Esther 1-2 The Backstory

The first two chapters of Esther are basically setup for the rest of the book. Aẖashverosh (or Xerxes 1) threw a great feast for all of the administration within his empire. At the end of that feast he was humiliated by his wife. He divorced her on the spot. That set up an opening for a replacement. Esther was finally chosen and elevated to the status of queen. Esther's cousin, Mordecai discovered and exposed a plot to assassinate the king.