Oscar Wilde의 예술과 종교에 대한 태도: Salome의 이미져리

Abstract

Oscar Wilde is one of the greatest playwrights of the 19th century in England, was an aesthete to pursue beauty of art. He thought that drama is the most objective form known to art, to display his satiric designs on moral cliches. His Aestheticism reflected Wildean duality. There are important elements to give unity to the structure of this play. They are the symbol of the moon and the colour imagery. Wilde describes Salome as a colour and erotic imagery. ‘The symbol of the moon’ is a kind of brilliant dramatic device in this play. Salome symbolizes the artistic world, on the other hand, Iokanaan symbolizes the religious world. Wilde’s dual-sided ideas about art --beauty or ugliness, and good or evil-- are always inter-dependent. The Christian world rejects good and evil, that is, there is only one side which involves good. After a beheading of Iokanaan, the trouble between the artistic world and the religious world is resolved, concluding with the victory under Wilde’s aesthetics against Christianity. Wilde attacks the pretence of Christian world which is dominated only by absolute value. Wilde uses colour imagery, musical rhythm, symbolism and repetitions to emphasize his aesthetics. The symbol of the moon which represents Salome, increases the aesthetic beauty and gives intense unity to this play. Wilde does not only highlights conflict between Salome and Iokanaan through colour imagery but embodies superiority of Wilde’s aesthetics against the religious world. It is the essence of Wilde’s aesthetics that the artistic world is superior to the religious world.