Judith (Giraudoux)

This article is about the play by Giraudoux. For the play by Hebbel, see Judith (Hebbel).
Judith
Judith Beheading Holofernes
by Caravaggio
Written byJean Giraudoux
CharactersJoseph, John, Prophet, Joachim,
Paul, Judith, Susannah, Egon,
Sara, Holofernes, Guard
Date premiered4 November 1931
Place premieredThéâtre Pigalle in Paris
Original languageFrench
SubjectJudith must seduce and kill invading general to save her city.
GenreTragedy
SettingAncient Judea

Judith is a play written in 1931 by French dramatist Jean Giraudoux. French composer Darius Milhaud wrote incidental music for the play.

Synopsis

[edit]

In ancient Palestine, an Assyrian army is attacking a community of Jewish people (Israelites). The Assyrians are led by Holofernes. The Jews see their own doom coming, and they believe that they can be saved only if the fairest and purest one of their women is sent to Holofernes to plead to spare them. They pick Judith, a 20-year-old virgin, who is beautiful, brilliant and wealthy.

Judith doesn’t want to go as she thinks the mission she’s being sent on is ridiculous and based on superstition. But confronted with the possibility that her country might be destroyed, she agrees to try it. However, a captain in the Israelite army named John wants to marry her, so he sends a prostitute, who will pretend to be Judith, to Holofernes. But Judith arrives at Holofernes’ tent first. One of Holofernes’ officers, Egon, a pederast, is persuaded by the prostitute to disguise himself as Holofernes. Judith is taken in by this trick, and feels humiliation and failure.

Holofernes finally arrives, but Judith is not able to make her plea to spare her fellow Israelites. Holofernes attempts to seduce Judith, and she agrees to go to his bed, then kills and beheads him there.

Original productions

[edit]

Judith was translated into English by John K. Savacool, in The Modern Theatre, ed. Eric Bentley, vol. 3 (1955), and by Christopher Fry, in The Drama of Jean Giraudoux, vol. 1 (1963).[1]

Judith was first performed on 4 November 1931[2] in Paris at the Théâtre Pigalle in a production by Louis Jouvet.[3]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Cohen, Robert (1968), Jean Giraudoux; Three Faces of Destiny, p. 158, University of Chicago Press, Chicago
  2. ^ Grossvogel, David I. (1958), 20th Century French Drama, p. 341, Columbia University Press, New York.
  3. ^ Inskip, Donald, (1958), Jean Giraudoux, The Making of a Dramatist, p. 182, Oxford University Press, New York.
[edit]


Stub icon

This article on a play from the 1930s is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Judith_(Giraudoux)&oldid=1248026227"