Content Warning: This Background section describes anti-gay bias and discrimination that Oscar Wilde faced and contains references to outdated and offensive terminology.

John the Baptist is an important figure in the New Testament of the Christian Bible. According to the gospels, John the Baptist was a preacher and prophet living near the River Jordan during the same period that Jesus Christ was alive. John the Baptist is revered as a saint and a prophet in Christian tradition. In religious art, he is often depicted with long hair and a camel-skin cloak, denoting his ascetic lifestyle. The gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke attest that John the Baptist was the one who baptized Jesus Christ, while the gospel of John mentions that he recognized Jesus as the Messiah. The New Testament also recounts the story of his death.

Matthew, Mark, and Luke agree that John the Baptist was imprisoned by Herod Antipas for criticizing his marriage to his brother’s ex-wife Herodias. According to these accounts, while Herod was reluctant to kill a man with a holy reputation, John the Baptist was eventually executed by beheading on the request of Herod’s daughter. While the New Testament never provides a name for Herod’s daughter, the Jewish historian Josephus gives her the name of