Queen Vashti & Queen Esther

In Chapter 43 of Far From The Madding Crowd, the phrase "Esther to this poor Vashti is a biblical comparison. It exposes a dramatic change in Bathsheba's position in Sergeant Troy's eyes. 

Both Esther and Vashti are queens from Biblical book of Esther.  Vasti was the first queen of King Xerexxes, the ruler of Achaemenid Empire. She loses the King's favour and was removed. Esther became the queen and gained king's affection.  So the expression "Esther to this poor Vashti" means one woman replacing the other in affection, favour, or status. 

At this point in the novel Bathsheba realizes that Troy's feelings have shifted towards the memory of Fanny Robin.  Bathsheba feels displaced. 
Hardy's comparison suggests:-

• Bathsheba has become Vashti, the neglected queen.
• Fanny even in death becomes like Esther -- the woman who enjoys Troy's emotional devotion. 
The phrase reflects jealousy, emotional dethronement and the painful realisation that love has shifted towards Fanny. 

It is characteristic of Hardy's style: Biblical reference to express situations poetically. 

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