including the famous mardis of Stephane Mallarme,a renowned symbolist poet ofthe time.[87]Wilde's two plays duringthe 1880s.Vera:or.The Nihilists and The Duchess ofPadua,hadnot met with much success.Hehad continued his interest in the theatre and now,after findinghis voice in prose,his thoughts turned again to the dramatic form as the biblical iconography of Salome filled his head.[88]One evening,after discussing depictions ofSalome throughout history,he returned to his hotel to noticea blank copybooklyingon the desk,and it occurred to him to write down whathe had been saying.He wrotea new play, Salome,rapidly and in French.[89] A tragedy,it tells the story ofSalome,the stepdaughter ofthe tetrarch Herod Antipas,who,to her stepfather's dismay but mother's delight,requests the head ofJokanaan(John the Baptist) on a silver platter as a reward for dancingthe Dance of the Seven Veils.When Wilde returned to Londonjust before Christmas the Paris Echo,anewspaper,referredtohim as"egreat eventofthe season.[90]Rehearsals ofthe play,including Sarah Bernhardt, began but the play was refused a licence by the Lord Chamberlain,since it depicted biblical characters.[91]Salome was publishedjointly in Paris and London in 1893,but was not including the famous mardis of Stéphane Mallarmé, a renowned symbolist poet of the time.[87]Wilde's two plays during the 1880s, Vera; or, The Nihilists and The Duchess of Padua, had not met with much success. He had continued his interest in the theatre and now, after finding his voice in prose, his thoughts turned again to the dramatic form as the biblical iconography of Salome filled his head.[88] One evening, after discussing depictions of Salome throughout history, he returned to his hotel to notice a blank copybook lying on the desk, and it occurred to him to write down what he had been saying. He wrote a new play, Salomé, rapidly and in French.[89] A tragedy, it tells the story of Salome, the stepdaughter of the tetrarch Herod Antipas, who, to her stepfather's dismay but mother's delight, requests the head of Jokanaan (John the Baptist) on a silver platter as a reward for dancing the Dance of the Seven Veils. When Wilde returned to London just before Christmas the Paris Echo, a newspaper, referred to him as "le great event" of the season.[90]Rehearsals of the play, including Sarah Bernhardt, began but the play was refused a licence by the Lord Chamberlain, since it depicted biblical characters.[91] Salome was published jointly in Paris and London in 1893, but was not