Later reception
From the 1876 translation of Caroline Andrews:In the reign ofLouis 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 Vers ..., 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 ofEsther 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 theJews 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 theirPurim Purim (; , ; see Name below) is a Jewish holiday which commemorates the saving of the Jews, 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 Boo ...always read thebook of Esther The Book of Esther ( he, מְגִלַּת אֶסְתֵּר, Megillat Esther), also known in Hebrew language, Hebrew as "the Scroll" ("the wikt:מגילה, Megillah"), is a book in the third section (, "Writings") of the Judaism, Jewish ''Tanak ..., 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 fromRabbi 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 ofCincinnati 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''See also
*References
* Andrews, Caroline, trans. ''Esther: a Drama'' Philadelphia, 1876 * ''Jean Racine (1639-1699)'' Theater Database, Oct. 20 2007