Esther Esther is the eponymous heroine of the Book of Esther. In the Achaemenid Empire, the Persian king Ahasuerus seeks a new wife after his queen, Vashti, is deposed for disobeying him. Hadassah, a Jewess who goes by the name of Esther, is chosen ...

'' is a play in three acts written in 1689 by the French dramatist,

Jean Racine Jean-Baptiste Racine ( , ) (; 22 December 163921 April 1699) was a French dramatist, one of the three great playwrights of 17th-century France, along with Molière and Corneille as well as an important literary figure in the Western traditi ...

. It was premièred on January 26, 1689, performed by the pupils of the Maison royale de Saint-Louis, an educational institute for young girls of noble birth. The subject is taken from the biblical Book of Esther. ''Esther'' remains one of Racine's lesser known works as it has only three instead of the classical five acts. It dates from the last period of his career when he entered government work and was requested by

Madame de Maintenon Madame may refer to: * Madam, civility title or form of address for women, derived from the French * Madam (prostitution), a term for a woman who is engaged in the business of procuring prostitutes, usually the manager of a brothel * ''Madame'' ( ...

to return to liturgical drama. It is often negatively compared to Racine's 1691 biblical play written for Maintenon, ''

Athalie ''Athalie'' (, sometimes translated ''Athalia'') is a 1691 play, the final tragedy of Jean Racine, and has been described as the masterpiece of "one of the greatest literary artists known" and the "ripest work" of Racine's genius. Charles Augus ...

.''

Later reception

From the 1876 translation of Caroline Andrews:

In the reign of
Louis XIV , house = Bourbon , father = Louis XIII , mother = Anne of Austria , birth_date = , birth_place = Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye, Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France , death_date = , death_place = Palace of Ver ...
, a seminary for young ladies was founded at St. Cyr, at the persuasion of Madame Maintenon, who gave her entire attention to the education of 250 noble young ladies; who were educated free of expense until their 20th year. Racine was requested to compose a poem suitable for their instruction and amusement, and he proposed the subject of
Esther Esther is the eponymous heroine of the Book of Esther. In the Achaemenid Empire, the Persian king Ahasuerus seeks a new wife after his queen, Vashti, is deposed for disobeying him. Hadassah, a Jewess who goes by the name of Esther, is chosen ...
; which he dramatized to the satisfaction of teachers and pupils, and which they declaimed and chanted with so much grace and modesty, that this little drama, intended only for the benefit of young pupils, became the admiration of king and court. Grand lords saw and applauded. As the translator has followed closely the original, she hopes to recommend the same to the attention of lady educators. And knowing that the
Jews Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
in the celebration of their
Purim Purim (; , ; see Name below) is a Jewish holiday which commemorates the saving of the Jewish people from Haman, an official of the Achaemenid Empire who was planning to have all of Persia's Jewish subjects killed, as recounted in the Book ...
always read the book of Esther, it is thought the rehearsal of this drama might make a deeper impression on the minds of their youth and contribute to their entertainment.

Testimonial: The following testimonial from
Rabbi A rabbi () is a spiritual leader or religious teacher in Judaism. One becomes a rabbi by being ordained by another rabbi – known as ''semikha'' – following a course of study of Jewish history and texts such as the Talmud. The basic form of ...
Wise of
Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...
,
Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...
: "The English version of ''Esther'' by Mrs. Andrews is a masterpiece in my estimation, full of magnificent gems and faithful to the original."

List of characters

*Ahasuerus, ''King of Persia'' *Esther, ''Queen of Persia'' *Mordecai, ''Uncle to Esther'' *Haman, ''Favorite of Ahasuerus'' *Zeresh, ''Wife of Haman'' *Hydaspes, ''Officer in the King's Palace'' *Asaph, ''another Officer of the King'' *Elise, ''a Confidante of Esther'' *Tamar, ''of the Suite of Esther'' *Guards, ''of King Ahasuerus'' *Chorus, ''of Israelite Maidens''

References

* Andrews, Caroline, trans. ''Esther: a Drama'' Philadelphia, 1876 * ''Jean Racine (1639-1699)'' Theater Database, Oct. 20 2007 .
Esther

Esther, a tragedy adapted and partially translated from the French of Jean Racine
{{Authority control 1689 plays Cultural depictions of Esther Plays by Jean Racine Plays based on the Bible

Later reception

List of characters

See also

References