Anika Reza

Carleton University
M.I. Cameron
ENG 3304 V
23 November, 2007

The Stage-Jew: A Literary Device

In The Merchant of Venice and The Jew of Malta an easily recognizable character-type is

the stage-Jew. The stage-Jew is usually a rich usurer or merchant who is an avaricious and

unforgiving individual with a deep hatred for Christians. Shakespeare’s Shylock and Marlowe’s

Barabas share these typical characteristics of the stage-Jew and more. They both have no wife,

they each have a daughter who betrays them and they have been wronged in one form or another

by Christian citizens of their city. These similarities may indicate to some that Shylock and

Barabas serve the same purpose in their respective plays but this is not the case. While

Shakespeare’s Shylock is used to contrast with the Christian characters to reveal their good and

forgiving nature, Marlowe’s Barabas is used to reveal the evil and cruel side found in the

Christian ones. Shylock’s Jewish character is a foil for the Christian ones in The Merchant of

Venice. The audience finds that where Shylock is immoral Antonio is ethical, where Shylock is

ruthless The Duke of Venice is merciful and where Shylock is vengeful Antonio is forgiving. In

contrast in The Jew of Malta the audience realizes that the Christian characters are no less

corrupt then Barabas. Where Barabas is avaricious so are the friars, where Barabas pledges

revenge so does Fernenze, and where Barabas is conniving so is Bellamira. Therefore the

character type of a stage-Jew can be used to reveal the characteristics of the Christian individuals

in a play by either showing them to be better or worse through comparison and contrast as seen

in The Merchant of Venice and The Jew of Malta.

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Avarice is a common characteristic of the stage-Jew and both Shylock and Barabas share

it. However Shakespeare and Marlowe utilize this aspect for very different purposes. Money is

first associated with Shylock as the audience is informed that he is a usurer and his very first line

in the play is “Three thousand ducats” (1.3.1) thus he is associated with money from the onset.

The first contrast between Shylock’s unethical mode of gaining wealth and Antonio’s occurs

when Shylock in an aside says “I hate him.../ He lends out money gratis, and brings down / The

rate of usance here with us in Venice” (1.3.39-41). In this aside Shylock’s greed and Antonio’s

benevolence is clear as Shylock’s dislike of Antonio stems from his loss of profit as Antonio

refuses to collect interest on loans. The difference between Shylock and Antonio in regards to

money is further stated by their reactions to its loss. Shylock looses a great deal of jewels and

wealth when his daughter elopes with them and he is seen in the streets crying “Justice! The law!

My ducats and my daughter!” (2.8.17). In sharp contrast Antonio, after he loses a great part of

his wealth when his ships are lost, sends a passionate letter to Bassanio informing him of the

situation. At no time does Antonio curse fate or anyone which is in contrast to Shylock who goes

through the streets wailing about his loss of ducats and his daughter. This difference in reaction

serves to show that Antonio possesses fortitude of character that is admirable while Shylock is

weak. Also as Antonio is a Christian and Shylock a Jew this shows the disparity between their

characters and fortifies the belief that Christians are nobler then Jews. Barabas’ love of money on

the other hand works to further emphasize and make fun of the Christian characters

preoccupation with wealth. Barabas’ love of money is something to be expected as a stage-Jew

and yet its function may not be as apparent. Marlowe uses Barabas’ avarice to compare with the

avarices of the Christian characters in the play. The comparison reveals that while Barabas is

obvious and vocal about his love of money the Christian characters are not and yet their actions

reveal that they are as motivated by money. The friars Jacomo and Barnardine are pious

individuals on the outside but their actions would speak otherwise about their true nature. They

attempt to outbid each other to bring Barabas, and his wealth, into their monasteries despite the
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knowledge of the heinous acts Barabas has committed. Not only do they fight verbally but

physically in order to convince Barabas to come to their monastery: “Friar Jacomo: I will not go

for thee. / Friar Barnardine: Not? Then I’ll make thee, rogue… / [The Friars] fight” (4.1.98-101).

The friars disreputable conducts undercuts the idea of the Christian standing on a higher moral

point than the Jew. Thus Marlowe creates a stage-Jew replete with many of the common vices of

its kind but uses the Jewish character to show that any dislike and criticism that is directed

towards it must also in turn be directed towards the Christian characters of the play. This method

breaks down any barrier the audience may have created in order to excuse immoral actions by

the Christians by showing that many of the Christian characters are no better than Barabas.

Another characteristic of a stage-Jew is ruthlessness especially in the pursuit of revenge.

Shakespeare uses this characteristic and utilizes it to the fullest in Shylock by showing the extent

to which he is willing to go in order to exact revenge; his adamance in collecting the pound of

flesh. Shylock’s thirst for blood surpasses his greed of money which further alienates him from

his Christian counterparts who are shown to be merciful. In the court scene Bassanio offers

Shylock twice the original sum: “For thy three thousand ducats here is six” (4.1.84) and yet

Shylock refuses the offer. The anticipatory whetting of his knife and refusal of more money takes

away any sympathetic light upon which the audience may have viewed Shylock. His thirst for

blood is established beyond any doubt and his hard heartedness in the face of all the reasonable

pleas before him prepares the reader to view, in contrast, the magnanimity with which the court

and Antonio shows mercy upon Shylock. After his defeat in the court and the ruling is given for

him to forfeit all of his wealth as well as his life, Antonio spares him the latter and the Duke

allows him to keep a great part of the former. Shylock was able to retain much of his riches on

the condition that he converts to Christianity. Thus the Christian characters are shown to be non-

bloodthirsty individuals that hold their faith above monetary gain. The same cannot be said for

