Reading Esther as Heroine: Persian Banquets, Ethnic Cleansing, and Identity Crisis

Abstract

Various historical witnesses attest to the lavishness of Persian banquets. An overwhelmingly disproportionate number of these banquet scenes glut the Esther narrative to obviate against this motif's presence as simply literary garnishment or mere critique of Persian decadence. Rather, these banquet scenes coincide with typical motifs of hero myths to serve a literary function that advances the narrative's plot. The banquet motif underscores the typical hero motifs present to inform a reading of the Esther narrative as hero myth and its portrayal of Esther as heroine though not ostensibly so. Narrative analysis will also detail how this unlikely heroine saves the Jews from a villainous plot of ethnic genocide and subsequently redeems the tarnished reputation of the House of Saul. Final thoughts address the potential cultural function of Esther as heroine who models for diasporic Jews a guide to success with identity crisis.

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