One of the illustrations Aubrey Beardsley produced for the first English edition of Wilde's play Salome (1894)

Salome (or in French: Salomé) is a tragedy by Oscar Wilde The Peacock Skirt, by Aubrey Beardsley (1892) This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ... The Peacock Skirt, by Aubrey Beardsley (1892) This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ... Aubrey Beardsley Aubrey Vincent Beardsley (August 21, 1872 – March 16, 1898) was an influential English artist, illustrator, and author. ... In general usage, a tragedy is a drama, movie or sometimes a real world event with a sad outcome. ... Oscar Wilde Oscar Fingal OFlahertie Wills Wilde (October 16, 1854 – November 30, 1900) was an Anglo-Irish playwright, novelist, poet, short story writer and Freemason. ...

The original 1891 version of the play was in French. Three years later an English translation was published. The play tells in one act the Biblical story of Salome, step-daughter of the tetrarch Herod Antipas, who, to her step-father's dismay but to the delight of her mother Herodias, requests the head of Jokaanan (John the Baptist) on a silver platter as reward for dancing the Dance of the Seven Veils. 1891 (MDCCCXCI) was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... Salome or Salomé, like Dismas, or the various names of the Three Magi, is a name given to a character in the Bible whose name is not given in the Bible itself. ... Herod Antipas (short for Antipatros) was an ancient leader (tetrarch, meaning ruler of a quarter) of Galilee and Perea. ... Herodias (c. ... The Baptism of Christ, by Piero della Francesca, 1449 John the Baptist (also called John the Baptizer or Yahya the Baptizer) is regarded as a prophet by at least three religions: Christianity, Islam, and Mandaeanism. ... In several areas of Western culture, the Dance of the Seven Veils (usually described as danced by Salomé) is one of the elaborations on the historical and biblical tale of the execution of John the Baptist. ...

Versions and premieres

Maude Allan as Salomé with the head of John the Baptist in an early adaptation of Wilde's play

Rehearsals for the play's English debut were halted when the Lord Chamberlain's licensor of plays banned Salomé on the basis that it was illegal to depict Biblical characters on the stage. So instead, the play was published in English, with illustrations by Aubrey Beardsley, in 1894. On the Dedication page, Wilde indicates Lord Alfred Bruce Douglas as translator. Image File history File links Actress-dancer Maude Allan (1873-1956) in her famous early role as Salome. ... Image File history File links Actress-dancer Maude Allan (1873-1956) in her famous early role as Salome. ... Maude Allan (23 April 1873(?) - 7 November 1956) was an actress and dancer. ... The Lord Chamberlain or Lord Chamberlain of the Household is one of the chief officers of the Royal Household in the United Kingdom, and is to be distinguished from the Lord Great Chamberlain, one of the great offices of state. ... Aubrey Beardsley Aubrey Vincent Beardsley (August 21, 1872 – March 16, 1898) was an influential English artist, illustrator, and author. ... 1894 (MDCCCXCIV) was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... Dedication (Lat. ... Lord Alfred Douglas Lord Alfred Bruce Douglas KBE (October 22, 1870 – March 20, 1945), nicknamed Bosie, was the third son of John Sholto Douglas, 9th Marquess of Queensberry, and the former Sibyl Montgomery. ...

Wilde then gave the play to be produced in French, and it premiered in Paris in 1896. When asked why he had chosen to write Salomé in French, Wilde cited Maeterlinck as an example of the interesting effect resulting when an author writes in a language not his own. The Lord Chamberlain's ban was not lifted for almost forty years; the first production of Salomé in England was at the Savoy Theatre on October 5, 1931. , The Eiffel Tower, the international symbol of the city, with the skyscrapers of La Défense business district 5 kilometres behind. ... 1896 (MDCCCXCVI) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... Maurice Polydore Marie Bernard Maeterlinck, Belgian author Count Maurice Polydore Marie Bernard Maeterlinck (August 29, 1862 - May 6, 1949) was a Belgian poet, playwright, and essayist. ... Savoy Theatre London, December 2003 The Savoy Theatre, which opened on 10 October 1881, was built by Richard DOyly Carte (1844 - 1901) on the site of the old Savoy Palace in London as a showcase for the works of Gilbert and Sullivan, which became known as the Savoy Operas... October 5 is the 278th day of the year (279th in Leap years). ... 1931 (MCMXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday (link is to a full 1931 calendar). ...

Themes

Alice Guszalewicz as Salomé, for a number of years this was thought to be Oscar Wilde.

