In this up-to-date critical guide to Christopher Marlowe's absorbing and controversial play, The Jew of Malta, leading Marlowe scholars explore key questions surrounding the text. What are we to make of Barabas, the villainous Jew, who maintains his alienation in a degenerate Christian culture? Can the play be categorized as a darkly cynical tragedy or, conversely, a series of comic book exaggerations meant to be taken as satire; or is it a groundbreaking mix of several perspectives? Are such uncertainties a major reason why has the play has continued to hold so much interest for readers...