Salomé

On the terrace of Herod Antipas’s palace, the night carries a strange, charged atmosphere. Guards and courtiers speak in hushed tones about religion, distant gods, and the unnatural stillness of the moon. A young Syrian soldier named Narraboth fixates on Salomé, the princess and Herod’s stepdaughter. Although others warn him not to gaze at her, he keeps looking. From below the palace, a prophetic voice rises—a man named Jokanaan, imprisoned for speaking against Herod and Herodias, cries out about sin and divine judgment.

Salomé soon appears, disturbed by Herod’s leering attention. She finds the air outside more bearable than the feast indoors. When she hears Jokanaan’s voice, she grows curious, then fascinated, then obsessed. She demands to see him, even though Herod forbids it. The guards refuse, but she seduces Narraboth into releasing the prophet. Jokanaan emerges, wild and unyielding, and preaches against corruption. Salomé praises his body and pleads to kiss his mouth. Jokanaan recoils, denounces her, and warns her to seek salvation. Narraboth, watching this strange and one-sided desire unfold, kills himself in despair.

Salomé ignores the suicide and repeats her wish to kiss Jokanaan. When he refuses again and descends into the cistern, she vows she will find a way to kiss him. Soon after, Herod and Herodias enter. Herod grows increasingly unnerved by the blood on the floor from Narraboth’s death, the redness of the moon, and the prophet’s voice. He tries to distract himself with lavish offerings and romantic gestures, asking Salomé to eat, drink, or sit beside him. She refuses each time. Herodias mocks him and urges him to silence the prophet, who continues condemning her and predicting cosmic disaster.

Tension builds as Herod, desperate for pleasure and control, begs Salomé to dance for him. She agrees only after forcing him to swear that he will give her whatever she wants after the dance is over. Herod accepts. In response, Salomé performs the Dance of the Seven Veils. When she finishes, Herod praises her and asks what she wants. She calmly demands Jokanaan’s head on a silver platter.

Herod recoils and offers her anything else—jewels, thrones, treasures—but she rejects every gift. Herodias supports her request. Salomé insists that she asks for Jokanaan’s head to satisfy herself, not her mother. Herod pleads with her and warns her of divine consequences, but she refuses to change her demand. At last, he gives the order. The executioner, Naaman, descends into the cistern to carry it out.

Salomé waits for the head and imagines what delays it. When the executioner finally delivers it, she takes the platter in her hands. She speaks to Jokanaan tenderly, then bitterly. She kisses the lifeless mouth that once denied her, claiming she now has what he refused in life. Herod watches in horror. He orders the torches out and demands darkness. Then, as Salomé stands bathed in moonlight with the severed head, he commands the soldiers to kill her. They rush forward and crush her beneath their shields.