The Legend of Salome: Various Treatments in the 19th CenturyĪn astounding number of settings of the Salome legend were produced in the nineteenth century, both in literature as well as in painting. It is, then, vitally important to regard the Symbolist and Decadent aspects of Salome as well as the drama's literary-historical background, since it is in the subversive treatment of symbolic representation that Wilde's drama reveals itself to be unique. Certainly Wilde adapted his material, and drew on many different settings of the legend - most of them, however, stemmed from the school of Symbolism, with whose poetic tenets Wilde felt a strong affinity. The fact is that the Salome legend was a logical choice for Wilde: one writer acknowledges that 'the Salome/Herodias figure was almost as popular among nineteenth-century artists as the Virgin Mary was among medieval artists.' But seeking justification for Wilde's 'originality' in his creative use of sources is, I believe, misguided. For others, it is precisely this fusion of different sources which gives strength to the drama, and Wilde is hailed as creative, innovative, and modern. To many, Wilde's willingness to appropriate themes and treatments of the Salome legend from other authors of the period is a shortcoming Wilde's play is labeled as 'derivative' or a mere imitation. Symbolism and Decadence in Wilde's Salome BACK TO ESSAYS - SCREEN VERSIONĪttempting to categorize, analyze, or even describe Oscar Wilde's lyrical drama Salome is a problematic issue and a source of contention amongst critics.

Oscar wildes salome