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The Lesser of Two Evils: the Figure of the Jew in Elizabethan Literature

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The Lesser of Two Evils: the Figure of the Jew in Elizabethan Literature Purdue University Purdue e-Pubs Open Access Dissertations Theses and Dissertations January 2015 The Lesser of Two Evils: The iF gure of the Jew in Elizabethan Literature Karen Angelle Feiner Purdue University Follow this and additional works at: https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/open_access_dissertations Recommended Citation Feiner, Karen Angelle, "The Lesser of Two Evils: The iF gure of the Jew in Elizabethan Literature" (2015). Open Access Dissertations. 1410. https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/open_access_dissertations/1410 This document has been made available through Purdue e-Pubs, a service of the Purdue University Libraries. Please contact [email protected] for additional information. Graduate School Form 30 Updated 1/15/2015 PURDUE UNIVERSITY GRADUATE SCHOOL Thesis/Dissertation Acceptance This is to certify that the thesis/dissertation prepared By Karen A. Feiner Entitled The Lesser of Two Evils: The Misidentification of the Jew in Elizabethan Literature For the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Is approved by the final examining committee: Sandor Goodhart Co-chair Paul Whitfield White Co-chair Samantha Blackmon Patricia Sullivan To the best of my knowledge and as understood by the student in the Thesis/Dissertation Agreement, Publication Delay, and Certification Disclaimer (Graduate School Form 32), this thesis/dissertation adheres to the provisions of Purdue University’s “Policy of Integrity in Research” and the use of copyright material. Approved by Major Professor(s): Sandor Goodhart, Paul Whitfield White Approved by: Ryan Schneider 10/2/2015 Head of the Departmental Graduate Program Date i THE LESSER OF TWO EVILS: THE MISIDENTIFICATION OF THE JEW IN ELIZABETHAN LITERATURE A Dissertation Submitted to the Faculty of Purdue University by Karen A. Feiner In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy December 2015 Purdue University West Lafayette, Indiana ii To my husband, Rico, who always supports my crazy endeavors, my father, Ivan, who edited more copies of this than I’d care to admit, and my mother, Theresa, who had faith in me when I lost mine. I could not have done this without you. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Thank you Dr. Sandor Goodhart for being such a big part of this project and my time at Purdue. I am so lucky to be a part of the Jewish Studies family. Thank you Dr. Paul W. White for bringing Shakespeare back into my life and helping me bring this idea to fruition. It all started with your class and The Merchant of Venice. Thank you Dr. Samantha Blackmon and Dr. Patricia Sullivan for being on my committee and offering me sanctuary in your offices when I needed somewhere to hide. What remains of my sanity is thanks to you. Thank you Dr. Holli Levitsky for all of your guidance that got me headed in the right direction and Dr. KJ Peters for making me realize that academia is what you make of it. I also have to thank Dr. Iska Alter, who made me realize the classroom is my favorite stage, and Dr. Robert Sulcer, who, though gone, will remain with his students for the rest of their lives. “I fall upon the thorns of life! I bleed!” I am honored to consider myself an amalgamation of what you all have taught me. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS Page TIMELINE ......................................................................................................................... vi ABSTRACT ....................................................................................................................... ix INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................................. 1 The Plot ..........................................................................................................................6 The Setting: Theory & History ......................................................................................9 The Two-Headed Monster: The Introduction to the Audience ....................................20 CHAPTER 1. BEFORE BARABAS ............................................................................. 24 Identity Crises ..............................................................................................................27 The Protean Jew ...........................................................................................................37 Usury in London ..........................................................................................................56 Religious Instability .....................................................................................................65 The Presence of Jews ...................................................................................................67 CHAPTER 2. A GODLESS JEW .................................................................................. 73 The Prologue: Machiavelli Takes the Stage ................................................................75 Introducing the Jew ......................................................................................................84 Costuming the Jew: The Nose .....................................................................................85 Sourcing Barabas: Spies on the Stage ..........................................................................88 The Setting: Why Malta? ...........................................................................................103 Catholic, Protestant, or Jew .......................................................................................106 The Jew Card: A Close Reading of the Jew ..............................................................110 The Plot: The God of Gold ........................................................................................113 Decipimur Specie Rectie............................................................................................119 Barabas and the Bible ................................................................................................122 Determining the Jew ..................................................................................................127 Seeing Double: Barabas and Ferneze ........................................................................131 Converting the Jew ....................................................................................................134 Mimetic Violence.......................................................................................................136 The Repercussions of the Jew ....................................................................................140 v Page CHAPTER 3. THE DISTORTED REFLECTION ...................................................... 148 Wits Versus Puritans ..................................................................................................152 Building a Bridge: Jews, Christians, and Judaizing Christians .................................161 Proverbial Proof .........................................................................................................168 The Semblance of a Jew ............................................................................................173 Jew by Another Name ................................................................................................177 Back to the Nose ........................................................................................................183 CHAPTER 4. DIFFERENTIATING JEW FROM JEWISH ....................................... 189 Rereading the Merchant .............................................................................................194 Back to the Beginning ................................................................................................198 The Source of the Jew ................................................................................................203 The Economic Ties That Bind ...................................................................................210 A Life and a Living ....................................................................................................215 Looking Beyond the Surface (Or Not) .......................................................................217 Locating the Jew in Elizabethan England ..................................................................219 The Judaizing Christians ............................................................................................225 Unconverted ...............................................................................................................235 Casting the Muppets ..................................................................................................245 Shylock and Antonio: Kin and Kind ..........................................................................247 Deciphering Good and Evil .......................................................................................260 Creating a Monster .....................................................................................................264 CONCLUSION AND REFLECTIONS: SO IT GOES .................................................. 270 BIBLIOGRAPHY ........................................................................................................... 279 VITA ............................................................................................................................... 292 vi TIMELINE1 1156 – Peter the Venerable speaks out against the inhuman and unconvertible nature of Jews 1290 – Edward I’s Expulsion of the Jews from England late 15th Century – Croxton’s Play of the Sacrament 1534 – Henry VIII’s
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