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The jew of malta6/4/2023 ![]() ![]() The play is filled with blood and murder, also favorite topics of the Elizabethan audience, who embraced the bloody revenge tragedies of the period. The Jew of Malta was performed many times, both at court and in the theatres of London, prior to the theatres’ closing in 1642. However, in spite of this lack of a tragic hero, the play was very popular in Renaissance England, encompassing as it did attacks on both Roman Catholics and Jews, two favorite objects of distrust. ![]() And indeed, Barabas does not elicit the audience’s sympathy as a tragic hero, as might be expected. The title page describes the play as the “Famous Tragedy of the Rich Jew of Malta,” but it is also often described as black or satiric comedy, and so, any indication of tragedy is eclipsed. This play was probably written in 1589 however, it was not actually published until 1633, long after Marlowe’s death. Christopher Marlowe’s fourth play, The Jew of Malta, is thought to have been performed as early as 1590, although the first recorded performance was in February of 1592. ![]()
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