Religious Hypocrisy Theme Analysis

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. Marlowe’s depiction of religion is not one of morality, good will, and righteousness. On the contrary, religion in The Jew of Malta is rife with hatred, deception, and hypocrisy. 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. 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. 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. 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.

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. When Ferneze is short the tribute money Malta owes the Ottoman Empire, he taxes only Jewish people to pay the bill. Ferneze says that Jews “stand accursed in the sight of heaven,” and it is therefore their burden alone to cover the debt. Ferneze’s claim that the Jews are “accursed” is a reference to the crucifixion of Christ. In short, Ferneze’s Christian beliefs uphold that the Jews were responsible for the death of Christ; therefore, in Ferneze’s mind, his exploitation of the Jews is completely justified. In response to Ferneze’s request, Barabas, the richest Jew in Malta, points out Ferneze’s use of scripture and answers in kind. “The man that dealeth righteously shall live: / And which of you [Christians] can charge me otherwise?” Barabas uses scripture to prove his point, referring to Proverbs 10.2, a biblical passage that underscores the importance of moral righteousness. In Barabas’s estimation, a Christian who exploits and oppresses another can never claim morality, and by decree of their own Christian religion, they can never be saved and live immortal life in heaven. Through Barabas’s biblical reference, Marlowe highlights the hypocrisy of a religion that claims morality but uses the same religious doctrine to defend immoral acts.

Religious hypocrisy is further reflected in the behavior of Jacomo and Bernardine, two Catholic friars who repeatedly ignore their holy vows in favor of their selfish desires. When Barabas’s daughter, Abigail, appeals to Jacomo and Bernardine to join the convent, Jacomo says that Abigail’s desire comes from the “spirit,” or soul. “Ay,” Bernardine responds, “and of a moving spirit too, brother; but come, / Let us entreat she may be entertained.” Bernadine’s reference to Abigail’s “moving spirit” is vaguely sexual—it suggests that the friars are interested in Abigail in a carnal way, which directly violates their vows of chastity and purity. Abigail does end up joining the nunnery, so Barabas poisons Abigail and the rest of the nunnery for the betrayal of her conversion. But before Abigail dies, she confesses her sins to Bernadine, including Barabas’s involvement in the deaths of Abigail’s love, Don Mathias, and Don Lodowick, Ferneze’s son. Bernardine later breaks the confessional seal and reveals Abigail’s confession—he ignores his vows when it benefits him personally, which further underscores religious hypocrisy in The Jew of Malta and represents the religious hypocrisy that Marlowe suggests in rampant among real-life religious leaders. Both Bernardine and Jacomo accuse Barabas of being a “wicked Jew,” but when Barabas tells the friars he is looking to convert to Christianity and promises his substantial wealth to whichever church baptizes him and gives him sanctuary, the friars begin to fight over him. “Oh good Barabas come to our house,” Jacomo says. “Oh no, good Barabas come to our house,” Bernardine says. Both Jacomo and Bernardine are quick to dismiss Barabas as a Jew, but they will accept him as a Christian—if it benefits them finically. As friars, Jacomo and Bernardine both took vows of poverty, yet they easily ignore this oath, too, further highlighting their religious hypocrisy. The overt and frequent hypocrisy of the friars suggests that such duplicity is commonplace in Christianity, and in Catholicism in particular.

Marlowe’s negative view of religion is not limited to Christianity. Barabas, a Jewish man, is arguably the most despicable and immoral character in the entire play. He adamantly refuses to abandon his Jewish faith and convert to Christianity as the Maltese government would have him do, but this is where Barabas’s religious devotion ends. He easily lies, deceives, and even murders, which runs counter to the Jewish tradition—specifically to the Ten Commandments. While Barabas doesn’t use his religion to justify his sins in quite the same way the Christians do, he still dismisses his religious teachings all the same, which again exposes the hypocrisy that is often found in religion. Barabas and the other characters manipulate and ignore religion to get what they want, and Marlowe implies that those who ignore religious teachings in pursuit of power and wealth are just as wicked as those who use religion to obtain the same.