<DIV><P><B>'Tell me worldlings, underneath the sun, If greater falsehood ever has been done'</B></P><br><P><I>The Jew of Malta</I>, written around 1590, can present a<br>challenge for modern audiences. Hugely popular in its day, the play<br>swings wildly and rapidly in genre, from pointed satire, to bloody<br>revenge tragedy, to melodrmatic intrigue, to dark farce and grotesque<br>comedy. Although set in the Mediterranean island of Malta, the play<br>evokes contemporary Elizabethan social tensions, especially the highly<br>charged issue of London's much-resented community of resident merchant<br>foreigners. Barabas, the enormously wealthy Jew of the play's title,<br>appears initially victimized by Malta's Christian Governor, who quotes<br>scripture to support the demand that Jews cede their wealth to pay<br>Malta's tribute to the Turks. When he protests, Barabas is deprived of<br>his wealth, his means of livelihood, and his house, which is converted<br>to a nunnery. In response to this hypocritical extortion, Barabas<br>launches a horrific (and sometimes hilarious) course of violence that<br>goes well beyond revenge, using murderous tactics that include<br>everything from deadly soup to poisoned flowers. The play's sometimes<br>complex treatment of anti-Semitism and its relationship to<br>Shakespeare's <I>Merchant of Venice </I>remain matters of continuing scholarly reflection.</P><br><P>This student edition contains a lengthy Introduction with background<br>on the author, date and sources, theme, critical interpretation and<br>stage history, as well as a fully annotated version of the playtext in<br>modern spelling.</P><br><P>James R. Siemon is Professor of English at Boston University.</P><br><P> </P><br><P> </P></DIV>