Critical Essay | Critical Essay by Christopher S. Nassaar and Nataly Shaheen

Critical Essay by Christopher S. Nassaar and Nataly Shaheen

SOURCE: Nassaar, Christopher S., and Nataly Shaheen. “Wilde's Salomé.” Explicator 59, no. 3 (spring 2001): 132-34.

In the following essay, Nassaar and Shaheen discuss stylistic and thematic aspects of Salomé.

Wilde's Salomé has a tripartite structure. The moon-goddess Cybele, Salomé, and Herodias, for instance, represent the same principle in a descending order and are opposed respectively by Jesus, Jokanaan, and the Nazarenes. Jokanaan is associated with three colors—white, black, and red; Salomé in wooing him approaches him three times. The language often repeats basic words and phrases in groups of three. One of the significant tripartite associations of the play is Salomé's connection with mythic demonic creatures. In his attempt to dramatize Salomé as a symbol of pure evil, Wilde associates her with the vampire, the siren, and the werewolf.

The vampiric associations are made clear at the opening of the play, when the Young Syrian notes how pale Salomé...
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