Introduction
Barabas is the most notable protagonist of the play, The Jew of Malta, which entirely revolves around him. Barabas gets his name through a Biblical thief Barabbas who is caught in a Jewish crowd and is given two choices of either Jesus or him to leave. Barabas, in the play, is given only one choice, conversion to Christianity to reclaim his confiscated wealth. Mr. Jew practices the best pursuit of his policies but his intrigues reflect back upon him and appear as one of the causes behind his tragedy.
A Successful Businessman
[A little historical context here] During the reign of King Edward I, all the Jews, living in England were expelled and excommunicated because of their religion until 1656 when they were remitted. This play takes place in 1592 so Mr. Jew is located in Malta instead of England [fun fact: the author is himself from the land of Faerie Queene]. Barabas makes his living through the business of ships and money-lending. Money-lending was prohibited in Christians at that time so Barabas got an advantageous point. In Act 1 Scene 1, we see Barabas interrogating about his ships, coming from different lands including Persia, Spain, Greece and other well-known continents with gold, pearls, opals, topaz and wine brought in return. His bags of gold are so "well crammed" that the wealth of all the people of Malta combined cannot reach near the line of his amassed treasure.
Barabas - A Representative of Machiavellian Morality
Barabas' tragic farce is narrated through the ghost of Machiavelli who claims in the Prologue that, "Which money was not got without my means. " The actual Machiavelli suggested a cynical way to claim money and power, and Barabas is no exception from this. At first, Barabas is seen somewhat 'good' but his Machiavellianism revealed when his "coffers" are entrapped by the Governor. He devices, Lodowick, Mathias, Ithamore, Turks and even Ferneze and his own daughter Abigail to reclaim his lost counting-house. He acquires power through his "brave policies" and everyone, including himself and excluding Ferneze, falls a prey to Barabas' intrigues and loses his life. Barabas is not alone in adapting himself to Machiavellistic morals, Ferneze is seen being the same in paying back the Turks and Barabas; Lodowick, for his plan to deceive Abigail and Barabas, Bellamira, Pilia-Borza and Ithamore plan to extort Barabas' money by blackmailing him through correspondence; Friar Jacomo and Barnardine, they use religion "as a childish toy" to hide their "mischiefs" of sexual lust as well as crave for gold.
Barabas Only Lives for Himself
Earlier, he protests that he loves gold and his daughter but he poisons her when she becomes "inconstant" by converting her to Christianity. Barabas also declares Ithamore, a Turkish Muslim slave, his "second half" and a heir of his wealth but we see Ithamore poisoned by him as soon as Ithamore revolts against Barabas. Why he does so? The answer is simple, he kills everyone who stands as a stumbling block against his way to erect a shiny castle of gold. But he is not the only one; Ferneze sees his pursuit behind freezing Barabas' wealth so that the unpaid tribute can be slapped on the face of Calymath and vice versa [means other characters except for Abigail also strive for themselves].
Conclusion
Barabas is a complex character with a complex past and a straight forward future. He exhibits the qualities of a true Marlowian as well as Machiavellian Character through his actions, utterance and most importantly, his policies.
Sources, References and Citation
- The Jew of Malta - Textbook by Famous Production
- Lecture(s) of Sir Hassan Akbar
- https://www.shmoop.com/study-guides/literature/jew-malta/barabas
- https://www.sparknotes.com/drama/jewofmalta/character/barabas/
- https://www.coursehero.com/lit/The-Jew-of-Malta/character-analysis/
