「몰타의 유대인」: 말로의 냉소주의와 타자 (The Jew of Malta: Marlowe's Cynicism and Other)

서지정보

· 발행기관 : 한국셰익스피어학회
· 수록지 정보 : Shakespeare Review / 48권 / 1호 / 5 ~ 30페이지
· 저자명 : 강석주

초록

Barabas is not just a persecuted jew in Christian society, but a symbolic Other who embodies Marlowe’s cynicism of Renaissance imperialism which is characterized by dominion, exploitation, and avarice. The main plot of the play is superficially regarded as the conflict between Christians and a wicked jew, and finally as the victory of Christians. However, if we notice the complicated situations and the subtle dramatic techniques, it’s hard to explain this play with the simple anti-semitism. The focus of the play is not just the villainy of the jew, but rather the Christian avarice and foolishness being made fun of by the jew. Therefore, ‘the other’ of this play is not just an object of hostility and disgust, but an dramatic means to reveal our villainy and hypocrisy.
Marlowe’s political strategy lies in the fact that all the characters of the play are the others in the contemporary England. Most characters including Barabas the jew, Ferneze and the Catholics, Calymath of Turkey, and Del Bosco of Spain are the others to the contemporary English audience. So the audience are able to see the complicated scenes of trick and deception with a considerably objective perspective. As the dominant attitudes Barabas convey through his role-plays are cynicism and mockery, the dominant emotion of this play is cynicism. The object of cynicism is neither a particular individual nor a particular group, but all who are in the pit of avarice. And England can not be excluded from the object of cynicism.
In order to present this cynicism, Marlowe mixes tragic and comic elements. The tragic elements of the protagonist’s suffering and revenge reflect the selfish exploitation inherent in the imperial and colonial ideology. On the while, Barabas’s role-play becomes a means to mock the villainy of the ruling force obsessed by the avarice and the exploitation of the ruled. As the wicked other’s destruction cannot be the traditional tragedy, the play entitled “the tragedy of a jew” can imply the meaning of resistance and subversion.

영어초록

Barabas is not just a persecuted jew in Christian society, but a symbolic Other who embodies Marlowe’s cynicism of Renaissance imperialism which is characterized by dominion, exploitation, and avarice. The main plot of the play is superficially regarded as the conflict between Christians and a wicked jew, and finally as the victory of Christians. However, if we notice the complicated situations and the subtle dramatic techniques, it’s hard to explain this play with the simple anti-semitism. The focus of the play is not just the villainy of the jew, but rather the Christian avarice and foolishness being made fun of by the jew. Therefore, ‘the other’ of this play is not just an object of hostility and disgust, but an dramatic means to reveal our villainy and hypocrisy.
Marlowe’s political strategy lies in the fact that all the characters of the play are the others in the contemporary England. Most characters including Barabas the jew, Ferneze and the Catholics, Calymath of Turkey, and Del Bosco of Spain are the others to the contemporary English audience. So the audience are able to see the complicated scenes of trick and deception with a considerably objective perspective. As the dominant attitudes Barabas convey through his role-plays are cynicism and mockery, the dominant emotion of this play is cynicism. The object of cynicism is neither a particular individual nor a particular group, but all who are in the pit of avarice. And England can not be excluded from the object of cynicism.
In order to present this cynicism, Marlowe mixes tragic and comic elements. The tragic elements of the protagonist’s suffering and revenge reflect the selfish exploitation inherent in the imperial and colonial ideology. On the while, Barabas’s role-play becomes a means to mock the villainy of the ruling force obsessed by the avarice and the exploitation of the ruled. As the wicked other’s destruction cannot be the traditional tragedy, the play entitled “the tragedy of a jew” can imply the meaning of resistance and subversion.

참고자료

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