Machiavel's Warning
In the Prologue of the play, Machiavel warns audiences not to judge Barabas too harshly because of his "favoring" of Machiavellian principles like deceit, scheming, and manipulation. However, while Machiavel encourages the audience to approach Barabas with "grace," the rest of the play is laden with anti-Semitic prejudice that are reflective of both 16th-century Maltese culture and 16th-century England, when the play was written.
Ferneze's Policy
When Ferneze seizes the wealth of all the Jews in Malta in order to pay tribute to the Turks, he defends his actions by saying they were a necessary political sacrifice. However, the rest of the play features Ferneze's numerous insults and prejudices against the Jews, suggesting that his seizure of their wealth was pointed and used for his own political and personal gain.
Abigail's Conversion
Abigail's eventual conversion to Christianity is ironic because Barabas has spent the majority of the play convincing her to use her Jewishness to her advantage. Rather than ally with her father – whom she now knows to be a murderous villain – Abigail decides to join a nunnery, solidifying both her fluid approach to religion and the ultimate deception of her father.
Barabas's Death
Barabas dies by boiling in a cauldron, which many perceive as a metaphor for the Christian notion of hell. However, this end is ironic because not only do Jews not believe in hell, but Barabas does not repent in the traditional fashion of someone destined for damnation. Instead, he remains a relatively static character throughout the play, bragging about his villainy in his final moments and taking pride in the evil he has unleashed.
