Portfolio on Wilde's "Salome"

Furthermore, in Wilde’s version, Herodias, who is jealous of her daughter because she is Herod’s object of desire, is also given a stronger voice, especially when she protests against Jokanaan’s accusations of being the whore of Babylon, tells Herod to leave Salome alone and tries to prevent the performance of the dance (which is likely to increase his desire for Salome). Besides, making Herod’s incestuous desire for his stepdaughter explicit constitutes another radical modification of the biblical story.

Wilde’s version also differs from the bible insofar as sensuality and seduction are obviously major aspects of the play. This is manifested by the treatment of Salome as a lustful heroine full of sexual desires, which are increased by the prophet’s harsh rejection of her advances and which - because of her feelings of frustration and mortification - eventually lead to her cruel act of revenge (i.e. the demand for his head). Due to this fatal passion for Jokanaan, she is the embodiment of female sensuality and sexuality, and the plot is largely determined by her emotional development - resulting in a mood of horror in the final scenes. This again emphasizes the importance attached to Salome and her feelings and passions. Similarly, the major motifs of the play also revolve around femininity, sensuality/seduction and the construction of sex/gender identity (cf. the gender dialectics of the essential One/man vs. the Other/woman): the moon (a symbol of femininity in general and of Salome in particular); looking (especially the male gaze); dancing and (un)veiling (cf. the Dance of the Seven Veils); desire and passion; the rivalry between women (Salome and Herodias), which is initiated by Herod’s desire for Salome; and the power dynamics of gender blurring (shifting sexual identity), which is manifested, for example, when Jokanaan is compared to the moon, a symbol of femininity (“[H]e is chaste as the moon is. He is like a moonbeam.”). As the moon is a symbol of Salome in this play, Jokanaan is indirectly also identified with Salome herself. Moreover, he is also associated with the decapitated Medusa (“a knot of black serpents writhing round thy neck.”). These themes do not appear as such in the bible and point at Wilde’s concern with the construction of sexual and gender identity. In conclusion, in Wilde’s transformation of the biblical myth, the elements and characters of the biblical story serve as some kind of frame for the Salome story: Salome is in the centre of the drama - it is around her that he action revolves, from her that the conflict stems, and with her that the climax is reached (her final assassination is also an invention of Wilde). By turning a woman into a speaking character who articulates her own desires and motives, Wilde offers us a radically new perspective and subverts the traditional patriarchal structures to a large extent: throughout the play, the focus is on Salome with all her emotions as well as her (unfulfilled) passions and desires.

2

In my view, Marcovitch makes two main claims in her article - the one being Salome’s problematic status as an object (persona, image) and a subject (individual) respectively, the other one being the construction of this image or identity by other people, which, in turn, strongly influences the image she has of herself. These two factors are, as I will show, not only both closely linked with her objectification, but also with the play’s tragedy. To begin with, I would like to comment on how Marcovitch describes Salome’s status as object/subject: on the one hand, she concedes that Wilde’s Salome is no longer perceived as a mere object of (sexual) desire: being the major character of the play, she is given subjectivity, has her own personality and can express her own motivations and justifications for her actions. On the other hand, however, Marcovitch challenges the idea that Salome is able to develop her own subjectivity: her main argument in this context is that Salome in Wilde’s play is “trapped in her persona - an aestheticized image of herself that she projects to the public - as an object of desire.” ¹ Therefore, it is impossible for her to develop or express her subjectivity and her individual will and desires - on the contrary, they are perverted and become dangerous: Salome cannot use her power and will to create her own persona and the frustration and resentment resulting from this make her use her perverted power for destructive and revengeful actions. Thus, “juxtaposing psychological realism with aesthetic discourse,” Wilde actually not only presents Salome as an individual character, thereby offering “a more psychologically-based portrait,” but still presents her as an icon or image. However, to regard and treat Salome exclusively as an object, image or persona without control over herself and her desires (which especially Jokanaan and Herod do) rather than as an individual subject with feelings (positive and negative) and a potential for destruction is obviously very dangerous and one of the main reasons for the play’s catastrophe: Salome’s unrestrained passions and desires result in her request for Jokanaan’s head and this demand actually determines her fate. According to Marcovitch, “Salome’s death appears to be less a punishment for her actions than the inevitable consequence of them. Salome dies because […] a persona left unchecked cannot be sustained.”

¹ All direct quotations from the article are enclosed in double quotation marks.

3