TO UNDERSTAND THE SCENE

Esther before Ahasuerus;  Giovanni Andrea SIRANI; 1630s;Oil on canvas, Museum of Fine Arts, Budapest

WGA

The Book of Esther, chapter 5

Esther is a young beautiful Jewish girl, exiled in Babylon with the whole people of Israel. King Ahasuerus, who is looking for a wife, chooses her for his queen but she conceals her Jewish origin. Her uncle Mordecai, a loyal subject of the king, denounces a plot and saves his sovereign. But he meets the anger of the High Vizier, Haman, in front of whom he refuses to bow down. Mordecai then decides to ask Esther to intervene to save her people.

She decides to go herself to the palace though it is forbidden, even to the queen, to appear without being invited. She has put on her most beautiful jewels,
”And being gloriously adorned, after she had called upon God, who is the beholder and saviour of all things.” (Esther, apocrypha 15:2)

The king, at first furious, is overcome with compassion in front of Esther who faints:

Then the king said to her, What do you want, queen Esther? and what is your request? it shall be given to you up to half of the kingdom. And Esther answere:, If it seems good to the king, let the king and Haman come this day to the banquet that I have prepared for him. Then the king said, Cause Haman to make haste, that he may do as Esther has said.

During the night, King Ahasuerus, who suffers from insomnia, discovers, when consulting the archives, that he has been rescued by Mordecai. During the supper organised by Esther, the king extols Mardocai who reveals to him that he is a Jew; so is Esther.

He asks him to suppress the decree of extermination prepared by Haman. The latter is confounded and hanged up; the Jews are saved and the king allows them to defend themselves against their aggressors.

(Esther 5:3-5)

Comment

Esther’s story takes place during the ordeal of the Exile in Babylon in the 5^th century BC under the reign of Xerxes, whom the Jews call Ahasuerus. It is the fictionalized story of a beautiful woman who is going to save her people from extermination. Her Persian name means “star” but the Jews refer it to “seter”, that is to say “secret” since the young woman conceals her Jewish origin until the final unexpected turn of events. This shows that God also acts in a secret manner.

A King and a Queen : Esther and Ahasuerus

The Middle-Ages transformed the scene into a possibly typical Court ceremony.

Esther is received by King Ahasuerus who touches her with his sceptre. She is in a position of total submission.

Esther’s fainting is also another way to treat the meeting.

Esther is the national Jewish heroine par excellence since she has saved her people from genocide.

She is celebrated every year at Purim, on the 13th and 14^th of the month of Adar, in February or March. The name of “purim” means “lots” since the vizier Haman had fixed by lot the day when the Jews were to be killed. This is a very popular feast taking the form of a true carnival with masquerades and theatrical performances. Disguised children distribute gifts to the poor, grown-ups organise washed down banquets. It is the opportunity to exercise Jewish humour and to laugh at a persecutor.

Esther has also inspired a certain number of Christian writers, among them Jean Racine who wrote a tragedy in her honour in 1689.

The play, enhancing the value of sacrifice and will, was intended for the demoiselles of Saint-Cyr, a school founded by Madame de Maintenon near Versailles.