Oscar Wilde |
http://www.cmgworldwide.com/historic/wilde/ "The Official Oscar Wilde Website"
| Oscar Wilde was born in Dublin in
1854, the son of somewhat unconventional parents - his
father, Sir William Wilde, though a surgeon by occupation,
was also a talented writer, and his mother, Jane
Francesca Elgee, was a well-known poet and journalist who
published under the pen name 'Speranza'. During his
schooldays, Wilde excelled at classics, and he went on to
win scholarships first to Trinity College, Dublin, and
then to Magdalen College, Oxford, where he was awarded
the Newdigate Prize for his poem, 'Ravenna'. Whilst at
Oxford, Wilde gained notoriety for his unorthodox dress
and opinions, hailing himself a disciple of John Ruskin
and Walter Pater. Upon graduating in 1878, Wilde moved to
London and became spokesperson for Aestheticism, the
movement that advocated art for art's sake. In 1884 Wilde married Constance Lloyd, and they had two sons in quick succession - Cyril in 1885, and Vyvyan in 1886. In order to support his family, Wilde took a position with the magazine, The Woman's World, but this proved short-lived, and he left the publication in 1889 to concentrate on his writing. His only novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray, which had caused a public outcry when it appeared as a play in 1890, was published in 1891, with Lord Arthur Savile's Crime, and Other Stories, following soon after. A number of plays then appeared including A Woman of No Importance (1893), An Ideal Husband (1895) and The Importance of Being Earnest (1895), and it is for these theatrical masterpieces that Wilde is now best remembered. In 1891, Wilde met Lord Alfred 'Bosie' Douglas, the third son of the Marquis of Queensbury, and the two soon became lovers. The Marquis of Queensbury strongly disapproved of their relationship, and publicly accused Wilde of homosexuality, leading to his imprisonment in 1895. His time in gaol inspired two works, The Ballad of Reading Gaol (1898), and De Profundis which was not published until after his death. Wilde spent the final two years of his life travelling in Europe, staying with various friends and publishing articles in newspapers. He contracted meningitis in 1900, and died in a Parisian hotel on 30 November. |
Letters from Oscar Wilde to Lord Alfred Douglas
Letter 1
The
following letter was introduced in Wilde's libel trial by sir
Edward Clark, Wilde's attorney. Although the letter lends
support to the defense case, Clark chose to introduce the letter
to prevent the defense from introducing the letter in a more
dramatic fashion during its case. January
1893, Babbacombe CliffMy Own Boy,
Your sonnet is quite
lovely, and it is a marvel that those red-roseleaf lips of yours
should be made no less for the madness of music and song than for
the madness of kissing. Your slim gilt soul walks between passion
and poetry. I know Hyacinthus, whom Apollo loved so madly, was
you in Greek days. Why are you alone in London, and when do you
go to Salisbury? Do go there to cool your hands in the grey
twilight of Gothic things, and come here whenever you like. It is
a lovely place and lacks only you; but go to Salisbury first.
Always, with undying love,
Yours, Oscar
Letter 2
The following letter was read by defense attorney Edward Carson during his cross-examination of Oscar Wilde in his libel trial. Carson had asked Wilde to read the letter, but he declined.
March 1893, Savoy Hotel
Dearest of All Boys,
Your letter was
delightful, red and yellow wine to me; but I am sad and out of
sorts. Bosie, you must not make scenes with me. They kill me,
they wreck the loveliness of life. I cannot see you, so Greek and
gracious, distorted with passion. I cannot listen to your curved
lips saying hideous things to me. I would sooner be blackmailed
by every renter ["renter"was a slang term for male
prostitutes] in London than to have you bitter, unjust, hating.You
are the divine thing I want, the thing of grace and beauty; but I
don't know how to do it.Shall I come to Salisbury? My bill here
is 49 pounds for a week. I have also got a new sitting-room over
the Thames. Why are you not here, my dear, my wonderful boy? I
fear I must leave; no money, no credit, and a heart of lead.
Your own, Oscar
Letter 3
The following letter was written shortly after Wilde's release from prison:
Rouen, August 1897
My own Darling Boy,
I got your telegram
half an hour ago, and just send a line to say that I feel that my
only hope of again doing beautiful work in art is being with you.
It was not so in the old days, but now it is different, and you
can really recreate in me that energy and sense of joyous power
on which art depends.
Everyone is furious
with me for going back to you, but they don't understand us. I
feel that it is only with you that I can do anything at all. Do
remake my ruined life for me, and then our friendship and love
will have a different meaning to the world.