Many view Wilde's Salomé as a superb composite of earlier treatments of the theme overlaid with Belgian playwright Maurice Maeterlinck's characteristic methodical diction. Although the "kissing of the head" element was used in Heine and even Heywood's production, Wilde's ingenuity was to move it to the play's climax. While his debts are undeniable, there are some interesting contributions in Wilde's treatment, most notably being his persistent use of parallels between Salomé and the moon. Scholars like Nassaar like to point out that Wilde employs a number of the images favored by Israel's kingly poets and that the moon is meant to suggest the terrible pagan goddess Cybele, who, like Salomé was obsessed with preserving her virginity and thus took perverse pleasure in destroying male sexuality. Image File history File links Alice Guszalewicz as Salomé. For a number of years this was though to be a picture of Oscar Wilde. ... Image File history File links Alice Guszalewicz as Salomé. For a number of years this was though to be a picture of Oscar Wilde. ... Salomé, like Dismas, or the various names of the Three Magi, is a name given to a character in the Bible whose name is not given in the Bible itself. ... Oscar Wilde Oscar Fingal OFlahertie Wills Wilde (October 16, 1854 – November 30, 1900) was an Anglo-Irish playwright, novelist, poet, short story writer and Freemason. ... Maurice Polydore Marie Bernard Maeterlinck, Belgian author Count Maurice Polydore Marie Bernard Maeterlinck (August 29, 1862 - May 6, 1949) was a Belgian poet, playwright, and essayist. ... Bulk composition of the moons mantle and crust estimated, weight percent Oxygen 42. ... A fountain depicting Cybele in a chariot drawn by lions, in the Plaza de Cibeles, Madrid . Originally a Phrygian goddess, insofar as the Hellenes were concerned, Cybele (Greek Κυβέλη) was a manifestation of the Earth Mother who was worshipped in Anatolia from Neolithic times. ...

Wilde's Salomé in later art

Wilde's version of the story has since spawned several other artistic works, the most famous of which is Richard Strauss's opera of the same name. The Strauss opera moves the center of interest to Salome, away from Herod Antipas. Richard Strauss (June 11, 1864 – September 8, 1949) was a German composer of the late Romantic era, particularly noted for his tone poems and operas. ... The foyer of Charles Garniers Opéra, Paris, opened 1875 Opera refers to a dramatic art form, originating in Europe, in which the emotional content or primary entertainment is conveyed to the audience as much through music, both vocal and instrumental, as it is through the lyrics. ... Salome is an opera in one act by Richard Strauss to a German libretto by the composer, based on Hedwig Lachmann’s German translation of the French play Salomé by Oscar Wilde. ... Herod Antipas (short for Antipatros) was an ancient leader (tetrarch, meaning ruler of a quarter) of Galilee and Perea. ...

The play, and most of the later filmed versions, have Herod as the center of the action. A strong actor, as with Al Pacino in his Circle in the Square production, or the Ken Russell movie Salome's Last Dance, dominates the entire work. Pacino (right) with Robert Duvall in The Godfather. ... Located on New York Citys famous Broadway street, Circle in the Square Theatre School is a non-profit, tax exempt school of training accredited by the United States National Association of Schools of Theatre. ... Henry Kenneth Alfred Russell, known as Ken Russell (born July 3, 1927) is a controversial British film director, particularly known for his films about famous composers. ...

The 1961 Biblical epic King of Kings uses lines of dialogue original to Wilde rather than the Gospel for some scenes involving Herod Antipas, John the Baptist, Herodias and Salome. King of Kings is a Samuel Bronston-produced epic retelling the story of Jesus from his brith to his cruxificion and resurrection. ...

Australian musician Nick Cave wrote a 5-act play entitled Salomé which is included in the 1988 collection of Cave's writings, King Ink (the play alludes to the Gospel account, Wilde's play, and Pierre Puvis de Chavannes's 1869 painting, The Beheading of John the Baptist). Nick Cave on the cover of the album The Boatmans Call Nicholas Edward Cave (born 22 September 1957) is an Australian rock musician, songwriter, poet, author, actor and screenwriter, best known for his work in rock and roll band Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds and his fascination with... The Poor Fisherman Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Pierre-Cécile Puvis de Chavannes Pierre Puvis de Chavannes, (December 14, 1824 – October 24, 1898) was a French painter. ...

Also heavily influenced by the play is The Smashing Pumpkins' video for the song "Stand Inside Your Love". The Smashing Pumpkins were an influential American alternative rock band which formed in Chicago, Illinois in 1988. ... Stand Inside Your Love is a song by The Smashing Pumpkins. ...

External links

• Project Gutenberg e-text of Wilde's Salomé (French): http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/1339
• Full text of Salomé, drame en un acte (French) from the University of Virginia Library
• Full text of Salome: A Tragedy in One Act (English) from the University of Virginia Library