Genre
Medieval Poetry
Setting and Context
The setting is in Biblical times in Israel as the Israelites are threatened by the Assyrian army
Narrator and Point of View
Third person narrator telling the story with a bias towards Judith
Tone and Mood
Inspirational and war-like, threatening and dangerous
Protagonist and Antagonist
Judith is the protagonist, the Assyrians are the antagonists
Major Conflict
The major conflict is between the Hebrew army led by Judith and the invading Assyrian force
Climax
Judith inspires her army to great valor and to victory by parading
Foreshadowing
Judith's prediction that she is about to be seduced by Holofernes comes true and this foreshadows his demise at her hands
Understatement
Judith is described as courageous which is an understatement as she is the most valiant warrior her army has ever been led by
Allusions
The poem alludes frequently to earlier Old Testament characters
Imagery
The imagery shows Judith as an emissary of God since although she is a bloodthirsty killer for her country and her King she believes that she is doing what God wants her to do and in this way she is shown as a messenger of God
Paradox
At the same time she is said to be a warrior and brace soldier of unmatched courage and a nurturing woman with no equal.
Parallelism
There is a parallel between the situation of Israel being invaded by the Assyrians and the invasion of Anglo saxon la SS by the Vikings at the time of the writing of the poem
Metonymy and Synecdoche
The Assyrians actually represents Holofernes as he is the key player and the leader of the nation
Personification
There are no major examples of personification in the poem
