Judith

Major Dramatic Question: A possible major dramatic question for Judith by Howard Barker could be, “Does Holefernes want Judith to kill him?” From the start of the play the characters are engaged in a battle of wits, and it seems like he is using these two strangers to confess some of his actions in battle.  Which says something there, why would he feel comfortable telling two people he did not know about his inner struggles? Maybe he knew that he could talk to them truthfully because he knew either she would die tonight or he would.  He puts himself in a very vulnerable position by “falling asleep” in her lap, BUT he isn’t actually asleep.  Once the women thought he was sleeping hey started talking about killing Holefernes and he could obviously hear them, which means he then knew of their plan.  Keeping his eyes closed he inform them that he isn’t sleeping, but he remains calm the whole time.  So there is a possibility that Holefernes, a trained killer, could see the intent in Judith’s eyes when she walked into the tent, therefore allowing him to let his guard down and by remaining calm when he lets the women know he heard their plans of killing him that shows that he was okay with it.  It was almost like him giving the okay.

John Michael Moore