John’s rejection and retreat into the cistern lead her to revenge. She does not take notice when Narraboth kills himself, but instead continues in her pursuit of John the Baptist (102).

When he refuses to let her come near him, her obsession escalates, and she becomes determined to have him (69-114). Narraboth, the captain of the guard who is infatuated with Salome, orders that he be brought up to the great dismay of the Page and contrary to his orders after Salome pleads with him. Later, her fascination with him attaches to his appearance. Salome, the mystical daughter of Queen Herodias and step-daughter of King Herod, is entranced by John the Baptist, because of his prophesies that she hears echoing up through the floor as well as his dislike for her mother. The score for the opera made modernist strides through the use of unique instruments and dissonance, and the story created controversy among music and theater critics. Salome debuted in early December 1905 in Dresden, German. Strauss based his opera on the one-act play written by Oscar Wilde in 1884. Her strange fascination with John the Baptist ultimately leads to the demise of her and her father in this tragic opera.

Salome by Richard Strauss is an operatic retelling of the Biblical story of John the Baptist’s martyrdom, which focuses on the daughter of Herodias.

Salome la opera