Tarnished Heroes, Charming Villains And Modern Monsters By Lynnette Porter

Wicked. Frightening. Monstrous. Known as villains, characters with these characteristics have haunted fairy tales and folk lore for centuries. To precisely classify villains, Lynnette Porter presents guidelines in her book Tarnished Heroes, Charming Villains and Modern Monsters: Science Fiction in Shades of Gray on 21st Century Television. Holofernes, the antagonist of the Old English poem Judith, fits neatly into Porter’s “classic villain” category. As king of the Assyrians, Holofernes lays siege to the Hebrew city of Bethulia and holds Judith, a beautiful Hebrew woman, captive, eventually attempting to rape her. With his self-serving agenda, temporary power, and possession of subservient soldiers, Holofernes exemplifies the perfect classic villain. Unlike Judith who cares for her fellow Hebrews, Holofernes acts for himself alone. He hungers voraciously for power, as evidenced by his conquest against the Hebrews. To maintain his power, he abuses his subjects. “On earth he’d dwelt / a cruel prince, oppressing men / under the clouds’ rooftop” (Judith, lines 68-70). In addition to power, Holofernes chases after fleshly pleasures. After

When the poem begins, Holofernes holds Judith captive and has an entire army at his disposal. However, his tragic flaws of pride and lust lead to his downfall. Believing himself invincible, Holofernes becomes inebriated and “scream[s] with laughter, / roar[s] and rant[s], rage[s] and chant[s], / so no man afar could fail to hear / his storm with pride while plunged in mead” (Judith, lines 24-27). Since he does not believe himself in danger, he let down his guard. In his alcohol-addled state, he commands his men to bring him Judith, the underestimated woman who ends his life and contributes to the decimation of his army (Judith, lines 36-37). Although he holds power for a relatively short time, Holofernes does at first appear stronger than Judith or the