4。1 The Theme of Death in Oscar Wilde’s Works 5

4。2 The Theme of Death in Salome 5

4。3 Death is the realization way of love 6

5。 Conclusion 7

References 9

       1。 Introduction 

Oscar Wilde, (Irish, 1854-1900) was known as a playwright, novelist, essayist, and poet。 Between the 1880s and the 1890s, he completed a variety of works, which made him one of London’s most popular playwrights。 Of all the novels written, The Picture of Dorian Gray helped him win a world-wide reputation。 Also, he is one of the representatives of Aestheticism and a pioneer of Decadent in the 1890s。What finally drove Wilde to dramas is the will to express his ideas in an aesthetic way。 He wrote Salome in French in Paris in 1981, and then four other society comedies were produced in the early 1890s, which made him one of the most successful playwrights during that time。 The only successful play in the category of romantic plays is Salome which has been mentioned above。 Due to the prohibition of performance which resulted in the British law at that time, Wilde had no choice but to wrote the play in French and first performed it in French theater。 The play was then translated into English by Alfred Douglas, who was Wilde’s lover。 Not satisfying with this translation, he himself re-translated it again。 Eventually the English version of Salome authorized by Wilde got published in England, so there is no doubt that Salome is an English classic。论文网

Though Oscar Wilde is the incarnation of the aestheticism schools, we can’t hold the long-standing view that aestheticism is the only theme of Salome。 I also found that “love” can be a theme in Salome。 Usually love and death are the eternal theme of literature, they are also the Wilde’s creation of an important theme。 In his works, the love associated with death。 And this thesis takes efforts to demonstrate the “love and death” is paralleled aestheticism as a hidden theme in Wilde’s writing。

In the second part, the author will introduce the differences between Salome in Bible and Salome described by Wilde。 Wilde changes the original sense of the religious stories in the Bible, he only uses it frame to express the love and beauty。 Besides that Wilde adds the young Syrian as a new character in this play。 Then in the third part, the statements of the love theme are listed。 Then author combines different concepts of love with the characters in Salome。 And the fourth part mainly describes the theme of death in Salome and demonstrates the relationship between death and love。

2。 Comparison between Salome Described by Wilde and Salome in Bible

2。2 Salome Described in Bible

In the text of the Bible, the main story was about the death of John the Baptist。 The king of Herod out John into the prison for he opposed the king to marry the wife of his brother, Herodias。 At that time, Herodias had harbored resentment against him in her heart。 But John was protected and awed by Herod for he was a saint。 On the day of Herod’s birthday, Herodias’ daughter danced in the party to please the king。 So Herod swore in public that he would give her everything she wanted, even if it was a half of the country。 But the daughter, under the seduction of her mother, asked for the head of John。 The king could do nothing but kill John。文献综述

2。2 Salome Described by Wilde

Salome’s story was made the subject of a tragic play by Oscar Wilde in Paris in 1896。 In Wilde’s play, Salome takes a perverse fancy for John the Baptist, and causes him to be executed when John spurns her affections。 In the finale, Salome takes up John’s severed head and kisses it。