Judith Flashcards
what is the term for the start of the poem not having a beginning (head)
acephalous
what is the impact of Judith missing its beginning
‘… doubted gifts’
does this refer to Judith/is the source of the gifts divine or secular?
leads to EDITORIAL ISSUES
Marsden renders it secular - Judith doubting the gifts of Holofernes
Hamer renders it divine (‘And did not doubt His gifts in this wide world. She found there ready help from the great Prince.)
what is the thematic binary
narrow thematic conflict of binary as a Christian reading of a Hebrew text
demonic Holofernes against the divine Judith
gold fly net
symbolic of Holofernes mistrust of his men
he can see out but they cannot see in
almost like a parallel demonic version of God as God can see us but we cannot always understand him
perversion of the lord-retainer relationship that is supposed to be defined by trust - not mutuality and friendship here
glittering snare where he is caught in his own sin
screen between J and H - helps her retain chastity by distancing herself from him
what is the significance of the line ‘intended to defile the illustrious woman with filth and win sin’ and what does it link to
exaggerates his evilness by showing he intended evil in contrast to the source text where he is duped (tricked) by Judith
links to ‘he had endured to his unpleasant end on earth, such as he had previously striven after’
pursuing his own end by these activities - stoic uncontrollable passions - uncomfortable
quote about vengeance
Vengeance
(though deviation from the source material)
‘Avenge now mighty Lord, avenge what sits so bitterly in my heart, searingly in my breast’
Holofernes head rolling on floor
important distinction between material and divine death - important cultural distinction for the spirit to leave the body
what is the section we didn’t translate about (lines 112-235)
his spirit in hell coiled with serpents (like in Deor)
hell like in Gen B and for Grendel’s Mother
‘its spirit passed and there brought low was bound in pain forever, circled by serpents, fixed in bonds of torment, held hard as captive in burning hell’
‘he need not hope, wrapped round with darkness, that he may escape thence’
joy to the slaughter greedy birds
standard symbol of warfare in Germanic poetry
what is the aim of the ending of Judith
we are told to follow the example of Judith, it carries a religious note as if she is a biblical figure
if you have faith in God you will be rewarded and good will prevail over evil
‘Of all this Judith declared glory to the lord of hosts who had given esteem to her. Certainly at the end she did not doubt the reward that she had long desired.
how does Judith conform or diverge to the standard pattern of heroic literature
conventional lord-retainer relationship with her and god
strength of mind
physical strength
vengeance
archetypal images of heroic poetry like mead-hall setting - warriors drinking wine with leader
traditional descriptive compounds/epithets e.g. gold friend of men
how does Judith subvert the standard pattern of heroic literature
GENDER ROLES:
has to strike him twice - retains her femininity in that sense
subverts gender roles p women meant to whet (sharpen) the blade not wield it
women can become manly when performing such a manly act but Judith doesn’t
MOTIVATIONS:
she doesn’t do it out of a duty to vengeance like societal rules allow but does it out of self-defense of her life and dignity/virginity
however - hagiography (saint lives) only lit where virginity really matters
women should be in control of sexual desires but not be all and end all but for Judith it really matters
Judith penetrates a man who was expected to sexually penetrate her
what is the difference in importance of virginity in the OE version compared with its biblical source
virginity emphasized in poem but in biblical source text she is a widow (married)
the poem purifies the biblical image of Judith to make her virginity overt and to make her saint like
why is virginity emphasized in the OE version of Judith compared to the Old Testament
she can’t really have a relationship with God if there isn’t this focus
can’t make Judith Christian, but poet pushes it in direction of Christian saint
perfection = virginity in medieval Christianity and Mid Ages
Judith is being lined up with the later Christian virgin martyrs - cross fertilization of genres as heroic epic style is blended with hagiography
what is the difference between the strength of Judith and Beowulf
Judith has to pray for strength but B doesn’t he relies on his own physical strength
but before he fights the dragon he puts himself into a religious mental space
difference of the act for men and women
gender as performative
women less expected to show off strength like men
usually its wrong to kill someone while they sleep but Judith did it in self-defense and as a woman she was not expected to go the whole hog and act like a man in combat while Holofernes was awake
admirable that she goes at least some way to behaving like a man
what style does Judith use
heroic verse style
what impact did the source have on the OE version
Old Testament has a clear impact on AS imagination because of its rich narrative and dramatic episodes which fit well with Germanic tradition
what is the purpose of Judith
demonstrate Gods special and protected relationship with the Israelites as his chosen people and demonstrate the unusual ways in which his power can work
Ælfric in c.10th treat story of Judith as a powerful example as a precedent for war against a Heathen invader
universal lesson about good and evil and emphasis on Chastity despite Judith’s unwomanly action
only in final scenes do we get transformation of Judith becoming more independently heroic
ends with heroic imagery like banners, shields and helmets
significance of the mead-hall
halls usually have social order and here it is perverted from within unlike in B where it is destroyed from the outside threat of monsters like Grendel
emblematic that Judith is kept from the drunken hall scene - distance from sin and dishonor unlike the biblical source
OE poet makes Holofernes so much worse by having his lust there without her physical presence
what does Holofernes do to Judith
have her laden with ornaments and bracelets like a trophy
Ivan Herbison
The Judith of the Old English poem is shown to represent an uneasy compromise
between a woman hero who acts like a man and a heroine who plays one of
the traditional female religious roles. Judith’s essential femininity thus subverts the
conventional categories of male hero, while her role as protagonist challenges the
traditionally subordinate function of women in heroic poetry.
By depicting Judith as a moral and religious
figure, and by emphasizing her status as a woman and as a servant of the Lord, the poet
rejects a heroic frame of reference for his protagonist.
