Oscar Wilde's "lushest and most deeply felt play", Salome, documents the biblical tale of how the young, beautiful Salome is granted anything she wishes by her stepfather, Herod, but in return she must dance for him. At the urging of her mother, Salome demands the head of John the Baptist and, after much failed persuasion, Herod must give in and keep his oath, calling for the decapitation of the saint. Upon her wish being granted, Salome removes the veils for which she is known, and proceeds to deliver a provocative and risqué dance.
The play did not appear on the English stage until 1905, five years after Wilde’s death. It was banned in accordance with an old English law, disallowing the portrayal of biblical stories and also as a result of the sexually charged nature of the play. Deemed by some critics are merely "derivative" as a result of its heavy emphasis on the biblical version of the story, others argue that Wilde's portrayal of Salome is enhanced by his fusion of different sources, causing him to be hailed as "creative, innovative and modern".