Enterlude of the Godly Queen Hester, & a short purim play

Englisch / Anglais / English The anonymous English Enterlude of Godly Queene Hester (c. 1529) is a fascinating play, unperformed since the sixteenth century: it was written for performance by boys, and will be staged by internationally renowned boys' company Edward's Boys. Ostensibly in praise of Esther, heroine of Jewish history, the play is actually a political satire about events in English history, especially the demise of Cardinal Wolsey. The fall of Wolsey, who had been the monarch's right-hand man, was a key moment in the reign of Henry VIII. Assuerus, King of Persia, stands for Henry, while Aman, the model of the evil counsellor, is Wolsey. Henry's wife, Catherine of Aragon, is idealised in the figure of Hester, who fills a traditional role for virtuous royal women by interceding with her husband, but also boldly argues that queens should exhibit the same virtues as kings and can perfectly well govern kingdoms when their husbands are away fighting wars. She thus anticipates the strong secular heroines of Shakespearean comedy. The purim plays, still a living tradition in Jewish communities, tell the story of Esther in a very different mode, celebrating the rescue of the Jewish people by their heroine in farcical style.