About the work
Esther is a three-act tragedy with choral singing by Jean Racine, first performed on 26 January 1689 at the girls' school of Saint-Cyr. Racine wrote it at the request of Madame de Maintenon, Louis XIV's wife and the school's founder, as a biblical teaching play for its pupils; the choruses were set to music by Jean-Baptiste Moreau.
Plot
The Jewish Esther is secretly married to the Persian king Ahasuerus, who does not know her origins. When the minister Haman pushes through a decree to destroy all Jews in the kingdom, Esther risks her life by appearing before the king unsummoned and exposing Haman as the true author of the plot. The king has Haman executed and saves the Jewish people.
Cultural significance
Esther was performed several times before the court between January and February 1689 and earned Racine appointment as Gentilhomme ordinaire du roi. The school play's success encouraged Racine, two years later, to write a second biblical work for Saint-Cyr, Athalie.