Martin
LIT2120
18 March 2004
The Biblical account of Queen Esther portrays her as a hero among her people, the Jews. Although King Xerxes decreed that all Jews within his kingdom would be executed, Queen Esther used her position of limited authority and favor of the king to halt the execution. While this act is characteristically heroic, Joseph Campbell, author of The Hero with a Thousand Faces, demands more than just heroic acts to classify a hero. Additional qualities and encounters must be present. These hero qualities and encounters outlined within Campbell’s book include a significant birth, destiny, departure, initiation, tests and trials that can be found within the history of Queen Esther.
Although Esther was not born with a miraculous ability, she was born a beautiful Jew and was eventually adopted by her cousin, Mordecai, after the death of her mother and father. Esther’s beauty eventually granted her favor from King Xerxes. However, her Jewish decent stigmatized her within his kingdom. Therefore, she kept her nationality a secret from the people of the palace and King Xerxes as advised by Mordecai. These physical characteristics, in addition to her simply being born a woman, prepared Esther to be utilized by God in such a unique situation. Stephen Tyng, the author of The Captive Orphan, argues for Esther’s destiny while stating:
It was accomplished in God’s own way, and to attain the ends which God had himself designed. Whatever were the instruments or the means employed, it is still very apparent, that it was God who was putting down one [queen], and setting
Poland 2
up another. And the scheme which he had formed, was one of infinite love to his people, and to the child of grace, the daughter of the Lord Almighty, by whom he
designed to bless [the Jews] …She was to be a restorer to her people, a great blessing to her own captive nation (191).
Esther’s birth was significant in the sense that her physical characteristics predestined her for greatness.
Another hero quality that Campbell addresses in his book, The Hero with a Thousand Faces, is an experience of departure from society. This experience is exactly what occurs in Esther’s adventure. In order to replace Queen Vashti, King Xerxes made a decree that all of the beautiful, young, virgin women within his kingdom must present themselves to the king and stay at the palace. Consequently, Esther was forced to leave her family and home to venture into the king’s harem, and there she remained secluded from the society that she was familiar with. This example parallels Campbell’s ideas concerning departure. In the discussion of “the crossing of the first threshold,” Campbell writes, “beyond [society] is darkness, the unknown, and danger: just beyond the parental watch is danger to the infant and beyond the protection of [a hero’s] society danger to the member of the tribe” (78). Esther courageously complied with the king’s orders although she did not know what circumstances awaited her beyond the doors of the harem.
After entering the harem, Esther began to experience a trend of initiations. She was given seven maids to ensure that she received the beauty treatments that each young woman received before entering the king’s presence. This form of initiation lasted for twelve months with oil and myrrh treatments during the first half followed by another six months of perfumes and ointments (Esther 2:12). Although Campbell addresses the typical hero performing physical tasks during the initiation stage, he attributes this form
Poland 3
of initiation to masculine heroes. The initiation of a heroine, however, may differ. Esther’s bodily preparation for King Xerxes must have served as a form of initiation. She would not have gained Xerxes favor or the position of queen otherwise. Furthermore, Esther’s initiation may be credited to the aid of her attendants. In reference to the initiation stage, Campbell writes, “[The hero] here discovers for the first time that there is a benign power everywhere supporting him in his superhuman passage” (97). The maids support Esther by aiding in her preparation. Mordecai supports Esther by offering advice and delivering messages to her concerning the fate of the Jews. The Jewish people also come to Esther’s aid by fasting and praying for three days before she visits the king without invitation. Esther was surrounded by support and ultimately supported by God.
Although she did not travel a superhuman path, Queen Esther had superhuman support that aided her throughout her initiations, tests and trials. She believed that God had placed her in such a situation for a reason. From this belief, Esther withdrew the courage to stand up to Xerxes and reveal Haman’s plan to execute her people. It was custom of this time period that any uninvited visitor that approached the king’s throne, including the queen, would be executed unless the king welcomed him/her by holding out his gold scepter. The risk of life or death was a reality in Esther’s decision, and the Bible portrays her attitude in her reply, “Though it is against the law, I will go see the king. If I must die, I am willing to die” (Esther 4:15). On her second visit to the king’s throne, Esther requested of Xerxes, “If Your Majesty is pleased with me and wants to grant my request, my petition is that my life and the lives of my people be spared. For my people and I have been sold to those who would kill, slaughter, and annihilate us” (Esther 7:3).
Poland 4
Not only did King Xerxes overlook Esther’s uninvited presence, but he also overlooked Esther’s nationality that she had kept hidden for so long. He was astonished to hear that someone wanted to harm her and agreed to protect her and her people while executing Haman instead. Therefore, Esther’s great courage and faith ultimately enabled her to save the Jews, and her successfully completion of these tests or trials prove that she is a competent hero figure.
Considering the fact that Esther defied the rigid social and political laws of a time period where women were expected to be totally subordinate to men, the outcome of Esther’s heroic actions were radical. Likewise, Esther’s heroic qualities and experiences differ slightly from Campbell’s masculine expectations of a hero figure, but her significant birth, destiny, departure, initiation, tests and trials can, overall, contribute to Esther’s classification as a historical heroine.
Poland 5
Works Cited
Bible. New Living Translation: Book of Esther.
Campbell, Joseph. The Hero with a Thousand Faces. Princeton: Princeton University
Press. 1973.
Tyng, Stephen H. The Captive Orphan. 2nd ed. New York: R. Carter.1860.