The Book of Esther begins with a bunk marriage—the marriage between King Ahasuerus and Queen Vashti—and later involves a different one, when Esther becomes the new queen. That second marriage is a tough one to riddle out. What, after, all is the nature of the union between Esther and Ahasuerus? They don't necessarily seem to spend much time together, aside from their first night and a couple of banquets…
And then there's the question of Haman's marriage. That's a bag of worms we won't attempt to sort out at length, but it's interesting. Haman and his wife might be either a pair of monsters who are perfect for each other, or they might be two self-interested people who really don't care about each other, but are working towards the same power-play.
Questions About Marriage
- What went wrong with Ahasuerus's first marriage? Can you speculate what the problems would've been (including but beyond trying to show his wife off in public)?
- Do Esther and King Ahasuerus have a loving marriage? How is their marriage different from your typical marriage today?
- What about Haman's marriage? Do we get any sense of what the bond is between him and his wife? How do they get along? What holds them together?
- How do you think Esther and King Ahasuerus got along after she foiled Haman's plan? (Feel free to speculate wildly.)