![]() Wilde’s version of the story has proved fertile ground (as we shall see below) for theatrical producers and illustrators.Īlthough there was a ban on depicting biblical figures on the stage in the late 19th century, there was no such restriction on printed works. The climax sees Salomé kiss the bloody mouth of the decapitated Jokanaan before she, in turn, is killed on Herod’s orders. Salomé, enraged that Jokanaan has rejected her impassioned advances, uses her feminine guile to put Herod in a position where he has no choice but to have Jokanaan killed. Wilde’s interpretation of the story places the emphasis on Salomé as a hyper-sexualised and empowered woman, using his extensive understanding of nuance in the French language to heighten the drama. ![]() ![]() ![]() Salomé, the daughter of Herodias and stepdaughter of the tetrarch Herod Antipas, demands the head of Jokanaan (aka John the Baptist) on a silver platter as a reward for performing the dance of the seven veils for her step-father. Oscar Wilde changed the slant of the traditional biblical story of Salomé but the essential plot remains the same. ![]()
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