![]() ![]() Desire is less about the beloved's power than about the lover's powerlessness. Because the object of desire is sought to "complete" the person, he or she is actually dependent on the object of desire for his or her sense of self. That is, people desire what they feel they are missing themselves the fulfillment of desire is often the filling of a lack, or "hole," in the person's sense of self. In some psychoanalytic and classical terms, desire is due to a lack or absence. ![]() ![]() Herod's statement before he orders Salome to dance, "I lack nothing," provides the audience with interesting insight into how desire operates within the world of the play. In each case, the character's awareness that his or her affection is unrequited is a moment of profound sorrow and, in the cases of Salome, Iokaanan, and the Young Syrian, the situation leads to death. We can identify four different instances of unfulfilled desire in Salome: the Young Syrian's for Salome, Herod's for Salome, the Page of Herodias's for the Young Syrian, and Salome's for Iokaanan. Notably, each character's desire goes unfulfilled, with tragic results. The narrative arc of Salome is guided by the sexual desire of the characters. ![]()
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