King Xerxes

Xerxes was the king of Persia who selected Esther as his queen without knowing she was Jewish. He valued loyalty and rewarded Mordecai after learning that Mordecai had exposed a plot against his life. Yet Xerxes could also be careless with enormous authority. He trusted Haman and signed an unchangeable decree without understanding that it would destroy Esther's people. When Esther bravely entered his court uninvited, he extended the golden scepter and listened to her requests. Her banquets and revelation forced him to see Haman's deception. Powerful, impulsive, and dependent on advisers, Xerxes could endanger an empire through an unchecked decision but could also act decisively when truth finally reached him.