I wish that when we
met at Rouen we had not parted at all. There are such wide
abysses now of space and land between us. But we love each other.
Goodnight, dear.
Ever yours,
Oscar
Salomé
salome
"She is like a woman rising from a tomb. She is like a dead woman. One might fancy she was looking for dead things"
— Salome, by Oscar Wilde —
In Christian
mythology, Salome was the daughter of Herodias and stepdaughter
of Herod Antipas, ruler of Galilee in Palestine. Her infamy comes
from causing St. John the Baptist's execution. The saint had
condemned the marriage of Herodias and Herod Antipas, as Herodias
was the divorced wife of Antipas's half brother Philip. Incensed,
Herod imprisoned John, but feared to have the well-known prophet
killed. Herodias, however, was not mollified by John's
incarceration and pressed her daughter Salome to "seduce"
her stepfather Herod with a dance, making him promise to give her
whatever she wished. At her mother's behest, Salome thus asked
for the head of John the Baptist on a platter. Unwillingly, Herod
did her bidding, and Salome brought the platter to her mother.
The popular story made for excellent subject matter in artwork of Gustave Moreau and Aubrey Beardsley, and revisions of Salome appear in literature. Oscar Wilde wrote his one-act play Salomé, originally written in French, to shock audiences with its spectacle of perverse passions. The censor stopped rehearsals because of its use of biblical characters, though the play did go on to be published in 1893 with an English translation following in 1894 including the famous illustrations of Beardsley.
Wilde's play became the source and inspiration for Richard Strauss's one-act opera also named Salomé, first produced in 1905. Herod's lust for Salome is emphasized, which Salome uses to gain her wishes by performing the famous "Dance of the Seven Veils." Salome, in turn, desires to have John the Baptist — a new interpretation of the original myth. In the end, the only way Salome may have any part of John, quite literally, meant that she must demand his head be given to her. Salome fulfills her passion by kissing the dead lips of John's decapitated head, who had previously rejected her. This new and more familiar version of Salome depicts her as a seductress of her stepfather and a murderer of a saint, thereby becoming a symbol of the erotic and dangerous woman, the femme fatale.
famous illustrations of beardsley
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Wilde in costume as salome
Salome with the Head of John the Baptist (London), c. 1607/1610, is a painting by the Italian master Caravaggio (1571-1610) in the National Gallery, London.
The painting was discovered in a private collection in 1959. The early Caravaggio biographer Giovanni Bellori, writing in 1672, mentions a Salome with the Head of John the Baptist sent by the artist to the Grand Master of the Knights of Malta in the hope of regaining favour after having been expelled from the Order in 1608. It seems likely, however, that Bellori was referring to a different painting of the same subject (see Salome with the Head of John the Baptist (Madrid)). The handling and the raking light link this painting to works done in Naples during the artist's brief stay in the city during 1606-1607, an impression confirmed by the resemblances between Salome and the Virgin in the Madonna of the Rosary, and between the executioner holding the head of the Baptist and one of the two torturers in Christ at the Column and The Flagellation of Christ, all three dated to Naples about 1607.
14 And king Herod heard of him; (for his name was spread abroad:) and he said, That John the Baptist was risen from the dead, and therefore mighty works do shew forth themselves in him. 15 Others said, That it is Elias. And others said, That it is a prophet, or as one of the prophets. 16 But when Herod heard thereof, he said, It is John, whom I beheaded: he is risen from the dead. 17 For Herod himself had sent forth and laid hold upon John, and bound him in prison for Herodias’ sake, his brother Philip’s wife: for he had married her.
18 For John had said unto Herod, It is not lawful for thee to have thy brother’s wife. 19 Therefore Herodias had a quarrel against him, and would have killed him; but she could not: 20 For Herod feared John, knowing that he was a just man and an holy, and observed him; and when he heard him, he did many things, and heard him gladly.
21 And when a convenient day was come, that Herod on his birthday made a supper to his lords, high captains, and chief estates of Galilee; 22 And when the daughter of the said Herodias came in, and danced, and pleased Herod and them that sat with him, the king said unto the damsel, Ask of me whatsoever thou wilt, and I will give it thee.
23 And he sware unto her, Whatsoever thou shalt ask of me, I will give it thee, unto the half of my kingdom.
24 And she went forth, and said unto her mother, What shall I ask? And she said, The head of John the Baptist. 25 And she came in straightway with haste unto the king, and asked, saying, I will that thou give me by and by in a charger the head of John the Baptist. 26 And the king was exceeding sorry; yet for his oath’s sake, and for their sakes which sat with him, he would not reject her.
