Salome

by Oscar Wilde

Published February 1968
Salome: A Tragedy in One Act (1891) is a play by Wilde. It presents the Biblical tale of the stepdaughter of Herod Antipas whose dancing caused the death of John the Baptist (Mark 6:21-29). The play explores Salome's two-fold desire to retain her virginity and to destroy male sexuality. Richard Strauss's opera was based on Wildes version of the Salome story.