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Ferneze
Ithamore is a Turkish slave, presumably brought to Malta by Martin Del Bosco after capturing a Turkish ship, sinking it, and taking the men as slaves. Barabas buys Ithamore—a skinny man Barabas is certain will cost little to feed and maintain—for 100 crowns at the market in Malta and immediately takes to teaching Ithamore his “policy” and Machiavellian scheming. Barabas tells Ithamore he must be void of love and any trace of compassion, and he further tells Ithamore he must “smile” as the “Christians moan.” Ithamore shares Barabas’s penchant for murder and Christian contempt, and he easily settles into Barabas’s corrupt lifestyle. First, Ithamore delivers the forged letter that leads to Lodowick and Mathais’s deadly duel, and he also delivers the poisonous rice that kills Abigail and the entire nunnery. Ithamore falls in love at first sight with Bellamira, who is scheming with Pilia-Borza to trick Ithamore and blackmail Barabas for his gold. Ithamore immediately falls for Bellamira and Pilia-Borza’s deceitfulness, and he easily agrees to extort Barabas’s money, but Bellamire and Pilia-Borza ultimately deceive Ithamore, too, and report his and Barabas’s murder of Mathias and Lodowick to Ferneze, hoping for a reward. Ithamore dies along with Bellamira and Pilia-Borza after Barabas disguises himself as a French musician and gives them a bouquet of flowers tainted with the same poison that kills Abigail and the nuns. Like Barabas, Ithamore represents Machiavellian scheming and immorality, which Marlowe implies in widespread across Europe.
Ithamore Quotes in The Jew of Malta
The The Jew of Malta quotes below are all either spoken by Ithamore or refer to Ithamore. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Act 2, Scene 3
Quotes
Yonder comes Don Mathias, let us stay;
He loves my daughter, and she holds him dear:
But I have sworn to frustrate both their hopes,
And be revenged upon the—(Governor).
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Barabas: Hast thou no trade? Then listen to my words,
And I will teach that shall stick by thee:
First be thou void of these affections,
Compassion, love, vain hope, and heartless fear,
Be moved at nothing, see thou pity none,
But to thyself smile when the Christians moan.
Ithamore: Oh brave, master, I worship your nose for this.
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Act 3, Scene 3
Quotes
Ithamore: Oh mistress! I have the bravest, gravest, secret, subtle, bottle-nosed knave to my master, that ever gentleman had.
Abigail: Say, knave, why rail’st upon my father thus?
Ithamore: Oh, my master has the bravest policy.
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Act 3, Scene 4
Quotes
Stay, first let me stir it Ithamore.
As fatal be it to her as the draught
Of which great Alexander drunk, and died:
And with her let it work like Borgia’s wine,
Whereof his sire, the Pope, was poisonèd.
In a few, the blood of Hydra, Lerna’s bane:
The juice of hebon, and Cocytus’ breath,
And all the poisons of the Stygian pool
Break from the fiery kingdom; and in this
Vomit your venom, and envenom her
That like a fiend hat left her father thus.
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Ithamore Quotes in The Jew of Malta
The The Jew of Malta quotes below are all either spoken by Ithamore or refer to Ithamore. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Act 2, Scene 3
Quotes
Yonder comes Don Mathias, let us stay;
He loves my daughter, and she holds him dear:
But I have sworn to frustrate both their hopes,
And be revenged upon the—(Governor).
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Barabas: Hast thou no trade? Then listen to my words,
And I will teach that shall stick by thee:
First be thou void of these affections,
Compassion, love, vain hope, and heartless fear,
Be moved at nothing, see thou pity none,
But to thyself smile when the Christians moan.
Ithamore: Oh brave, master, I worship your nose for this.
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Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Act 3, Scene 3
Quotes
Ithamore: Oh mistress! I have the bravest, gravest, secret, subtle, bottle-nosed knave to my master, that ever gentleman had.
Abigail: Say, knave, why rail’st upon my father thus?
Ithamore: Oh, my master has the bravest policy.
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Act 3, Scene 4
Quotes
Stay, first let me stir it Ithamore.
As fatal be it to her as the draught
Of which great Alexander drunk, and died:
And with her let it work like Borgia’s wine,
Whereof his sire, the Pope, was poisonèd.
In a few, the blood of Hydra, Lerna’s bane:
The juice of hebon, and Cocytus’ breath,
And all the poisons of the Stygian pool
Break from the fiery kingdom; and in this
Vomit your venom, and envenom her
That like a fiend hat left her father thus.
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Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
