How we cite our quotes: (Act.Scene.Line)
Quote #4
In spite of these swine-eating Christians
(Unchosen nation, never circumcised;
Such as, poor villains, were ne'er thought upon
Till Titus and Vespasian conquered us)
Am I become as wealthy as I was.
They hoped my daughter would ha' been a nun,
But she's at home, and I have bought a house
As great and fair as is the Governor's.
And there in spite of Malta will I dwell… (2.3.7-15)
Translation: I beat you jerks once, and I can do it again. Think about the escalation of terms, here: first, Barabas pitted against Christians in general, then against Ferneze in particular, and finally against the entirety of Malta. Wow—talk about making enemies.
Quote #5
Oh, sir, your father had my diamonds,
Yet I have one left that will serve your turn.
[Aside] I mean my daughter—but ere he shall have her
I'll sacrifice her on a pile of wood. (2.3.50-53)
Barabas is pretending to offer to hook Lodowick up with his daughter Abigail, but in reality he'd rather kill her than see her marry a Christian. (He even makes a nice little allusion to the way that the Jewish Abraham sacrificed his son Isaac.)But what's the relationship between Abigail's religious identity and Barabas's own religious and cultural insistence on Judaism?
Quote #6
Abigail, I will. But see thou change no more,
For that will be most heavy to thy soul. (3.3.70-71)
Abigail changes her views based on the changing information and circumstances that present themselves to her. This is the opposite of perseverance, but, except for the fact that she ends up dead, it seems pretty reasonable. Discover that your father's evil? Leave him. Figure out that the world's a pretty nasty place? Become a nun. Here, Friar Bernadine just wants her to make up her mind, but his statement is up for debate.