Ferneze says that Jews “stand accursed in the sight of heaven,” and it is therefore their burden alone to cover the debt. When Ferneze is short the tribute money Malta owes the Ottoman Empire, he taxes only Jewish people to pay the bill. Marlowe highlights religion’s hypocrisy through Malta’s Christian government and Ferneze, the governor, who cites religion as a reason to exploit Malta’s Jewish population. Through The Jew of Malta, Marlowe exposes the hypocrisy that he believes is often implicit in religious beliefs and ultimately argues that religion is a tool to secure power and wealth, not a guide for morality and righteousness. For Marlowe’s characters, religion is not a reason to behave in a morally upright way-it is a means to an end that allows them to behave however they want. What’s more, the friars from Malta’s Catholic churches, who lust for both sex and gold, claim the moral high ground but ignore their priestly vows. When the Turks come to Malta under the threat of war to collect the tribute money owed to the Ottoman Empire, the Maltese government exploits the island’s Jewish population to pay the country’s debt, and they do so in the name of Christianity. On the contrary, religion in The Jew of Malta is rife with hatred, deception, and hypocrisy.
Marlowe’s depiction of religion is not one of morality, good will, and righteousness. While Christopher Marlowe hints at the importance of God’s will in The Jew of Malta, his play is nevertheless critical of religion and religious doctrine, especially Christianity.
0 kommentar(er)
