Theme of money in the Jew of Malta

Almost every character in The Jew of Malta is motivated by greed. Barabas has more than enough money. He could easily have given half his estate to the governor and still had more than enough, but he wanted all that he had and even more. Ferneze, too, wants even more money. He is not willing to sacrifice to pay the tribute to the Turks, but, instead, wants to take the money from the Jews, and not content with half, he demands all of Barabas' wealth. Calymath's father has waited ten years to demand his tribute, not because he had forgotten about the money, but because he felt that by letting the tribute accumulate, the citizens of Malta would be unable to pay the tribute, and he could seize everything.

Ithamore is promised one half of Barabas' estate, as his heir, but he is not content to wait and keeps increasing his blackmail demands for more and more money. Pilia-Borza and Bellamira are also motivated by greed to try first to steal and then later to blackmail money from Barabas. The friars, too, are motivated more by greed than piety in their attempt to convert Barabas. The need for more and more money has infected almost everyone in Malta.

The theme of money is actually one of the brightest themes in the play. The protagonist of the story Baraba is very close to the protagonist of the Biblical story, Baraba who betrayed Jesus Christ for 30 silver coins. But here we see the Baraba who betrayed his country and his family for money. He was rich enough to pay the hald of his fortune to Turks, but his avarice blended his eyes and made him kill, betray and frame.