The Knights of Malta

Abstract

The Knight of Malta is a Jacobean era stage play, a tragicomedy in the canon of John Fletcher and his collaborators. It was initially published in the first Beaumont and Fletcher folio of 1647. The play is set on Malta, in the era when the Knights of Malta used that island as their base in their conflict with the Ottoman Empire. The action opens with a soliloquy by the play's villain, Mountferrat, a French member of the Order. Mountferrat, one of the Order's most formidable warriors, has reached a point in his life when he is no longer willing or able to adhere to his monastic vows. He maintains a sexual relationship with an African serving woman, Zanthia; more recklessly, he has also been propositioning Oriana, sister to Valletta, the Grand Master of the Order. Oriana has spurned his overtures, though she has kept them secret to avoid a scandal that would damage the Order's reputation. Zanthia, a longtime servant of Oriana, has learned to imitate her mistress's handwriting, in a plan to use that skill against Oriana.