Act 3 — SCENE III

Place: The palace gate.

Characters: Haman, Mordecai, Servants, Esther.

[Servants are standing and walking by the gate. Women come by carrying water jars. Mordecai stands apart from the crowd. Herald comes in.]

Herald: Bow the knee, bow the knee. The chief counselor, Haman, approacheth! Thus saith the King.

[Haman comes in. All bow to him except Mordecai.]

Haman [pointing to Mordecai]: Who is this man who doth not bow the knee to me?

First Servant: He is Mordecai, the Jew, my lord. [To Mordecai]: Why dost thou break the King's commandment?

Haman: Thou Jew! Dost thou think that thou art mightier than I, whom the King hath set above all the princes of the land? Thou shalt suffer for this. [Turns to servant.] Send letters unto all the King's provinces, to destroy, to kill, and to cause to perish all Jews, both young and old, little children and women, in one day—even upon the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, and to take the spoil of them for prey.

[Servant bows and goes away. Haman passes on, leaving Mordecai with two servants. Mordecai, in deep thought, walks anxiously up and down.]

Mordecai: I must see Queen Esther. Canst thou not take me to the Queen?

Second Servant [laughing scornfully]: Thinkest thou that the Queen will see thee?

Mordecai: Give the Queen this paper and say to her that I, Mordecai, the Jew, bid her come to me.

[Servant withdraws.]

Mordecai [walking, talks to himself]: Israel, O Israel, my people! You shall not perish. Esther, your Queen, will save you.

[Enter Esther.]

Esther: Mordecai, my uncle, why art thou here? Thou lookest unhappy. Hath aught happened to thee?

Mordecai: Yea, Esther, I am unhappy. I have sorrowful news to tell thee.

Esther: Chamberlains, withdraw! Speak, Mordecai; tell me quickly. It may be that I can help thee.

Mordecai: Esther, thou canst help me, and thou art the only one who can. Haman, the King's counselor, hateth the Jews—thy people and mine. He hath sent a decree over all the country commanding that every Jew, both old and young, little children and women, be killed on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month. Esther, thou must save thy people and thyself? Thou must go before the King and beg of him that he spare thy people.

[Esther shows great distress.]

Esther: Oh, what shall I do? Dost thou not know that for one who dareth to go before the presence of the King, if the King hath not called him, there is certain death; except to whom the King shall hold out the golden scepter—he may live? I have not been called to come in unto the King these thirty days. He will surely put me to death for such boldness.

Mordecai: Thou must go unto the King even so. Think not that thou wilt escape death from Haman because thou art in the King's house. Who knoweth but that thou hast been made Queen for such a time as this!

Esther [after thinking deeply]: Go, gather together all the Jews that are present in Shushan, and fast ye for me, and neither eat nor drink for three days, night or day, I also and my maidens will fast likewise—and so I will go in unto the King, which is not according to the law, and if I perish, I perish.

Mordecai: May the Lord go with thee!