A Review on
Salome (Oscar Wilde)
University of Freiburg
Seminar, Freiburg, Germany
Khaled Saifulla
Onstage, Narraboth, the captain of the guard, the Page
of Herodias and some other soldiers gathering at the balcony, watch the moonlit
sky. At the offstage, Salome, the princess, sits at the dinner table with her
mother Herodias and her stepfather, King Herod Antipas. Narraboth is secretly
in deep love with Salome, looking at her, praises her beauty. The Page of
Herodias warns Narraboth to stop staring too much at the princess saying, “look
at her too much ... Something terrible might happen" (Salome 1893, p. 3)
but the Young Syrian ignores his warning. Meanwhile, the voice of the prophet
Jokanaan, (John the Baptist), is heard from a nearby cistern where he is
imprisoned by the king.
From the banquet, Salome comes out for a fresh air and
hears Jokannan’s voice. A servant entering to the stage, tells Salome to go
back to the feast and the Young Syrian tells her too to return to banquet but
she ignores to join again. Hearing the prophecies of the prophet, she is
curious to see and speak to him. Soldiers refusing her request, tell her that
she is forbidden by Herod to see Jokanaan. Salome convinces Narraboth to bring
Jokanaan to see him. Narraboth orders one of the soldiers to bring the prophet
from the cistern. After few moments, the prisoner emerges from the cistern to
the stage with a ladder. When the prophet arrives, Salome tries several times
to go towards to him but every time he refuses to look at him let alone a kiss
and tells her, “…… get thee to the desert, and seek out the Son of Man”.
(Salome 1893, p. 11). Salome continually tries to touch his skin, hair and asks
him to kiss saying, “I will kiss thy mouth, Iokanaan” (Salome 1893, p. 11).
The Young Syrian seeing Salome’s behavior, stabs
himself and falls between her and Jokanaan. Jokanaan curses her and goes back
to the cistern. When the prisoner disappears, being fascinated by his looks and
voice keeps desire for his body and throws some flowers into the cistern.
The Page of Herodias mourns for the suicide of his
friend, Narraboth and two soldiers rush to the dead body and try to hide it.
Meanwhile, Herod and Herodias, accompanied with his guests, entering the stage
to look for his stepdaughter, he slips in the blood on the floor and he
recognizes it as a bad omen. The soldiers tell him that Narraboth has killed
himself. Herod looking at Salome, offers her some fruits and wine saying, “I
love to see in a fruit the mark of thy little teeth.” (Salome 1893, p. 16) but
she tells him that she is not hungry. He accuses of her disobedience to
Herodias but she tells him that her daughter is right complaining rather
against him saying, “Why are you always gazing at her?” (Salome 1893, p. 15).
The voice of the Jokanaan is heard again from the
cistern in which he insults Herodias. Herodias being in rage with him, asks
Herod to hand him over to the Jews but he does not agree with her. He tells her
that he is a holy man who has seen God and he even has not specifically
mentioned her name in his voice. After having some arguments between Herod and
Herodias about the King’s attention to Salome, Herod diverts him from the
subject and asks Salome to dance for him. Firstly, she refuses to dance for
him. When he promises to give her anything in return, she agrees to dance for
him. She performs the Dance of the Seven Veils.
The delighted King asks her about her reward for
dancing. Salome tells the King that she wants the head of Jokanaan on a silver
charger. Herod is horrified to hear Salome’s demand. He offers her some other
gifts including his fifty white peacocks with feet of gilded gold, but she
keeps insisting on her demand.
Herodias suddenly taking the death ring from Herod’s
hand, gives it to a soldier who gives it to the executioner to bring the head
of Jokanaan. When he returns with the head of Jokanaan on the silver charger,
Salome grabs it and starts kissing with the head of Jokanaan saying, “I have
kissed thy mouth, Iokanaan”. (Salome 1893, p.32). Herod is enraged at Salome’s
behavior and orders the soldiers to kill her saying, “Kill that woman!” (Salome
1893, p.32) and with his order the soldiers rush forward and kill her.
