Judith

About this book

Under siege by the armies of the giant barbarian, Holofernes, the Judean city is about to capitulate—and the people, and prophets, call out to the lovely, virginal Judith as their last hope of salvation. Their belief is that only she can gain audience with Holofernes and, when his attention is diverted by her charms, slay him. At first Judith refuses to believe that God has chosen her for this task, but when she learns that the army has defected, and the men of her people are resigned to defeat, she resolves to go, even refusing the help of Susannah, a prostitute who looks like her and who begs to undertake the mission in her place. At the camp of Holofernes, Judith is at first taunted by an aide who masquerades as his commander, but then the true Holofernes appears—and he proves to be not a barbarian at all, but a man among men to whom Judith finds herself surrendering without restraintAn often forgotten classic, Giraudoux boldly does for Judith what Oscar Wilde did for another biblical figure, Salome, years later. Presented in a new, easily portable acting edition, no young actor or stage aficionado should be found without this on their shelf.