Shylock who agrees to convert to Christianity in order to keep his wealth. In The Jew of Malta

Barabas is also ruthless in his pursuit of revenge and leaves a trail of bodies in his wake. He
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orchestrates the deaths of Mathias and Lodwick in order to exact revenge against the Governor:

“…I have sworn to frustrate both their hopes / And be revenged upon the governor” (2.3.144-

145). He then goes on to poison the whole nunnery in order to kill his daughter whom he feels

betrayed him and later on kills Friar Barnardine and frames Friar Jacomo for the crime. This

procession of violence shows Barabas ascending from one level of wickedness to the next and

reaching a point where he is just a caricature of evilness. Nevertheless these actions, though

excessively violent, do not paint much of a brighter picture for the Christian characters.

Fernenze is no more blameless in his conduct than Barabas is. Fernenze exacts his revenge

against Barabas for his son’s death as well as for Malta’s betrayal. He cloaks his own desire for

revenge by saying “O villain, heaven will be revenged on thee” (5.2.25) and once Fernenze is

able to plunge Barabas into a boiling cauldron and thus kill him he declares “…let due praise be

given / Neither to fate nor fortune, but to heaven” (5.5.123). Though Fernenze declares it is due

to heaven’s desire that events transpired as it did the reality is that it was Fernenze who held a

grudge against Barabas and it was he who cut the strings that plunged Barabas into the cauldron.

Thus both Jewish and Christian characters seek revenge and neither is merciful or blameless.

Stage-Jews are also known to be dishonest and conniving and none more so than

Barabas. He lies with ease and breaks his word without compunction which points to a lack of

conscience. Barabas promises his daughter’s hand to both Mathias and Lodowick and plays them

both in order to achieve his revenge against Fernenze: “The account is made, for Lodowick dies /

… So sure shall he and Don Mathias die / His father was my chiefest enemy” (2.3.243-251). Just

as Barabas manipulates others for his own means so does Bellamira, the Christian prostitute, who

deftly manipulates Ithamore. She professes her (false) love for Ithamore in order to control him:

“I can withhold no longer. Welcome, sweet love” (4.2.44) while a few lines later she calls him a

‘base villain’ in an aside. Bellamira manipulates Ithamore in order to get him to blackmail

Barabas and extract gold from him. Therefore both Jews and Christians are shown to be

conniving in The Jew of Malta which plays into the overall theme Marlowe has that vice is not
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an attribute applicable solely to one group or faith. In The Merchant of Venice on the other hand

there is a distinction made in the Jewish character’s morals and a Christian character’s one.

Antonio in all honesty tells Shylock that even if he were to lend Bassanio money Antonio would

treat him no different than before. Thus Antonio would be no friendlier or kinder and so he told

Shylock to lend the money as to an enemy and not a friend. Shylock on the other hand pretends

to want to be Antonio’s friend: “I would be friends with you and have your love” (1.3.134) and

he proposes a loan without interest while in ‘jest’ he asks for a pound of flesh to be forfeited if

Antonio fails to return the money in time. While Antonio had been honest about his feelings

Shylock extends a false hand of friendship in order to have him agree to a questionable bond.

Thus the differential between an honest Christian and a deceitful stage-Jew is made.

The stage-Jew as a character has some well known characteristics such as greed for

money, ruthlessness in pursuit of revenge and a dishonest nature. Though the basic

characteristics of a stage-Jew are quite static what can be done with such a character is not. One

can see this in The Merchant of Venice and The Jew of Malta through how Shakespeare and

Marlowe utilize the stage-Jew character in their respective plays. Shylock’s character works as a

foil for the Christian characters in The Merchant of Venice. He is considered immoral as he

collects interest on the money he lends to people while Antonio is ethical as he collects no

interest. Shylock is obsessed with money while Antonio, in comparison, freely lends his to

friends. Shylock has no mercy which is shown through his insistence on collecting the pound of

flesh whereas Antonio grants Shylock his life when the decision was in his power. Barabas’

character on the other hand is used for a different purpose in The Jew of Malta. Barabas’

character work to highlight and reveal the corrupt and cruel nature of the Christian characters in

the play by showing that even next to Barabas’ excessive brutishness they fare no better.

Barabas’ love of money is well documented but Christian characters, such as the friars, are also

covetous. Barabas sought revenge against Fernenze for the loss of his property and so caused the

death of Fernenze’s son which in turn caused Fernenze to seek revenge; an act considered
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unchristian. All the characteristics that are usually reserved for the stage-Jew can be found in

various Christian characters in Marlowe’s play and thus the playwright works to show that

immoral acts are committed by immoral people and immorality is not bound to a particular faith

or race. Thus the character of a stage-Jew can either be used to highlight the corruptions and

faults in Christian characters or it may be used as a foil to emphasize the goodness and morality

in Christian characters.

Work Cited

Marlowe, Christopher. "The Jew of Malta." Oxford English Drama. Ed. David Bevington and

Eric Rasmussen. New York: Oxford UP, 1995. 248-322.

Shakespeare, William. The Merchant of Venice. Ed. Jay L. Halio. New York: Oxford UP, 1993.