
Salome
by Oscar Wilde
'Salome' Summary
Jokanaan (John the Baptist, Iokanaan in the original French text) has been imprisoned by Herod Antipas in a cistern below the terrace of Herod's palace, for his hostile comments about Herodias, Herod's second wife. A young captain of the guard admires the beautiful princess Salome, Herod's stepdaughter. A page warns the captain that something terrible may happen if he continues to stare at the princess. Salome is fascinated by Jokanaan's voice. She persuades the captain to open the cistern so that the prophet can emerge, and she can see him and touch him. Jokanaan appears, denouncing Herodias and her husband. At first frightened by the sight of the holy man, Salome becomes fascinated by him, begging him to let her touch his hair, his skin and his lips. When she tells him she is Herodias's daughter, he calls her a "daughter of Sodom" and bids her keep away from him. All Salome's attempts to attract him fail, and he swears she will never kiss his mouth, cursing her as the daughter of an adulteress and advising her to seek the Lord. He returns to his underground confinement. The young captain of the guard, unable to bear Salome's desire for another man, fatally stabs himself.
Herod appears from the palace, looking for the princess and commenting on the strange look of the moon. When he slips in the captain's blood, he suddenly panics. Herodias dismisses his fears and asks him to go back inside with her, but Herod's attention has turned libidinously towards Salome, who rejects his advances. From the cistern, Jokanaan resumes his denunciation of Herodias; she demands that Herod hand the prophet over to the Jews. Herod refuses, maintaining that Jokanaan is a holy man and has seen God. His words spark an argument among the Jews concerning the true nature of God, and two Nazarenes talk about the miracles of Jesus. As Jokanaan continues to accuse her, Herodias demands that he is silenced.
Herod asks Salome to dance for him. She refuses, but when he promises to give her anything she wants, she agrees. Ignoring her mother's pleas – "Ne dansez pas, ma fille" – "Do not dance, my daughter" – Salome performs the dance of the seven veils. Delighted, Herod asks what reward she would like, and she asks for the head of Jokanaan on a silver platter. Horrified, Herod refuses, while Herodias rejoices at Salome's choice. Herod offers other rewards, but Salome insists and reminds Herod of his promise. He finally yields. The executioner descends into the cistern, and Salome impatiently awaits her reward. When the prophet's head is brought to her, she passionately addresses Jokanaan as if he were still alive and finally kisses his lips:
Ah! I have kissed thy mouth, Jokanaan, I have kissed thy mouth. There was a bitter taste on thy lips. Was it the taste of blood? ... But perchance it is the taste of love. ... They say that love hath a bitter taste. ... But what of that? what of that? I have kissed thy mouth, Jokanaan.
Herod, frightened and appalled at Salome's behaviour, orders the soldiers, "Tuez cette femme!" – "Kill that woman!", and they crush her to death under their shields.
Book Details
Authors

Oscar Wilde
Ireland
Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde (16 October 1854 – 30 November 1900) was an Irish poet and playwright. After writing in different forms throughout the 1880s, the early 1890s saw him become...
Books by Oscar WildeDownload eBooks
Listen/Download Audiobook
- Select Speed
Related books

Woman is a Weathercock by Nathan Field
A Woman is a Weathercock is a satirical comedy by Nathan Field that follows the misadventures of three sisters as they navigate the complexities of lo...

Shropshire Lad by A. E. Housman
A Shropshire Lad is a cycle of sixty-three poems by the English poet Alfred Edward Housman. A Shropshire Lad was first published in 1896 at Housman's...

Cleone. A Tragedy by Robert Dodsley
Cleone is a tragedy in five acts by Robert Dodsley. It was first performed in 1758 and is based on the legend of Saint Genevieve. The play tells the s...

Titus Andronicus by William Shakespeare
Titus Andronicus is a tragedy by William Shakespeare believed to have been written between 1588 and 1593, probably in collaboration with George Peele....

Engaged by W. S. Gilbert
Engaged is a comedy by W. S. Gilbert. The play tells the story of Cheviot Hill, a young man of property, who is engaged to Belinda Treherne. However,...

Aquis submersus by Theodor Storm
Theodor Storm's "Aquis Submersus" delves into the enigma of a deceased boy's portrait, intertwined with the diary entries of the 17th-century painter,...

Ralstons by Francis Marion Crawford
In "Ralstons" by Francis Marion Crawford, Katharine and Jack navigate the complexities of their newly married life. Their secret union is strained by...

The Beggar's Opera by John Gay
In the gritty underbelly of 18th century London, where vice and virtue clash in a symphony of deception, a notorious highwayman named Macheath dances...

Remembrance by Emily Bronte
Remembrance is a collection of poems by Emily Brontë, known for her novel Wuthering Heights. The poems, written in a range of styles and forms, explor...

Marion de Lorme by Victor Hugo
Marion de Lorme is a play by Victor Hugo about a famous French courtesan of the same name. The play is set in 17th-century Paris and tells the story o...
Reviews for Salome
No reviews posted or approved, yet...