Judith

"Will Judith kill Holofernes?" does not work as the Major Dramatic Question because the play does not end once this question is answered. Moreover, this is simply not what Judith is about. A more fitting MDQ would perhaps be "Will Judith gain power." Holofernes, who physically and authoritatively holds the most power of the three characters, in reality has the least power of the three. In the beginning of the play we see a hesitant and timid Judith. The servant seems to be running the show and pushing Judith to do what she needs to do throughout the play. Judith, even after killing Holofernes, appears weak. At one point she cannot even move from the ground. Once Judith finally rises, she has undergone a total transformation. She begins giving orders to the servant and treating her with the utmost cruelty. She even goes so far as to force the servant to wipe the blood from her sword and then cut off her own hair. Judith has made a quick transition from her weak self to a more cruel, tyrannical Judith. But there is no question that at the end of the play. Judith is the only one in power.