Mordecai

Mordecai is a central Jewish figure in the biblical Book of Esther. Living in the Persian capital of Susa, he raises his cousin Esther and later uncovers a plot against the king.

His refusal to bow to Haman precipitates the crisis that threatens the Jewish population, while his advice to Esther and eventual elevation at court help bring about the reversal celebrated in the story of Purim. Mordecai is Esther’s kinsman and guardian in the Book of Esther whose conflict with Haman precipitates the crisis at the Persian court.

In Angela Hunt’s Esther, Hadassah is taken from the protection of her cousin Mordecai and absorbed into the Persian king’s search for a new queen. Renamed Esther and trained for court, she learns to survive through restraint while trying to understand a husband who possesses vast authority but remains vulnerable to flattery and manipulation. When Haman turns his grievance against Mordecai into a decree threatening the empire’s Jews, Esther can no longer keep her identity private.