Streszczenie
The present article engages with the eponymous character of Oscar Wilde’s Salomé and
focuses on her subversion of the patriarchal rules, and on her attempts at seducing the
prophet Jokanaan. Wilde’s Salomé becomes “an erotic symbol of daring, transgression, and
perversity” (Sloan 112). She wants to look at Jokanaan, as well as to be touched by him and
openly states her great desire for him, using the imagery taken from the biblical Song of Songs
to express her passion. Moreover, the Princess skillfully adopts and reverses the male gaze to
manipulate others and go beyond the patriarchal constraints at Herod’s court. She becomes
aware that the only way to reach her goals is to look actively and evade being a mere object of
the male gaze. The article shows that the imagery employed in the eponymous character’s
speeches contributes to her portrayal as a seductress, also accentuating her rebellion, and
analyzes how the Princess transgresses the patriarchal constraints through appropriating the
male gaze.