1. Why is Ithamore so quick to scheme against his master? Are we to believe that it is all because of the slave's love for Bellamira, or is a deeper avarice to blame?

2. What role does Abigail play within the text—is she a tragic heroine, a disloyal daughter, or a victim to the prejudice of her peers? 3. Religious and racial differences dominate The Jew of Malta. Is Marlowe's treatment of these differences ultimately even-handed or biased?

4. Does Barabas receive divine retribution in the play's final scene, or is Barabas undermined by the same duplicity and Machiavellian double-crossing he used to wreak vengeance on others?