The Jew of Malta by Christopher Marlowe - Delphi Classics (Illustrated)

By Christopher Marlowe

This eBook features the unabridged text of ‘The Jew of Malta by Christopher Marlowe - Delphi Classics (Illustrated)’ from the bestselling edition of ‘The Complete Works of Christopher Marlowe’.

Having established their name as the leading publisher of classic literature and art, Delphi Classics produce publications that are individually crafted with superior formatting, while introducing many rare texts for the first time in digital print. The Delphi Classics edition of Marlowe includes original annotations and illustrations relating to the life and works of the author, as well as individual tables of contents, allowing you to navigate eBooks quickly and easily.

eBook features:
* The complete unabridged text of ‘The Jew of Malta by Christopher Marlowe - Delphi Classics (Illustrated)’
* Beautifully illustrated with images related to Marlowe’s works
* Individual contents table, allowing easy navigation around the eBook
* Excellent formatting of the textPlease visit www.delphiclassics.com to learn more about our wide range of titles

• Language: English
• Publisher: Publishdrive
• Release date: Jul 17, 2017
• ISBN: 9781788774666

Christopher Marlowe

Christopher Marlowe (1564-1593) was a 16th century playwright, poet, and translator. Considered to be the most famous playwright in the Elizabethan era, Marlowe is believed to have inspired major artists such as Shakespeare. Marlowe was known for his dramatic works that often depicted extreme displays of violence, catering to his audience’s desires. Surrounded by mystery and speculation, Marlowe’s own life was as dramatic and exciting as his plays. Historians are still puzzled by the man, conflicted by rumors that he was a spy, questions about his sexuality, and suspicions regarding his death.

Book preview

The Complete Works of

CHRISTOPHER MARLOWE

VOLUME 3 OF 21

The Jew of Malta

Parts Edition

By Delphi Classics, 2015

Version 5

COPYRIGHT

‘The Jew of Malta’

Christopher Marlowe: Parts Edition (in 21 parts)

First published in the United Kingdom in 2017 by Delphi Classics.

© Delphi Classics, 2017.

All rights reserved.  No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the prior permission in writing of the publisher, nor be otherwise circulated in any form other than that in which it is published.

ISBN: 978 1 78877 466 6

Delphi Classics

is an imprint of

Delphi Publishing Ltd

Hastings, East Sussex

United Kingdom

Contact: [e-mail]

www.delphiclassics.com

Christopher Marlowe: Parts Edition

This eBook is Part 3 of the Delphi Classics edition of Christopher Marlowe in 21 Parts. It features the unabridged text of The Jew of Malta from the bestselling edition of the author’s Complete Works. Having established their name as the leading publisher of classic literature and art, Delphi Classics produce publications that are individually crafted with superior formatting, while introducing many rare texts for the first time in digital print. Our Parts Editions feature original annotations and illustrations relating to the life and works of Christopher Marlowe, as well as individual tables of contents, allowing you to navigate eBooks quickly and easily.

Visit here to buy the entire Parts Edition of Christopher Marlowe or the Complete Works of Christopher Marlowe in a single eBook.

Learn more about our Parts Edition, with free downloads, via this link or browse our most popular Parts here.

CHRISTOPHER MARLOWE

IN 21 VOLUMES

Parts Edition Contents

The Plays

1, Dido, Queen of Carthage

2, Tamburlaine the Great Parts 1 and 2

3, The Jew of Malta

4, Doctor Faustus - a Text and B Text

5, Edward II

6, The Massacre at Paris

The Apocryphal Play

7, Lust’s Dominion

The Poetry

8, Translation of Book One of Lucan’s the Pharsalia

9, Translation of Ovid’s Elegies

10, The Passionate Shepherd to His Love

11, The Nymph’s Reply to the Shepherd by Sir Walter Raleigh

12, Hero and Leander

13, Fragment

14, In Obitum Honoratissimi Viri, Rogeri Manwood, Militis, Quæstorii Regi- Nalis Capitalis Baronis

15, Dialogue in Verse

16, Epigrams by J.D.

The Criticism

17, The Criticism

The Biographies

18, Marlowe and His Associates by John H. Ingram

19, The Muses’ Darling by Charles Norman

20, Christopher Marlowe - Outlines of His Life and Works by J. G. Lewis

21, The Death of Christopher Marlowe by J. Leslie Hotson

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The Jew of Malta

This play was most likely written in 1589 or 1590, with an original plot that had a major influence on Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice, though Marlowe treated the subject matter in a much more controversial manner through the complex title character Barabas.  Over the centuries, there has been extensive debate about the play’s portrayal of Jews and how Elizabethan audiences would have viewed it.

The first recorded performance was in 1592; when the play was acted by Lord Strange’s Men seventeen times between Feb. 26, 1592 and Feb. 1, 1593. It was performed by Sussex’s Men on Feb. 4, 1594, and by a combination of Sussex’s and Queen Elizabeth’s Men on the 3rd and 8 April, 1594. More than a dozen performances by the Admiral’s Men occurred between May 1594 and June 1596. The play apparently belonged to impresario Philip Henslowe, since the cited performances occurred when the companies mentioned were acting for Henslowe.  In 1601 Henslowe’s Diary notes payments to the Admiral’s company for props for a revival of the play, which was entered in the Stationer’s Register on May 17, 1594, but the earliest surviving edition was printed in 1633 by the bookseller Nicholas Vavasour.

The Jew of Malta was a success in its first recorded performance at the Rose theatre in early 1592, when Edward Alleyn played the lead role. The play remained popular for the next fifty years, until England’s theatres were closed in 1642.  The play’s perennial appeal is due to Barabus’ devious and sadistic misanthropist character and the terrible deeds he commits against his fellow men.

The Rose Theatre, Bankside, where Marlowe’s plays were first performed

CONTENTS

THE PROLOGUE SPOKEN AT COURT.

EPILOGUE SPOKEN AT COURT.

THE PROLOGUE TO THE STAGE, AT THE COCK-PIT.

EPILOGUE TO THE STAGE, AT THE COCK-PIT.

DRAMATIS PERSONAE.

ACT I.

ACT II.

ACT III.

ACT IV.

ACT V.

THE PROLOGUE SPOKEN AT COURT.

Gracious and great, that we so boldly dare

(‘Mongst other plays that now in fashion are)

To present this, writ many years agone,

And in that age thought second unto none,

We humbly crave your pardon.  We pursue

The story of a rich and famous Jew

Who liv’d in Malta:  you shall find him still,

In all his projects, a sound Machiavill;

And that’s his character.  He that hath past

So many censures is now come at last

To have your princely ears:  grace you him; then

You crown the action, and renown the pen.

EPILOGUE SPOKEN AT COURT.

It is our fear, dread sovereign, we have bin

Too tedious; neither can’t be less than sin

To wrong your princely patience:  if we have,

Thus low dejected, we your pardon crave;

And, if aught here offend your ear or sight,

We only act and speak what others write.

THE PROLOGUE TO THE STAGE, AT THE COCK-PIT.

We know not how our play may pass this stage,

But by the best of poets in that age

THE MALTA-JEW had being and was made;

And he then by the best of actors play’d:

In HERO AND LEANDER one did gain

A lasting memory; in Tamburlaine,

This Jew, with others many, th’ other wan

The attribute of peerless, being a man

Whom we may rank with (doing no one wrong)

Proteus for shapes, and Roscius for a tongue, —

So could he speak, so vary; nor is’t hate

To merit in him who doth personate

Our Jew this day; nor is it his ambition

To exceed or equal, being of condition

More modest:  this is all