Study Questions
The play is also known by its full title The Tragedy of the Rich Jew of Malta. In which ways can the play be understood as a tragedy, and how does its heavily ironic tone support or undermine its tragic elements?
Is Barabas wholly evil? In what ways does Marlowe complicate our response to his protagonist, and how does this response affect the play's moral tone?
What parallels does Marlowe draw between the scheming of the Maltese islanders and the "policy" of Malta, Spain, and Turkey?
