Category:Herodias--fiction (subject)
Survey of fictional works on Herodias.
Overview
Herodias was the original villain in the story of the death of John the Baptist. She was the one who plotted to have John the Baptist killed and cunningly used his daughter Salome to reach her goal. The interest in the character began to grow in the 19th century. She was now the undisputed protagonist of the story, and her motivations were scrutinized, from revenge to jealousy to rejected love. It was to her that the infamous kiss to the head of the dead John the Baptist was first attributed by Heine. Gradually however her role was overshadowed by her daughter, Salome, who proved to be more suitable to such metamorphosis into an unstoppable femme fatale and much more credible in the role of seductress. By the beginning of the 20th century, Salome had replaced Herodias as the villain of the story and condemned Herodias to a marginal and obscure role.
Gabriele Boccaccini, University of Michigan
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