When the play Salome written by Oscar Wilde was released in 1894, it faced a lot of negative criticism for its unconventionality. Salome combines the biblical story of John the Baptist and Wilde's original and eccentric ideas. The feelings of disdain that literary critics placed towards Salome were a response to her superficial and unusual character. The Censor of the Palais Theater was so outraged that he banned the performance while it was still in full rehearsal. As unconventional, eccentric, and bizarre as the play is, it nevertheless adheres to the guidelines set forth in Aristotle's Poetics and Horace's Ars Poetica. Analyzing the play through the lens of Aristotle and Horace, the brilliance of Wilde's writing shines through. Not only does this discredit Wilde's criticism, but it also highlights the importance of the literary theories of Aristotle and Horace. Applying their criticisms to a work written centuries later establishes the eternal importance of their ideas. Wilde validates their literary philosophies by incorporating their elements into Salome. The relevance of Poetics and Poetic Ars to the play corroborates the ideas put forward in their analysis. Their theories are not only legitimate but also applicable to literary works outside their time. Salome exemplifies the philosophies of Aristotle and Horace, where they present the characteristics of a tragedy as well as the role these characteristics play. Aristotle's Poetics reads more like a scientific procedure, or an overview that contains systematic steps to achieve cathartic tragedy, than as an in-depth examination. to literature. It is through strict and rigid definitions that he expresses the components of great literature. Aristotle defines...... middle of paper...... the quality of a literary work. Using a fragment of Aristotle's theory, we discover a deeper and deeper meaning in Salome, a work once "greeted with a chorus of ridicule." (Ross, xiii) Unlike Aristotle, whose style is reminiscent of an educational textbook, Horace approaches literary theory and criticism in a relaxed and almost colloquial manner. Ars Poetica is haphazardly organized; Horace classifies his ideas by theme, but does not bring the themes together. Two of the themes, in line with Salomé, are Unity and Coherence and Emotion and Characters. Using subcategories, Horace divides his theory into small, simple paragraphs that are easier to understand and manage. The application of these two categories, as in Aristotle, will not only highlight the genius of Salome, but will also establish the importance of Horace's analytical ideas..