Essay Questions

What strategy does Herod employ to guarantee his occupancy of the throne?

Machiavellianism: Alexandra states, “That seat that hath by Judah’s race been famed. /Thou fatal enemy to royal blood,/Did not the murder of my boy suffice,/ To stop thy cruel mouth that gaping stood, But must thou dim the mild Hircanus’ eyes (Act 1, Scene 2, Lines, 90-94). Herod is a Machiavellian figure who indifferently assassinates Alexandra’s son and Hircanus to surge his chances of occupying the throne. He is self-centred for he does not consider the repercussions of his brutality on his wife and Alexandra.

Expound the import of Alexandra’s allusion to Jacob and Esau’s story.

Alexandra declares, “Was he not Esau’s issue, heir of hell? /Then what succession can he have but shame?/ Did not his ancestor his birth-right sell? /Oh yes, he doth from Edom’s name derive” (Act 1, Scene 2, Lines, 100-103). The allusion is based on the Old Testament chronicle vis-à-vis Esau’s forfeiture of his birthright. Here, Alexandra implies that Herod is not apposite for the throne for he is an offspring of Esau, yet the throne is earmarked for Jacob’s offspring.

Deconstruct Babas’ First son's misgivings about “Herod’s death”.

Babas’ First Son asserts, “Yet do I fear this tale of Herod’s death/ At last will prove a very tale indeed:/ It gives me strongly in my mind,4 his breath / Will be preserved to make a number bleed:/ I wish not therefore to be set at large,/ Yet peril to myself I do not fear” (Act 2, Scene 2 Lines 147-149). The son’s unconscious dread of Herod does not diminish after the news that Herod could be deceased. The fear could be accredited to his sixth sense which has been vigilant all through ever since Herod endorsed their homicide. For the son, his survival and Herod’s survival are mutually exclusive for if Herod is alive, he would inevitably demand they be slain. Besides, the distress could be ascribed to boundless anxiety.