This page lists cultural depictions of

Herod the Great Herod I (; ; grc-gre, ; c. 72 – 4 or 1 BCE), also known as Herod the Great, was a Roman Jewish client king of Judea, referred to as the Herodian kingdom. He is known for his colossal building projects throughout Judea, including his renova ...

, grouped by order and arranged by date.

Art and literature

Plays

*Herod appears in some cycles of the Mystery Plays, such as the pageant ''

'' in the Towneley Cycle, played as an over-the-top villain. Such portrayals were still in folk memory in

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

's time, for

Hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts ...

instructs the players not to "out-Herod Herod" ( Act 3, Scene 2). This line is in turn quoted in regard to Prince Prospero in

Edgar Allan Poe Edgar Allan Poe (; Edgar Poe; January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849) was an American writer, poet, editor, and literary critic. Poe is best known for his poetry and short stories, particularly his tales of mystery and the macabre. He is wid ...

's "

The Mask of the Red Death "The Masque of the Red Death" (originally published as "The Mask of the Red Death: A Fantasy") is a short story by American writer Edgar Allan Poe, first published in 1842. The story follows Prince Prospero's attempts to avoid a dangerous plague ...

." Medieval dramatic portrayals of Herod may also have influenced Shakespeare's portrayal of

Macbeth, King of Scotland Macbeth ( – 15 August 1057) was King of Scots from 1040 until his death. He ruled over the Kingdom of Alba, which covered only a portion of present-day Scotland. Little is known about Macbeth's early life, although he was the son of Findláe ...

in '' Macbeth''. *Herod the Great is a central character in Elizabeth Cary's ''The Tragedy of Mariam, the Fair Queen of Jewry'' (1613). The play is a work of historical fiction, set in 29 B.C., revolving around Herod's second wife, Mariam, and their families, when Herod is believed to have been killed by Octavian (later Caesar Augustus). * Oscar Wilde's play Salome (play) portrays king Herod during his rule of Judea. In the play Herod is described as the "son of a camel driver" by his wife Herodias, who reminds him it is her royal bloodline that put him on the throne. Oscar Wilde's Herod is a crude and despicable figure, constantly indulging in his royal treasures and pleasures; In a desperate plea to his daughter-in-law Salome, he swears to reward her with anything her heart desires if she were to present him with a lewd dance. After the dance, the defiled and humiliated Salome asks for the head of Jean the Baptist, who is kept in the cellar as Herod's prisoner. Throughout the play, Herod is the only one who can hear the dark omens of death that Jean the Baptist has been warning of, and is afraid of harming the holy man. After begging Salome to change her mind, offering her half his kingdom instead, he reluctantly submits. To everyone's horror, Salome proceeds to kiss the bloody head, resulting in Herod ordering her immediate execution.

Opera

*Herod is one of the main characters in Richard Strauss's operatic adaptation of Oscar Wilde's play

Salome (opera) ''Salome'', Op. 54, is an opera in one act by Richard Strauss. The libretto is Hedwig Lachmann's German translation of the 1891 French play '' Salomé'' by Oscar Wilde, edited by the composer. Strauss dedicated the opera to his friend Sir Edgar ...

. Written for tenor voice, the music colors his vile and sycophantic persona, ranging between expressive melodic lines, terrified whispering and full on tantrums. It is an astoundingly difficult part to sing.

Film, radio and television

Film

*''

From the Manger to the Cross ''From the Manger to the Cross or Jesus of Nazareth'' (often shortened to simply ''From the Manger to the Cross'') is a 1912 American drama film directed by Sidney Olcott, written by Gene Gauntier (who also portrays Virgin Mary), and stars Robe ...

'' (1912), played by George Kellog *'' The Star of Bethlehem'' (1912), played by William Russell *'' Cleopatra'' (1934), played by

Joseph Schildkraut Joseph Schildkraut (22 March 1896 – 21 January 1964) was an Austrian-American actor. He won an Oscar for his performance as Captain Alfred Dreyfus in the film '' The Life of Emile Zola'' (1937); later, he was nominated for a Golden Globe for ...

*'' King of Kings'' (1961), played by

Grégoire Aslan Grégoire Aslan (born Krikor Kaloust Aslanian; 28 March 1908 – 8 January 1982) was a Swiss-Armenian actor and musician. Early life Krikor Kaloust Aslanian ( hy, Գրիգոր Գալուստի Ասլանյան) was born in Switzerland or in Co ...

*''

The Greatest Story Ever Told ''The Greatest Story Ever Told'' is a 1965 American epic film produced and directed by George Stevens. It is a retelling of the Biblical account about Jesus of Nazareth, from the Nativity through to the Ascension. Along with the ensemble cast ...

'' (1965), played by Claude Rains *''

The 3 Kings ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

'' (2000), played by

Ron Moody Ron Moody (born Ronald Moodnick; 8 January 1924 – 11 June 2015) was an English actor, composer, singer and writer. He was best known for his portrayal of Fagin in ''Oliver!'' (1968) and its 1983 Broadway revival. Moody earned a Golden Globe ...

*'' The Nativity Story'' (2006), played by

Ciarán Hinds Ciarán Hinds (; born 9 February 1953) is an Irish actor. Born in Belfast, Hinds is known for a range of screen and stage roles. He has starred in feature films including '' The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover'' (1989), '' Persuasion'' (1 ...

*'' The Star'' (2017), voiced by

Christopher Plummer Arthur Christopher Orme Plummer (December 13, 1929 – February 5, 2021) was a Canadian actor. His career spanned seven decades, gaining him recognition for his performances in film, stage, and television. He received multiple accolades, inc ...

Radio

*He appears in the first play of Dorothy L. Sayers' radio play cycle ''

The Man Born to Be King ''The Man Born to Be King'' is a radio drama based on the life of Jesus, produced and broadcast by the BBC during the Second World War. It is a play cycle consisting of twelve plays depicting specific periods in Jesus' life, from the events ...

''.

Television

*'' Jesus of Nazareth'' (1977), played by Peter Ustinov *'' The Nativity'' (1978), played by

Leo McKern Reginald "Leo" McKern, AO (16 March 1920 – 23 July 2002) was an Australian actor who appeared in numerous British, Australian and American television programmes and films, and in more than 200 stage roles. His notable roles include Cla ...

*''

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

'' (2007, episode 19, ''

Death Mask A death mask is a likeness (typically in wax or plaster cast) of a person's face after their death, usually made by taking a cast or impression from the corpse. Death masks may be mementos of the dead, or be used for creation of portraits. It ...

''), played by René Zagger *''

The Bible The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity, Judaism, Samaritanism, and many other religions. The Bible is an anthologya compilation of texts of a ...

'' (2013, episode 3, '' Hope''), played by

Sam Douglas Sam Douglas (born Douglas Samuel Waters; 17 June 1957) is a British actor best known for his role as private detective Scott Shelby in the PlayStation 3 video game ''Heavy Rain'', as King Herod in ''The Bible'' miniseries for the History Chan ...

*'' Killing Jesus'' (2015), played by

Kelsey Grammer Allen Kelsey Grammer (born February 21, 1955) is an American actor and producer. He gained notoriety and acclaim for his role as psychiatrist Dr. Frasier Crane on the NBC sitcom ''Cheers'' (1984-1993) and its spin-off ''Frasier'' (1993-2004), ...

References

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