Potiphar's wife

According to the Book of Genesis, she falsely accused Joseph of attempted rape after he rejected her sexual advances, resulting in his imprisonment.

[1] In Genesis she is given no name, but in later medieval Jewish sources and Islamic tradition, she is identified as Zuleikha (/zuːˈleɪkɑː/ zoo-LAY-kah; Hebrew: זוליכה; Arabic: زُلَيْخَا, romanized: zulayḵā).

And it came to pass, when his master heard the words of his wife, which she spoke unto him, saying: "After this manner did thy servant to me"; that his wrath was kindled.

They encountered her husband at the door, to whom she cried, "What's the penalty for someone who intended harm to your family, if not imprisonment or a severe punishment?"

It seemed good to them, after they had seen the proofs, to imprison him for a time.The Sefer haYashar adds more lurid details to Potiphar's wife's character.

She tried to seduce Joseph with fine garments, delicious viands and amorous words but when these attempts failed, she resorted to threats.

One day, she saw her friends cutting themselves with knives whilst they peeled oranges due to Joseph's appearance.

For Rumi, Zuleikha's obsession with Joseph is a symptom and manifestation of the soul's great deep longing for God.

[citation needed] Scholars such as Meir Sternberg (1985) characterise the woman's repetitive behaviour towards Joseph as sexual assault.

[5] Secular feminist perspectives that are not trying to understand the biblical perspective but are critical of the patriarchal nature of the myth as part of broader textual criticism of the Old Testament have argued the woman is trying to assert herself as a person who makes her own choices instead of remaining an object owned by her husband, and invites Joseph to join her in this action which the narrative frames as a 'sin'.

[5] Simultaneously, however, she abuses her position of power as the slave master's wife to coerce Joseph into sex, and to punish him for refusal.

[5] Susan Tower Hollis (1989) demonstrated that the narrative of Potiphar's wife "is in line with certain ancient folk-tales", where a "woman makes vain overtures to a man and then accuses him of attempting to force her", with the man "unjustly punished for his alleged attempt to seduce the woman.

"[5] Rachel Adelman suggests that both Potiphar and his wife were sexually attracted to Joseph and planned to assault him.

But the angels castrated Potiphar, according to Talmudic legend, whilst his wife proceeded her plot so that Joseph could be the "Jewish hero" that resists the "bear".

Others believe the story is a typical seduction/adultery plot, which was common in Hellenistic literature, and a criticism of assimilation in Egyptian society.