Queen Esther

Saint Pope John Paul II spoke of outstanding women in salvation history: "The Old Testament makes us admire some extraordinary women who, under the impulse of the Spirit of God, participate in the struggles and triumphs of Israel or contribute to its salvation" (Saint Pope John Paul II, 3/27/1996).  

Of women mentioned by the Holy Father in that article, I previously looked at Miriam (Moses' sister), Deborah and Jael from Judges, the prophetess Huldah, and Judith.  

Next mentioned by the Holy Father was Esther, who was operating "in a cultural framework of violence":

The Book of Esther tells a story of the deliverance of the Jewish people. We are shown a Persian emperor, Ahasuerus...who makes momentous decisions for trivial reasons, and his wicked minister, Haman, who takes advantage of the king’s compliance to pursue a personal vendetta....The threat is averted by two Jews, Esther and [her uncle] Mordecai....

[Esther] "rises to the challenge to risk her life for the salvation of her people. At that point, she transforms her status as queen from a position of personal privilege to one of power and public responsibility [as per introductory material to the book of Esther on the USCCB web site].

Though Esther may be familiar even to many from One Night with the King, I actually find Esther to be the superior film.  It clearly tells how she became queen and used her position to save her people.