A History of the RSC in 50 Objects (Online)

Costume Design for Barabas

The Jew of Malta, 1965

Playwright:  Christopher Marlowe
Director:  Clifford Williams
Costume Designer: Nadine Baylis

The Jew of Malta is a play by Christopher Marlowe (c.1564 – 1593) written around 1589. The RSC produced this and Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice (c.1597) in the same season.

The two plays were put on at the same time because the RSC wanted audiences to compare them. Eric Porter played the lead roles of Barabas in The Jew of Malta and Shylock in The Merchant of Venice. Both characters are Jewish and both plays give us an insight into the perception of Jewish people on the fringes of 16th century society.