27 And immediately the king sent an executioner, and commanded his head to be brought: and he went and beheaded him in the prison, 28 And brought his head in a charger, and gave it to the damsel: and the damsel gave it to her mother. 29 And when his disciples heard of it, they came and took up his corpse, and laid it in a tomb.
Compare: Matthew 14:1-12; Luke 9:7-9
When we last saw John the Baptist back in chapter 1, he was on a religious mission similar to that of Jesus: baptizing people, forgiving their sins, and exhorting them to have faith in God. In Mark 1:14 we learned that John was put in prison, but not informed by whom or for what reason. Now, we learn the rest of the story (though not one that is consistent with the account in Josephus).
Why was John imprisoned? He openly disapproved of the marriage between Herod Antipas (son of Herod the Great) and Herodias — which is strange since according to Deuteronomy 25, a man has a moral obligation to marry the wife of a deceased brother if that brother left no sons. Thus, it was at least possible that the marriage between Herod and Herodias was not only licit, but in fact required — it all depends on whether Herodias and Philip had children together. We’re not given enough details to be sure.
One of the problems here is that there is little reason to consider it historical. The very existence of John the Baptist is questionable because the passage in Josephus describing him has many characteristics of a later addition. If we assume that John existed on the basis of Josephus being accurate, though, we must dismiss Mark as inaccurate.
According to Josephus, John was executed at Marchaerus (beyond the Jordan). Mark implies that he was executed at the royal court. Josephus says that John was executed because he was perceived as a political threat; Mark says that John was executed because Heroidas hated him.
If Josephus is correct, Mark cannot be. If Josephus is deemed inaccurate, we lose any extrabiblical basis for supposing that John existed in the first place. The only thing remaining, then, is to read the passage as having theological purposes for the story about Jesus. It wasn’t dropped into the gospel as a historical curiosity. The author of Mark put it here in order to tell his audience something about Jesus — nothing more, nothing less.
When Herod learns about Jesus, he thinks this person may be John risen from the dead. This is curious for a couple of reasons. First, it shows that Jesus’ identity was not well known, at least among those with political power in the region. If Jesus were well known based upon his miracles and teachings, Herod’s misidentification should not have happened.
Second, and even stranger, is the fact that Herod’s failure to know who Jesus was must mean that John never told him. Now, if John really believed that he was paving the way for Jesus (as the gospel authors and Christian tradition dictate), then upon Jesus’ baptism John should have become a follower of Jesus, spreading Jesus’ message.
The above passages tell us that Herod “heard him gladly,” which suggests that they had conversations — probably on moral and religious matters, as it seems unlikely that they were just swapping recipes or that Herod was seeking political advice.
In such a context, however, it is baffling that John wouldn’t have talked about Jesus, or indeed spent most of his time explaining how important Jesus was and what his message meant.
Here John was, himself a captive but at the same time given the ear of one of the most powerful men in the whole region. What a perfect opportunity to make a difference by having Herod learn more about Jesus! Apparently, though, he never brought the matter up and was simply killed. All of this suggests that John wasn’t a follower of Jesus and continued to maintain an independent ministry. That, in turn, is only likely to have happened if he didn’t see himself as paving the way for Jesus to appear.
Notice that at the end Mark speaks of John having “disciples,” further suggesting that John continued in his own ministry. In their case, however, when they laid their leader in a tomb he just stayed in it — there was no resurrection and there was no new religion founded.
Thus, while leaving behind hints that the traditional portrayal of John the Baptist isn’t entirely accurate, the gospel author also manages to contrast Jesus’ overcoming death with John’s failure to do the same (not having a head anymore may have played a role in that, though).
Why? Perhaps John still had followers those many years later when the gospels were being written — followers who, perhaps, could be swayed to convert to Christianity if it were emphasized that they were following a dead man who was going to stay dead.
It’s curious that this has been inserted in the middle of Mark’s narrative about Jesus — verse 6:30 seems to follow logically from 6:13. Why was this placed at this point in Mark’s gospel? Perhaps he wanted to explain the dangers inherent for those who would be prophets of God, immediately after the disciples are sent out to spread Jesus’ message. Such a story would have been significant for the Christian community during the earliest decades.
The picture of Dorian Grey
Read the book online here --- http://www.online-literature.com/wilde/dorian_gray/
an ideal husband
- book
an ideal husband
- film
salome
Some useful sites -
http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/subjects/salome/salome2.html
http://sunset.backbone.olemiss.edu/~jmitchel/oscar.htm
http://www.enotes.com/salome/
http://www.mediterranees.net/romans/salome/wilde2/
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