Literary Devices in Book of Esther
Symbolism, Imagery, Allegory
Setting
The Book of Esther is set in exile. The Jews have already weathered some pretty tough and crazy Babylonian kings, but have endured long enough to see more kindly Persian rulers. However, the kindli...
Genre
Like Daniel, Esther is an example of a short story from the ancient Hebrews. It's one continuous tale, as well. Whereas Daniel is comprised of a bunch of different stories (all from the lives of Da...
What's Up With the Title?
The title comes from the name of its heroine, Esther—that's pretty clear. Yet, it's also significant. Mordecai gets as much stage time as Esther, but the book isn't named "Mordecai"—even though...
What's Up With the Ending?
The happy ending to Esther is the key to the whole story. It's what everyone's waiting for, the moment of the big turn-around. Haman and Mordecai change places. Haman hangs on the gallows he built...
Trivia
Some Jewish interpreters in the Middle Ages saw Esther as being about the influences of planets on earthly events: Esther and Mordecai symbolized the good planets Venus and Jupiter, while Haman and...
Sex Drugs And Violence Rating
Esther isn't too graphic, but any book that prominently features a massacre (in this case, both a failed one and a successful one) is obviously going to be something more than PG-13 rated. The Book...
Allusions
Jean Racine, EstherJean Racine was considered the master of French tragedy in his day (the seventeenth-century day, that is). However, his play about Esther isn't all that tragic. After all, Esther...