There's plenty of manipulation afoot in Esther. In a negative way, Haman manipulates the king into approving genocide (though, that sort of stretches the definition of manipulation since he essentially just asks the king point-blank if he can do it). And in a positive way, Esther manipulates the king and gets him to throw two banquets, which she uses to convince him to end the plot to kill Mordecai. So, there's a little manipulation here, a little there—and it all comes out well in the end.
Questions About Manipulation
- To what extent does Haman manipulate King Ahasuerus, and to what extent is Ahasuerus just a bad guy who jumps on the opportunity for genocide like it's nothing?
- Conversely, to what extent does Esther manipulate the king? Is she pretty sincere in her dealings overall?
- Why doesn't Esther request King Ahasuerus to kill Haman at the first banquet? What's the point of waiting through two banquets?
- Is King Ahasuerus unusually easy to manipulate? What does this say about his character?