The first part of the book opens in a palace filled with pomp and lavish displays of wealth. There are three banquets: one hosted by the king for the nobles, courtiers, and generals (2-4); another for the ordinary people (5); and a third arranged by the queen for the women of the palace (9). In all three cases, the narrator says the purpose of the banquets is to showcase the kingdom’s power, wealth, and splendor. The setting shows the king’s desire to share his wealth with his official wife, Queen Vashti (11), who outright refuses his request (12). This defiance angers the king and leads to her being overthrown for her rebellion.
A female perspective on this incident will likely see Vashti’s attitude as representing all women throughout history who have had to endure and survive patriarchal domination that views them only as sexual, commercial, and mercantile objects. Vashti disappears from the scene. We don’t even know the circumstances under which she refused to appear before the king; however, we are left with the testimony of a woman who was capable of disobeying an order from the great lord and owner of all the territory “from India to Nubia,” and not only of the territory but also of its people.