Salomé is a play of transformations, and these transformations are as dramatic as they are inexplicable. The most obvious of them is Salomé's metamorphosis into a lust-driven young woman, but that's only the beginning. It's not only Salomé's nature that changes, it's her perception and her vision of Jokanaan.
We also see other transformations. Some are pretty small (Herod's garland turns to fire) and some are pretty dang huge (the sun turns black and the moon turns blood red). But maybe the most shocking transformations occur offstage. We hear tell of resurrection, and the mere mention of it makes Herod quake, lending gravity to Jokanaan's more abstract forecasts of crazily momentous upheavals.
Questions About Transformation
- Are any of the various transformations we see/hear about throughout Salomé—the miracles talked of by the Nazarenes, the various omens Herod experiences—understandable? Can we explain how or why they happen?
- Jokanaan talks often of huge, sweeping changes—the moon turning the color of blood, for instance. Does he ever forecast any small-scale changes?
- In his first prophecy, Jokanaan talks of a time when "the suckling child shall put his hand upon the dragon's lair, he shall lead the lions by their manes," and yet most of his other pronouncements are dark and apocalyptic. How can we reconcile these two very different kinds of prediction? How can the world change for the better and suffer terrible destruction?
Chew on This
The world of Salomé is one on the brink of a great change—nothing and no one is stable or safe.
Though Salomé ignores Jokanaan's prophecies and rejects his calls for repentance, her own radical transformation speaks to the great instability of the times.