Assignment task:
Evaluate the gender theme in the book of Esther. In your essay, address relationships/connections/interactions between:
Vashti and the males in chapter 1
Esther and Mordechai
Esther and the king
Haman and Zeresh (if you can)
Specifically:
1. Does the king in ch. 1 wield his power well?
2. How does the text develop the power relationship between Esther and Mordechai in ch. 4? How does Esther's personality change over the course of the chapter?
3. What methods does Esther use to get her way with the king? Do her methods change at any point? Why?
4. Does Haman wield his power successfully? Is he dependent on Zeresh, his advisors, or both, and in what proportions?