Jews of London: An Analysis on the Production and Consumption of Stage Jews

Abstract

The essay attempts to explain the significance and effect of theatrical presence of Jews on the early modern English stage by discussing Christopher Marlowe’s Jew of Malta and William Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice in particular. To understand theatrical presences of Jews, the essay discusses the absence of real or official Jews in the sixteenth century England, as a result of the early banishment of them from the land since 1290 under the reign of Edward I. The absence of real object rather produced unrealistically exaggerated and fantasized stereotypical images of Jewish people, readily adopted by contemporary playwrights as an emblem of evil and alien. Furthermore, the actual case of Dr. Lopez, a Marano physician, accused for attempting to poison the Queen in 1594, brought a synergic effect of the popularity of the plays as well as the execution of Dr. Lopez. To conclude what effects the Jew plays had on the Elizabethan audience, the essay discusses genre discourses around The Jew of Malta and The Merchant of Venice, often fluctuating between tragedy and comedy. Not conforming to conventional genre classifications, I suggest relocating the plays as a sheer entertainment corresponding to contemporary sports, wrestling, focusing on each play’s theatrical strength, competition like plotline between evil aliens, and finally pleasure provided although not necessarily siding with one. The fictional representation of Barabas and Shylock might have delivered pleasure to the audience by repetitive displays of their suffering, desperate struggle, proficient skills to revenge, and catastrophic defeat in the end. Stage Jews present a capable enemy worth fighting against and a notoriously powerful sports player that sells in early modern England.