“the Jew” António José da Silva (1705–1739), often called "the Jew" (o Judeu), was a Portuguese writer whose comedies, farces, and operettas briefly revitalized the Portuguese theatre in a period of dramatic decadence.António José da Silva’s Jewish identity and the oppressive atmosphere of the Inquisition deeply shaped his plays, though he had to veil it in allegory and satire. His comedies often mocked abuse of power, hypocrisy, and corruption in church and state. Since open criticism was dangerous, he used allegorical characters, mythological settings, and puppetry (he often wrote for puppet theaters, which gave him more freedom). Many scholars see this as coded resistance to the Inquisition’s oppression of Jews and New Christians.His characters frequently face false accusations, arbitrary punishments, and absurd trials — reflections of his own experiences with the Inquisition. For example, in his play Guerras do Alecrim e da Manjerona (1737), disputes and trials are played out in comic form, but they echo the absurdity of inquisitorial trials.By writing comic plays full of music, satire, and fantastical settings, da Silva could mask serious social and religious critique. Audiences laughed, but those aware of the Jewish plight could read between the lines.