to her standard of what manhood should be--namely
Jokanaan. When he repulses her, the passionate girl's love turns to
blind and unreasoning hatred.

In the first scene Herod's soldiers are talking of the holy prophet
Jokanaan, whose voice is heard from the well where he is kept captive
by the Tetrarch of Galilee, Herod. Salome, hearing Jokanaan's strong,
deep voice, is seized with a wild longing to behold the prophet, and
she therefore declines her step-father's invitation to join in the
festival. The soldiers, not daring to disobey Herod, obstinately
refuse to grant Salome's request in regard to Jokanaan, so she turns to
a young Syrian, Narraboth by name, who is devoted to her, and who,
falling a victim to her charms, finally gives orders to lead forth the
prophet.

When Jokanaan steps out of his prison, Salome looks spellbound at the
stern and powerful face. Not heeding her, the prophet calls for Herod
and his spouse, whom he vehemently reproaches for their sins.

{498}

Salome goes up to him, but he turns from he with lofty contempt.
Vainly she uses all her wiles in an attempt to bewitch him; he sternly
reproves her, and cursing her as the unfortunate daughter of a vicious
mother, he returns to his dungeon.

Meanwhile Narraboth, seeing that his love for Salome is vain, and that
she has only eyes for the prophet, stabs himself.

When Herod appears on the terrace with his wife, to look for his
step-daughter, he sees the young Syrian dead on the ground. He asks
the reason of his death, but receives no satisfactory answer. However,
he guesses the truth, seeing Salome sitting apart, absorbed in gloomy
thoughts. Herod is more in love with his step-daughter than with his
wife, whose first husband he killed, and this excites Herodias'
jealousy.

As a rule, Herod avoids the terrace, being afraid of Jokanaan's
prophecies, in which he secretly believes. But now he desires Salome's
presence to divert him, while she is in no mood to oblige him, and
coldly refuses to eat and drink with him.

Then the prophet's voice is heard saying: "Lo! the time has come, the
day which I prophesied has dawned." Herodias bids him be silent, but
Herod is all the more impressed by the voice he fears. The Jews, who
have been clamouring for six months for the prophet, again beg to have
him delivered into their hands. When Jokanaan proclaims the Saviour of
the world, the soldiers believe that he {499} means the Roman Caesar,
with