Christopher Marlowe’s The Jew of Malta tells the story of Barabas, a wealthy Jewish merchant living in Malta during a time of political tension with the Turkish Empire. At the beginning of the play, Malta is threatened by the Turks, who demand a heavy tribute. Instead of paying from state funds, the Christian governor, Ferneze, decides to seize half of all Jewish property.
Barabas refuses to sacrifice his fortune, so the government confiscates all his wealth and even takes over his luxurious house, turning it into a convent.
Devastated and furious, Barabas begins plotting revenge. He secretly sends his daughter Abigail into the convent to retrieve gold he had hidden in the house. Though Abigail remains loyal to him at first, she becomes troubled by his growing cruelty.
Two young Christian noblemen, Don Lodowick (Ferneze’s son) and Don Mathias, both fall in love with Abigail. Barabas pretends to support each one, manipulating them into a deadly rivalry. As a result, the two men end up killing each other. Horrified by her father’s actions, Abigail returns to the convent for real and confesses his crimes to a friar.
To prevent his exposure, Barabas poisons the entire convent, killing Abigail along with the nuns. His villainy deepens as he also murders two friars who try to extort him. With help from his cunning servant Ithamore, Barabas continues weaving schemes of betrayal and revenge.
When the Turks invade Malta, Barabas switches sides and assists them, helping their leader, Calymath, conquer the island. As a reward, Barabas is made governor of Malta. Now in power, he attempts a final act of treachery—he secretly plots to kill the Turks and hand the island back to the Christians, hoping to regain favor with Ferneze. However, Ferneze discovers the plan. During a meeting in which Barabas intends to trap and burn the Turkish leaders, Ferneze reverses the mechanism.
The trapdoor opens beneath Barabas himself, and he falls into a cauldron of boiling water. As he dies, he curses his enemies, but no sympathy is offered. The Christians then recapture the island and execute their own plan against the Turks.
Conclusion
The play ends with Ferneze celebrating Malta’s return to Christian rule, though Marlowe leaves the audience aware that every group—Christians, Jews, and Turks—has been equally corrupt and ruthless.