Previous
Similes
Definition of Soliloquy
A soliloquy is a literary device, most often found in dramas, in which a character speaks to him or herself, relating his or her innermost thoughts and feelings as if... read full definition
A soliloquy is a literary device, most often found in dramas, in which a character speaks to him or herself, relating his or her innermost... read full definition
A soliloquy is a literary device, most often found in dramas, in which a character speaks to him or herself... read full definition
Act 1, Scene 1
Explanation and Analysis:
The Jew of Malta features frequent soliloquies, mostly by Barabas, who ponders his emotions, morals, goals, and motivations. Act I begins with Barabas soliloquizing about his wealth, a choice that establishes his primary motivation as greed from the outset:
Give me the merchants of the Indian mines,
That trade in metal of the purest mould;
The wealthy Moor, that in the eastern rocks
Without control can pick his riches up,
And in his house heap pearls like pebble-stones,
Receive them free, and sell them by the weight.
Related Themes:
Act 2, Scene 1
Explanation and Analysis—Barabas the Fatal Presage:
At the beginning of Act 2, Scene 1, Barabas begins with a soliloquy, addressing his despair at the loss of his wealth. He starts the soliloquy with a simile, likening himself to a raven:
Unlock with LitCharts A+Thus, like the sad presaging raven, that tolls
The sick man's passport in her hollow beak,
And in the shadow of the silent night
Doth shake contagion from her sable wings;
Vexed and tormented runs poor Barabas
With fatal curses towards these Christians.
Related Themes:
