# Ferneze — The Jew of Malta character guide

> Ferneze in The Jew of Malta by Christopher Marlowe.

**Role:** major

**Also known as:** Ferneze Soft, Ferneze Dead, Ferneze Wonder, Ferneze Thou, Ferneze Captain, Ferneze O Lodowick, Ferneze Thine, Wretched Ferneze

**First appearance:** 0005-scene-ii

## Snapshot

Malta's Christian governor, who confiscates Barabas's fortune to pay off the Turks and then wraps his own political ruthlessness in the language of heaven's justice.

## Who they are

Ferneze rules Malta under Turkish tribute and solves the crisis by seizing the wealth of its Jewish residents, telling Barabas his goods are forfeit for the common good. He grieves his son Lodowick's death with genuine anguish, but his grief hardens into a feud with Katharine and a determination to see the Jew punished, even when the evidence is thin. He is Barabas's mirror: a man who calls his own cruelty providence and who will do whatever the siege demands.

## Relationships

### [Barabas](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_jew_of_malta_se/characters/barabas)

_rivalry_

Ferneze, the Christian governor, confiscates Barabas's wealth, sparking a deadly feud.

### [Martin del Bosco](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_jew_of_malta_se/characters/martin_del_bosco)

_professional_

Ferneze allies with Martin del Bosco to resist Turkish demands and strengthen Malta's defenses.

### [Mathias](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_jew_of_malta_se/characters/mathias)

_social_

Ferneze is the father of Lodowick, Mathias's rival, and is indirectly involved in the love triangle.

### [Abigail](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_jew_of_malta_se/characters/abigail)

_social_

Abigail interacts with Ferneze as a political figure, but their relationship is strained by Barabas's feud.

### [Barabas](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_jew_of_malta_se/characters/barabas)

_rivalry_

Ferneze, the Christian governor, confiscates Barabas's wealth, sparking a deadly feud.

### [Martin del Bosco](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_jew_of_malta_se/characters/martin_del_bosco)

_professional_

Ferneze allies with Martin del Bosco to resist Turkish demands and strengthen Malta's defenses.

### [Mathias](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_jew_of_malta_se/characters/mathias)

_social_

Ferneze is the father of Lodowick, Mathias's rival, and is indirectly involved in the love triangle.

### [Abigail](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_jew_of_malta_se/characters/abigail)

_social_

Abigail interacts with Ferneze as a political figure, but their relationship is strained by Barabas's feud.

### [Barabas](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_jew_of_malta_se/characters/barabas)

_rivalry_

Ferneze, the Christian governor, confiscates Barabas's wealth, sparking a deadly feud.

### [Martin del Bosco](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_jew_of_malta_se/characters/martin_del_bosco)

_professional_

Ferneze allies with Martin del Bosco to resist Turkish demands and strengthen Malta's defenses.

### [Abigail](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_jew_of_malta_se/characters/abigail)

_social_

Abigail interacts with Ferneze as a political figure, but their relationship is strained by Barabas's feud.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_jew_of_malta_se/characters/ferneze
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_jew_of_malta_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_jew_of_malta_se/characters