Friday, August 11, 2023
Elder of Ziyon
The main character, Barabas, is a Jew whose fortune was confiscated by the governor of Malta. He devises plans of revenge that end up becoming murder sprees to silence witnesses. He engages in political intrigue and double-crosses to pit the Muslim and Christian leaders jockeying for rulership of the island against each other. In the end, he dies in a fiery cauldron that he had built for his enemies.
Like The Merchant of Venice, there is controversy about whether The Jew of Malta is truly an antisemitic play, since it appears to be critical of all religions. But the Egyptian production, starring Sameh Basioony, is certainly antipathetic to Jews.
One review says that as Barabas "breathes his last, in a concluding scene, he affirms that he 'will not end' and many will come after him to realize the great (eternal) dream of 'ruling the world.'"
Marlowe's play has no such text.
Which means that the director modified the play to ensure that its message was one of a Jewish plot to control the world.
Popular Egyptian news site Youm7 writes in its review:
The show reviews Zionist deceptions and control of the world through the character of Barabas, the cunning rich man who lives on the island of Malta and works to spread the wedge between the Christian governor of Malta and the Turks. His plots were not limited to only them, rather, they extended to the split between countries, and he succeeds in that.
The antisemitic (and anti-Zionist) message of the play is being received loudly and clearly by Egyptian audiences.
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