{"product_id":"the-jew-of-malta-christopher-marlowe-9780713677669","title":"The Jew of Malta","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e'Tell me worldlings, underneath the sun, If greater falsehood ever has been done'\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Jew of Malta\u003c\/i\u003e, written around 1590, can present a\u003cbr\u003echallenge for modern audiences. Hugely popular in its day, the play\u003cbr\u003eswings wildly and rapidly in genre, from pointed satire, to bloody\u003cbr\u003erevenge tragedy, to melodrmatic intrigue, to dark farce and grotesque\u003cbr\u003ecomedy. Although set in the Mediterranean island of Malta, the play\u003cbr\u003eevokes contemporary Elizabethan social tensions, especially the highly\u003cbr\u003echarged issue of London's much-resented community of resident merchant\u003cbr\u003eforeigners. Barabas, the enormously wealthy Jew of the play's title, \u003cbr\u003eappears initially victimized by Malta's Christian Governor, who quotes\u003cbr\u003escripture to support the demand that Jews cede their wealth to pay\u003cbr\u003eMalta's tribute to the Turks. When he protests, Barabas is deprived of\u003cbr\u003ehis wealth, his means of livelihood, and his house, which is converted\u003cbr\u003eto a nunnery. In response to this hypocritical extortion, Barabas\u003cbr\u003elaunches a horrific (and sometimes hilarious) course of violence that\u003cbr\u003egoes well beyond revenge, using murderous tactics that include\u003cbr\u003eeverything from deadly soup to poisoned flowers. The play's sometimes\u003cbr\u003ecomplex treatment of anti-Semitism and its relationship to\u003cbr\u003eShakespeare's \u003ci\u003eMerchant of Venice \u003c\/i\u003eremain matters of continuing scholarly reflection. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThis student edition contains a lengthy Introduction with background\u003cbr\u003eon the author, date and sources, theme, critical interpretation and\u003cbr\u003estage history, as well as a fully annotated version of the playtext in\u003cbr\u003emodern spelling. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eJames R. Siemon is Professor of English at Boston University.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Christopher Marlowe\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 071367766X\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780713677669\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Methuen Drama\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 05\/30\/2009\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 176\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.40lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 7.70h x 5.10w x 0.60d","brand":"Christopher Marlowe","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":44584332230911,"sku":"9780713677669","price":13.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_81b1d593-54c9-4cfc-a078-99a4b731db5b.jpg?v=1701886500","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/the-jew-of-malta-christopher-marlowe-9780713677669","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}