Early Modern Drama · Character Archetypes

PILIA-BORZA

in The Jew of Malta — Marlowe, Christopher

Metadata

PlayThe Jew of Malta
AuthorMarlowe, Christopher
Year (catalogued)1633
First performance1589
Decade1630s
GenreTragedy
Play typeAdult Professional
CompanyUnknown
Theaterbefore the Court;Phoenix/Cockpit;Whitehall;Indoor Professional
Speech prefix(es)Pil. | Pilia. | Pil,
Words690
Characters3432
Typicality0.32 (cosine to cluster centroid)
TCP idA06991
BritDrama no.828
ClusterCluster 20 — Conjurers, witches & physicians

Important excerpts

No keyword-matching excerpt could be extracted (the cluster label doesn't share vocabulary with this character's speech).

Full speech

I did. I did. I think so, and yet I cannot tell, for at the reading of The letter, he looked Like a man of another world. That such a base slave as he should be saluted by such A tall man as I am, from such a beautiful dame as you. Not a wise word, only gave me a nod, as who should say, Is it even so; and so I left him, being driven to a Nonplus at the critical aspect of my terrible countenance. Upon mine own freehold within 40 foot of the Gallows, Cunning his neck-verse I take it, looking of a Friars Execution, whom I saluted with and old hempen proverb, Hidie tibi, cras mihi, and so I left him to the mercy Of the Hangman: but the Exercise being done, see where He comes. And is't not possible to find it out? Let me alone, do but you speak him fair: But you know some secrets of the Jew, which if they were Revealed, would do him harm. Write not so submissively, but threatening him. Put in two hundred at least. Tell him you will confess. Let me alone, I'll use him in his kind. Yes. At reading of the letter, he stared & stamped, & turned Aside, I took him by the sterd, & looked upon him thus; Told him he were best to send it, then he huged & embraced me Then Like a Jew he laughed & jeered, and told me he loved me for your sake, & said what a faithful servant you had been. To conclude, he gave me ten crowns. Write for 500 Crowns. I warrant your worship shall hau't. The ed make a rich Poet, Sir. I am gone. Exit. Jew, I must would more gold. No; but 300 will not serve his turn. No Sir; and therefore I must have 500 more. O good words, Sir, and send it you were best, see, There's his letter. I, and the rest too, or else — No god-a-mercy, shall I have these crowns? O, if that be all, I can pick open your locks. I know enough, and therefore talk not to me of your Countinghouse, the gold, or know Jew it is in my power to hang thee Here's many words but no crowns; the crowns. Speak, shall I have 'vm, Sir? I know it, Sir. Soon enough to your cost, Sir: Fare you well. Exit. Nay, I'll have all or none. Knavely spoke, and Like a Knight at Arms. What wouldst thou do if he should send thee none? O bravely done. This shall with me unto the Governor. Sirrah, you must give my mistress your posey. Foh, me thinks they stink Like a Holly-Hoke. There's two crowns for thee, play. Me thinks he fingers very well. How swift he runs. His man? A masty slave he is; Whither now, Fiddler? Farewell Fiddler: One letter more to the Jew. Let me alone to urge it now I know the meaning. Who, beside the slaughter of these Gentlemen, Poisoned his own daughter and the Nuns, Strangled a Friar, and I know not what Mischief beside. Hold thee, wench, there's something for thee to spend. I, but the Jew has gold, And I will have it or it shall go hard. Faith, walking the back lanes through the Gar dens I chanced to cast mine eye up to the Jews countinghouse Where I saw some bags of money, and in the night I Clambered up with my hooks, and as I was taking My choice, I herd a rumbling in the house; so I took Only this, and run my way: but here's the Jews man. Look not towards him, let's away: Zoon's what a looking thou keepest, Thou'lt betray's anon. This is the Gentleman you writ to. I did Sir, and from this Gentlewoman, who as my Self, & the rest of the family, stand or fallen at your service. And you did but know how she loves you, Sir. And you can have it, Sir, and if you please. Send for a hundred Crowns at least.

Plot summary

Plot — The Jew of Malta
For ten years, Malta has failed to pay tribute to the Turks; now Séliml(@alymath comes to collect the arrears, but grants Bémeze, the Governor, a month to find the money. Ferneze requires the island’s Jews to contribute half their assets towards the sum, on pain of forcible conversion; but Bafabas, a wealthy merchant with trading links all over the east, refuses either to pay or to become a Christian. His entire estate is seized and his house converted to a nunnery. Unbeknown to the authorities, there is a cache of money and jewels hidden in the house; Barabas has his daughter, Abigail, become a nun in order to get access to it. After retrieving the gold, she leaves the convent, and Barabas buys a new house. The Spanish Vice-Admiral, Martin(§@elgposcs} arrives in Malta after routing the Turkish navy. He is granted permission to sell his prisoners as slaves on the island, even though this will be provocative to the Turks; Ferneze decides to keep the gold he levied to pay the tribute, and count on Spanish aid in the war that will follow. Barabas visits the slave market and buys [fiamiore; they swap stories about their exploits in villainy. A Turkish pasha comes to collect the tribute money, but Ferneze refuses to pay. War looms. Mathias and WEdGwiek both love Abigail. Barabas asks her to encourage Lodowick, even though she prefers Mathias; he doesn’t want her to marry either, but particularly wants to destroy Lodowick to get revenge on Ferneze, his father. He tells Mathias of Lodowick’s interest, and forges a challenge from Lodowick. The two young men fight and kill one another. When Abigail finds out what has happened, she rejoins the nunnery. Barabas adopts Ithamore as his heir and sends the nuns an anonymous gift of poisoned rice. They all die; Abigail’s last act is to confess to Friar Barnardine her 1589 father’s part.in the deaths of Mathias and Lodowick. Barmardine and Friarjacom try to exploit the power this knowledge gives them over Barabas, without explicitly revealing it (which is forbidden under canon law). Barabas sets enmity between them by pretending he wishes to join a religious order and give that order his money; the two friars vie with one another to offer him an easier life, and he promises himself to both. He and Ithamore strangle Barnardine with his own girdle and stand up the body as if alive; it falls down when Jacomo strikes it, and he is hanged for the murder. With fewer visitors coming to Malta, there has been a slackening in trade…