Sociological World Of Vashti: Text Analysis

Socio-Historical Criticism

Understanding the historical context within the text can provide clues to the sociological world of Vashti. Starting with the fortress, Shushan, in verse five, a geographic location for the text can be extrapolated. Located in modern day Iran, on the banks of the Tigris River, Shushan, also known as Susa, lies close to the convergence of the Euphrates River and the Tigris. The city also claims a prime location on the Mesopotamian plain at the foot of the Zagros mountains. Centrally located between Mesopotamia and modern day Afghanistan and Pakistan, several important trade routes wound through Shushan.

Pinpointing a timeframe from the text alone is ineffective. Shushan’s archaeological evidence points to a timeframe of existence extending back to at least 3900 BCE. However, the timeframe in the text maps to the time of Xerxes I of Persia, based on similar motifs in Greek works of the same writing

timeframe. Shushan, in the fifth century, stood as Persia’s administrative and winter capital. The royal fortress, built by Darius, rose above the unwalled city on an acropolis, with a canal separating the two.
Considering the names in the text as historical develops into an unproductive effort. Although some commentators align Ahasuerus with Xerxes I or his son Artaxerxes I of the Persian Empire, others hold Ahasuerus as a fictional character. Other sources pair Vashti with Xerxes’ wife Amestris, however some commentators believe Vashti is non-historical as purely a literary character. The names of the eunuchs present as false for a comedic purpose in the story, according to researchers. Without sound archaeological evidence, leaning on names in this passage for historical clues is found ineffectual, as many commentators assert.
The text only offers one clue to its historical setting. Excepting the name of the fortress, Shushan, these eight verses could be found in a multitude of literary works, ranging from Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings to Martin’s Game of Thrones to Aesop’s Fables. However, a few sociological clue exist in the text. In verse five, the writer mentions a social hierarchy, “all the people who lived in the fortress Shushan, high and low alike.” One marker of class distinction is found between high and low. Although the invitation goes out to “all,” a clear difference exists. In addition, one source questioned whether “people” referred to only males, revealing an understood gender separation in the text. A second marker of class distinction rests in the separation between residents of the fortress and residents of the unwalled city. Not only were the two parts of Shushan separated by protective walls, they were also separated by height. The acropolis upon which the royal palace sat rose approximately fifty feet above the lower city, visually reinforcing the class distinction.
Exploring the history of when and how the text was composed could be more fruitful. Most likely written toward the late fifth century BCE, toward the end of the Persian period and amid the rise of Hellenism, the overall story of Esther appears to be an adaptation of popular Greek court intrigue stories. Functioning as a Diaspora-nouvelle, Esther gives authorization to the observance of Purim. However, the eight verses in question remain aloof from this other than to set the main plot in motion.
Chapter 1 especially portrays a royal court much in line with how fourth century BCE Greek authors at the time saw the Persian empire from a distance of a hundred years. At the time of Xerxes I, the Persian empire was the largest kingdom in the that part of the world, ranging from India to Greece to Egypt. Yet, at the time Esther was written, the Persian empire was in decline, and commonly viewed as mediocre, lenient, and licentious by Greek writers. Combining a familiar tale with a desire to connect the Jewish holiday of Purim, Esther’s authors tapped into a ready-made mechanism to promote Jewish solidarity among the community.
Examining a Persian court, through the eyes of a Greek author, might provide more contextualization for the world in which Vashti walked.

Royal Persian banquets fulfilled more than one purpose. Deriving their displays of opulence from the Assyrian empire, banquets at the Persian king’s palace showcased the spread of the empire. Displays of wealth, tributes from the kingdom’s provinces, and the realty of the king’s control boasted of the empire’s economic and political domination. Banquets were held both in large halls built for assemblies and colonnaded pavilions outside the palace. Even as large as Shushan’s palace was, King Ahasuerus’ seven-day banquet might have taken seven days to accommodate all the people living in the fortress city, similar to a public reception. The lush fabrics, metals, and stone of the garden pavilion and the flowing wine provided in opulent drinking vessels worked in tandem to convey Ahasuerus’ status as king to banquet attendees. Sociologically, the banquet became a mechanism of securing value and

honor.
Herodotus, a Greek contemporary of Xerxes and Artaxerxes, related in his historical writings that royal Persian parties were known for excessive drinking of wine. Critical decisions were sometimes made by officials while drinking, then those decisions were reconsidered later, when the officials became sober. Varying “drinking rules” expose a sociological set of expectations for ceremonial gatherings such as banquets. Another expectation related to banquets concerns the separation of the sexes. At male-only parties, like King Ahasuerus’ seven-day banquet in verse five, wives and women of upper class status were not allowed to be present. Keeping the genders separated at royal banquets protected the honor of female nobility; only dancing girls and concubines were admitted.
In conclusion, a few clues to the socio-historical world of Vashti are available from within the text. More connections are extrapolated from the author’s timeframe, looking back about a hundred years. Understanding the nature of a Persian royal court grants a glimpse into sociological ramifications of the exchange between Ahasuerus and Vashti, as well as how their exchange prepares the reader for the rest of the story of Esther.