barabas is the more extreme version of Shylock. In this essay, the similarities and differences between these two Jews will be discussed with reference to the two plays The Merchant of Venice and The Jew of Malta. Firstly, it is important to note the titles…

In Act two, scene one of Marlowe’s The Jew of Malta, audience can see contrasting use of the elements of lightness and darkness. It is obviously apparent in words, as well as rooted in the deeper meanings of metaphors and connotations. The use of these contrasting elements help the audience better understand Barabas’ relationship with his daughter in the sense that she is often represented with descriptions of light. As the passage continues however, it becomes more and more obvious that the…

The main female characters of Christopher Marlow’s The Jew of Malta and William Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice serve the same purpose in their respective plays. Despite their power differences, Abigail and Portia fulfill the same function of humiliating the Jewish main character. These women also perform comparable actions which feed into the execution of their implicit main purpose. These actions and consequences include the following: going in disguise to protect financial statuses when…

In the first two acts of the play, Merchant of Venice, Shylock, a Jewish money lender, is a villain in which we should be aware of. The first example we see this is in 1: 3 when Shylock reveals his hatred for Antonio for his religion, Christianity. However most of all Shylock despise Antonio for lending money without any interest. This shows that Shylock hates Antonio for no legitimate reasons. Being a Christian is not something that is to be hated upon. Lending money without gaining profit is a…

importance in the Merchant of Venice It’s common for fathers to grant a blessing for the elopement of two individuals. This blessing is usually given if they approve of the two who are wishing to be married. However, if the father doesn’t want his daughter to be married, then his wish should be respected. This is hardly the case in Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice. Lorenzo, a minor character, intends to elope and run off with Jessica, the daughter of a rich Jew named Shylock. Knowing that…

And which the Jew says Merchant of Venice demonstrates how Portia and Shylock “Christian and Jew alike have severed their ties with their Scriptural spiritual origins, and in doing so, they have lost their souls (187).” Although it is tempting for one to choose sides based on religious preference by championing one over another by arguing that one stands for mercy and one stands for justice, this is simply not true. Shakespeare utilizes Portia and Shylock to demonstrate how both concepts of…

This quote is shylock talking to tubal about Jessica leaving “I would my daughter were dead at my foot, and/ the jewels in her ears: would she were hearsed at my foot, /and the ducats in her coffin!.(III.i.79-81). Shylock is mad that his daughter left him with his money and would want her to be dead in front of him to get his money and have all her ducats from her coffin. This shows that Shylock is a villain since he would go to the extent to wanting her dead for his…

To begin with, Montresor and Zaroff may not seem to have a lot in common. Actually, their differences are overcome by their similarities in the way of acting and the lack of empathy. To begin with, the story The Cask of Amontillado by Edgar Allan Poe is about Montresor, an elite man from Venice that is annoyed with one of his servants, Fortunato. Therefore, Montresor articulates a plan to trap poor Fortunato, inviting him for a walk in the mansion’s vaults to find a cask of Amontillado wine. As…

this Stephan was stoned. This is how Luke chooses to present Saul, who oversaw the death of Stephan. Saul, who was a Jew, persecuted the church and in prisoned Christians. When he was on a road to Damascus, to continue his plans of persecution, Jesus came to him in a bright light and told him to stop persecuting his people and to follow him. Saul was blinded by this event, and when he regained his sight he went and spent time with the disciples in Damascus and spoke in synagogues about what he…

Macedonia again after learning that some Jews were plotting against him. He was accompanied by many people, and they sailed from Philippi after the Festival of Unleavened Bread, and 5 days later, went to Troas. On the first day of the week of bread baking, Paul told the people that he had to leave. He talked that entire night, and a man called Eutychus fell asleep and fell from the window and died. Paul threw himself on the body and brought him back to life. Paul then sailed to Jerusalem,…