Antagonist

Character Role Analysis

Herodias

In the Biblical version of the story, Herodias is quite clearly the villain: it is she who tells Salomé to ask for John the Baptist's head. In Salomé, she doesn't have Jokanaan's blood on her hands, but she also is keen on encouraging her daughter's murderous impulses; she supports Salomé's decision enthusiastically.

Herodias is painted as the villain from the very beginning. She is the target of Jokanaan's insults—hence her excitement about his gory end—and she never does anything to clear her name.