According to the Book of Genesis (21:9-21), Hagar and Ishmael, the illegitimate son she bore to Abraham, were cast out from the house of Abraham and left to wander aimlessly in the desert. When their water was entirely consumed, Hagar abandoned her child because she could not bear to watch him die. Hearing the child’s cries, God sent an angel to inform Hagar that he would protect them, and that her son would be the founder of a new nation. In Islamic tradition, Ishmael is regarded as the patriarch of several Arab tribes and the forefather of the prophet Mohammed.

Rosa was a playwright as well as an artist. By setting the story in a forest, rather than the desert, he ratchets up the drama, contrasting the dark, foreboding forest with the heavenly light that spotlights the main figures and signifies God’s presence.