here (Esther Rabbah III 13, p. 54; Pfisterer Darr, p. 169). Given the nature of the festivities to which she has been summoned, however, it seems unnecessary to speculate beyond the obvious. (Would you go?) In any case, the author does not seem especially interested in her rationale for refusing Ahasuerus’s summons. No matter how curious we as readers are about Vashti, the narrative’s focus is inexorably on Ahasuerus. The point to which the whole narrative builds is this: In spite of the king’s immense