Everett Fox argued that the wrestling scene in both symbolized and resolved beforehand Jacob's meeting with Esau in , much as William Shakespeare’s prebattle dream scenes did in his plays "Julius Caesar", "Richard III", and "Macbeth". The struggle motif, introduced in , returned in , but Fox argued that Jacob's whole life and personality were at stake, as despite his recent material successes, they were still under the pall of Esau's curse in . Fox concluded that the name change in was central, suggesting both victory in the struggle and the emergence of a new power.