Previous
Act 5, Scene 2
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Jew of Malta, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
God and Machiavellianism
Religious Hypocrisy
Anti-Semitism
Money and Greed
Betrayal and Revenge
Summary
Analysis
Calymath enters and assesses Malta. The Turks have taken Malta and destroyed it, but they have also rebuilt it, and Calymath is certain that it will not be conquered. He looks out to the Mediterranean and thinks about the other islands, like Calabria and Sicily, and wonders if they can be taken as easily. Then, a messenger enters with word from Malta’s governor. Barabas would like Calymath and his men to feast with him before they sail for Turkey.
Calymath’s thoughts about conquering the nearby islands reflects the power of the Ottoman Empire during the 16th century, but it also reveals his insatiable greed. Calymath and the Turks are not satisfied with only Malta, they want to take over as many nations as possible.
Themes
Calymath doesn’t really want to stay and feast with Barabas. Keeping an entire fleet at port for so long is costly, but he decides to stay since Barabas has been so useful to him. The messenger says that Barabas will gift Calymath a priceless pearl for his trouble, and Calymath very much appreciates the offer, but he says that all his men surely will not fit in Barabas’s mansion. The messenger informs Calymath that only he will dine with the Barabas; Calymath’s officers will feast in a monastery just outside of town. Calymath agrees and tells his men to get ready for a feast.
Of course, Barabas wants to separate Calymath from his men so that he can more easily kill them. If the Turkish soldiers survive and Calymath dies, the men will surely avenge their leader’s death and Barabas’s plan will be useless. For his scheming to work, the Turkish soldiers must not survive. This fact also reveals Barabas’s despicable nature, and he continues to kill large numbers of people indiscriminately to satisfy both his greed and his need for revenge.
Themes
