"elf-fair lady Judith"
Elves were commonly associated with mental illness, homosexuality and promiscuity during the Middle Ages, so the comparison of the heroine to this morally degraded being is an interesting one. This could suggest that Judith uses her sexuality in order to manipulate Holofernes, reducing her heroic power to that of cheap seduction. The poet could be somewhat criticizing women in their innate urge to gain sexual power.
"He laughed and roared, he shouted and cried out"
The anaphora of the lines not only mimics the rhythm of oral poetry, but the verb choices mimic the roaring and carnal violence of a monster/animal. This is similar to the descriptions of Grendel in Beowulf, paralleling him to a monster in spite of his standing as a noble general. This could imply that masculine behavior, especially that of drinking, reduces humanity to a state unable to perform duties.
"steeped in sin, He ordered that the blessed maid be fetched, laden with ornaments and decked with rings"
The verb 'steeped' implies a complete surrounding by and inability to escape the influence of sin, highlighting the idea that once one sins one time, they will never be freed from this burden without the grace of God. Furthermore, 'fetched' implicates his treatment of Judith as an object, showing his blatant disregard for the agency of women. This could suggest that an underestimation of women leads to dangerous consequences, undermining Medieval expectation.
"Gravely disturbed, with spirits darkening, They then together all began to cough, To cry out loudly and to gnash their teeth"
This occurs when the soldiers are too scared to enter Holofernes' chamber due to the presence of a maid (supposedly), but the farce of them coughing undermines their integrity as noble soldiers, dampening the nobility of the Assyrian cause. It is suggested that fear of a figure of authority is foolish and counter productive to positive relations.
"The people now had time to take from their most hated enemies, their ancient foes not destitute of life, the gory booty and fair ornaments"
The idea of them 'taking' is similar to that of theft, which undermines the cause they fight for (the liberation of Bethulia and the fulfillment of God's will). Therefore, this suggests that any form of secular battle is always tainted by sin regardless of the cause, implying that evil is solely influenced by humans, not God.
