Essay about The Violence of Christopher Marlowes The Jew...

The Violence of Christopher Marlowes The Jew of Malta Christopher Marlowes The Jew of Malta is a violent, bloody, destructive play that literally jars the senses. Part of this is due to the modern readers background: we see the characters through modern eyes, with distinct views of low class and high class. It would be easy, as such, to discount The Jew of Malta as only appealing to the base interests of its time, and it would be only slightly less easy to protest that it has meaning beyond any crude first glance, and that the extreme acts presented are merely metaphors for deeper social commentary. Steane writes: There is a general feeling that this is a play of distinctive character, and an†¦show more content†¦As a true black-hat villain (almost mentally complete with greasy mustache and cape, tying poor Abigail to the railroad tracks of his house-cum-abbey), Barabas has no superior, only flunkies and enemies. And, like a true villain, he casts off the first patsy, Abigail, at the traditional moment, when shes about to betray him, for the second, Ithamore, who, also following tradition, after aiding him, turns traitor. Of course, the fact that Ithamore double-crosses Barabas is not surprising. Even though the story leads you to believe that Barabas will get his comeuppance, the main proof of Ithamores inferiority is in his introduction: he brags openly about how evil he is, violating the first rule of the truly wicked (much like the first rule of cool), that if you have to prove it, its not true (II.iii.204-214). While Barabas has already proved his evil and can t herefore talk of his crimes, the unknown Ithamore has to convince the audience of his lowliness by listing his crimes, and so he is doomed to fall prey to Bellamiras lusty wiles before becoming just another notch on Barabas belt of vengeance. Barabas continues making alliances, being betrayed, and exacting revenge on his betrayers, proving true the axiom the enemy of my enemy is myShow MoreRelatedElizabethan Era11072 Words   |  45 Pagesits language with a literary charm. |Christopher Marlowe (1564-1593) | |His LIFE -- His WORKS | | | While Lyly was creating an artistic tradition in realms of comedy, an even more impressive service was rendered to tragedy by another writer of greater poetic genius. Born only two months before Shakespeare, and dying before he had completed his thirtieth year, Christopher Marlowe (1564-93), the first English tragicRead Moreâ€Å"the Spirit of Renaissance and Elizabethan Era†5448 Words   |  22 Pagesdemonstrated an increased interest in understanding English Christian beliefs, such as the allegorical representation of the Tudor Dynasty in The Faerie Queen and the retelling of mankind’s fall from paradise in Paradise Lost; playwrights, such as Christopher Marlowe and William Shakespeare, composed theatrical representations of the English take on life, death, and history. Nearing the end of the Tudor Dynasty, philosophers like Sir Thomas More and Sir Francis Bacon published their own ideas about humanity