 |
Jafar says: Read my lips and come to grips with the reality! This article is a stub and is in need of expansion. You can help Villains Wiki by expanding it. |
Jezebel was one of the many antagonists in 1 and 2 Book of Kings of the Hebrew Bible (also known as the Old Testament). However, due to the unique nature of her crimes and alleged promiscuity, she is considered to be the most infamous.
History
In the book of 1st and 2nd Kings she is the wife of the wicked King Ahab who was king of Israel. She is the archenemy of the prophet Elijah and has been known for several clashes with him.
She has many of God's prophets killed and tried to kill Elijah when he slew her prophets of Baal.
She also indirectly murders Naboth, a man who owned a vine yard because her husband desired it. So she has him stoned after she used two false witnesses to accuse him of blasphemy. Elijah then tells Ahab that God will punish him and the Phoencian princess.
The death of Jezebel, by artist Gustav Dore.
Ahab is later slain in battle and Jehu heads towards Jezebel. In an attempt to save her life, she paints her eyes and waits at the window. Jehu then orders his men to toss her out of the window. She dies and dogs eat her remains.
Trivia
- She is similar to Lady Macbeth from William Shakespeare's Macbeth, who, like Jezebel, manipulates her weak husband Macbeth into commiting evil. This similarity is likely intentional, though not definite, since Shakespeare makes frequent Biblical references in his works.
- Her father was Ithobaal I, a former devout priest of Astarte, who assassinated Phelles to acquire the throne. Being exposed to such actions (presumably as a child), this probably explained why Jezebel behaved the way she did in the Bible, according to Menander of Ephesus.