Barabas as Tragic Hero, Protagonist or Antagonist in The Jew of Malta

Barabas as Tragic Hero, Protagonist or Antagonist in The Jew of Malta

Introduction

Christopher Marlowe’s The Jew of Malta is a famous Elizabethan play. Its central character is Barabas, a wealthy Jewish merchant living in Malta. The play is difficult to place in the traditional categories of tragedy because Barabas is not a simple hero or villain. He has some qualities of a tragic hero, but he is also a protagonist and, in many situations, an antagonist. For UG students, it is useful to understand all three possibilities.

Barabas as the Protagonist

Barabas can certainly be called the protagonist of the play. A protagonist is the main character around whom the action of a play develops.

Most of the important events in The Jew of Malta are connected with Barabas. At the beginning, he is introduced as a rich merchant who has collected enormous wealth. When the Turkish Sultan demands money from Malta, the Governor, Ferneze, decides to take the wealth of the Jews to pay the Turkish demand.

Barabas strongly objects to this injustice. He says that his wealth has been earned through hard work and business. However, the authorities seize his property. His house is also converted into a nunnery.

This event changes Barabas. He decides to take revenge on the people who have wronged him. Much of the later action—his plans, murders, betrayals and schemes—comes from this desire for revenge.

Therefore, Barabas is clearly the central character and protagonist of the play.

Barabas as an Antagonist

Barabas can also be considered an antagonist, especially from the point of view of the other characters.

An antagonist is a character who opposes another character or creates serious conflict. Barabas becomes a major source of danger and destruction in the play.

For example, he uses poison to kill the nuns who have taken possession of his house. He also manipulates people around him. He uses his daughter Abigail in his plans and later causes the death of his own daughter when she becomes a Christian and refuses to support his actions.

His most shocking act is his betrayal of Calymath, the Turkish leader. Barabas pretends to cooperate with him but secretly plans to destroy him.

Barabas therefore becomes increasingly cruel and dangerous. His desire for revenge goes far beyond the original injustice done to him. He becomes responsible for the suffering and death of many people.

Thus, Barabas functions as an antagonistic force against several characters.

Is Barabas a Tragic Hero?

The question of whether Barabas is a tragic hero is more complicated.

A traditional tragic hero is generally a person of considerable importance who has a serious weakness or tragic flaw. Because of this weakness, he makes wrong decisions and finally suffers a terrible fall.

Barabas has some qualities of a tragic hero. At the beginning, he is powerful, wealthy and respected as a successful merchant. His enormous wealth gives him confidence and independence.

However, his greed, pride and desire for revenge become his tragic weaknesses. When his property is taken, he does not seek justice through peaceful means. Instead, he chooses revenge. His revenge gradually destroys his humanity.

For example, after losing his wealth, he plans the deaths of his enemies. His actions become more and more violent. His own daughter Abigail becomes a victim of his revenge. This shows how far his tragic flaw has taken him.

At the end of the play, Barabas himself is destroyed by the Governor. He falls into a cauldron of boiling oil, after being trapped by a plan arranged against him. His final destruction is therefore connected with his own violent schemes.

Conclusion

Barabas is best described as the protagonist of The Jew of Malta because he is the central character and most of the action revolves around him. He can also be called an antagonist because his actions create conflict and cause suffering to many other characters.

Calling him a tragic hero is possible, but with some qualification. He does not fully fit the traditional model of a noble tragic hero like Shakespeare’s Hamlet or Macbeth. He is morally complex and often cruel. Yet his fall from a wealthy and powerful merchant to a destroyed and isolated man has important tragic elements.

Therefore, Barabas is primarily the protagonist, secondarily an antagonist, and only in a limited or modified sense a tragic hero. Marlowe deliberately makes him a complex character whose ambition, greed and revenge drive the entire tragedy.