Don Juan (fictional character)
Don Juan is a legendary fictional character rooted in Spanish folklore, typically portrayed as an arrogant libertine known for his shameless sexual exploits. The character first gained prominence in the 17th century through Tirso de Molina's tragic play "El burlador de Sevilla." Over the centuries, Don Juan has appeared in numerous influential works of literature, drama, and music, such as Molière's "Dom Juan," Mozart's opera "Don Giovanni," and Lord Byron's satirical poem "Don Juan." The narrative of Don Juan often revolves around his seduction of women, his confrontation with the consequences of his actions, and ultimately, his punishment, typically depicted as being dragged to Hell by a statue of a slain father of one of his victims.
Throughout history, various adaptations have reinterpreted his story, sometimes portraying him as a victim of seduction or exploring deeper philosophical themes. The character has also sparked discussions about gender roles, sexuality, and the nature of desire. In modern contexts, terms like "Don Juanism" and "Don Juan syndrome" have emerged to describe male hypersexuality, emphasizing the character's lasting impact on cultural and psychological discussions surrounding sexuality. Don Juan's enduring legacy reflects shifting perspectives on love, lust, and morality across different eras and mediums.
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Don Juan (fictional character)
Don Juan is a legendary fictional character typically depicted as an arrogant libertine, or a person who lacks moral character, particularly in relation to sexual matters. Although rooted in seventeenth-century Spanish folklore, the Don Juan character first became an established literary figure in Spanish playwright Tirso de Molina's tragic El burlador de Sevilla (1630). Over the centuries that followed, Don Juan became a popular figure in Western literature and drama as his story was featured in such classical works as French dramatist Molière's Dom Juan, ou le festin de pierre (1665), composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Don Giovanni (1787), poet Lord Byron's unfinished Don Juan, and playwright George Bernard Shaw's Man and Superman (1903). In more contemporary times, the character and his story have also been the focus of numerous feature films, including Don Juan (1926), Don Juan (or If Don Juan Were a Woman) (1973), and Don Juan DeMarco (1995). Hundreds of years after his creation, Don Juan remains one of the most enduring fictional characters in history.
Background
While many variations on the legend of Don Juan have been developed over the years, his mythical story generally follows the same basic narrative. Don Juan is a prolific and cunning womanizer who is famous for his shameless behavior and innumerable sexual exploits. As the story begins, the lustful Don Juan sets his sights on Donna Ana, a beautiful young noble woman. As he prepares to seduce her, however, he is caught by the girl's father, the Commander. Enraged, the Commander challenges Don Juan to a duel. When the two square off, Don Juan kills the Commander. Afterward, a distraught Donna Ana and her fiancé, Don Ottavio, chase after the fleeing Don Juan, but he avoids capture. Sometime later, Don Juan finds himself at the Commander's tomb, which features a large stone statue of its late inhabitant. When a strange voice speaks from inside the tomb and warns Don Juan that he will be punished for his sins, the unapologetic scoundrel laughs off the warning and flippantly invites the statue to his home for dinner. To Don Juan's great surprise, the statue later comes to life and appears at his door at the appointed time. During their surreal meeting, the statue proposes to take Don Juan to a great banquet. Undaunted even by the ghastly apparition before him, the still arrogant Don Juan accepts the offer and takes the statue's hand. When he does so, he finds himself inescapably locked in the statue's chilling grip. With that, a fiery pit suddenly opens and the Commander's statue drags Don Juan into the depths of Hell.
In the various literary, musical, and cinematic retellings of the Don Juan legend that have been developed since the character first emerged, the story has undergone many different alterations. This is particularly true concerning its dramatic ending. In some versions, Don Juan ultimately recognizes the error of his ways and willingly enters Hell as a sign of repentance. In others, the statue offers Don Juan an opportunity to repent and avoid the fires of Hell, but the unremorseful womanizer refuses and dooms himself to damnation. In still others, Don Juan repents at the gates of Hell, asks for forgiveness, and is pardoned by the statue.
Overview
The history of Don Juan can be traced through the timeline of works that feature the character. After his emergence as a figure of popular folklore in seventeenth-century Spain, the Don Juan story was picked up by strolling Italian players who incorporated it into their pantomime acts and took it with them to France. There, it was adapted into a number of new arrangements, including Molière's Dom Juan, ou le festin de pierre. As the legend of Don Juan subsequently grew in popularity, it inspired the creation of more works based on its mythos throughout Europe. Among the most notable eighteenth-century adaptations of Don Juan was Don Giovanni, Mozart's landmark opera that supplements the traditional legend with subtle political commentary illustrated by the title character's open defiance of the established social order. The evolution of Don Juan continued in the nineteenth century, particularly through Lord Byron's satiric poem Don Juan, in which the standard legend is reversed and Don Juan is depicted as a victim of seduction by women and not an aggressive libertine. New iterations of the Don Juan character continued to appear in the twentieth century. In Don Juan in Hell, the often-omitted third act of George Bernard Shaw's Man and Superman, for example, a deceased Don Juan engages in a deep philosophical argument with the Devil. Further unique interpretations of Don Juan were also developed through some cinematic versions of the legend. In Don Juan (or If Don Juan Were a Woman), the Don Juan story is creatively reimagined with the fictional libertine portrayed as a woman. In Don Juan DeMarco, actor Johnny Depp plays a mental patient who believes that he is the famed Don Juan.
The cultural legacy of Don Juan extends well beyond his role as a character in various works of literature, music, and film. As a figure of philosophical discussion, the fictional Don Juan raises many important questions about gender, sex, and sexuality. In particular, the legend of Don Juan and its various adaptations over the years offer interesting insight into the evolving nature of gender roles and stereotypes, the relationship of one gender to the other, and the delicate interplay between love, lust, trust, and sexual relations. There is little doubt that this has all played an important role in the Don Juan legend's unyielding endurance over the centuries.
Another interesting aspect of Don Juan's legacy is the character's association with sex-related mental illness. In the twentieth century, some psychiatrists and psychologists began using Don Juanism and Don Juan syndrome as nonclinical terms to describe male hypersexuality. The use of these terms contributed to the development of a formal, scientific distinction between legitimate sexual addictions brought on by mental illness in the form of Don Juanism and increased sexual activity that is simply the product of ordinary promiscuity.
Bibliography
Carrión, María M. "Don Juan." Encyclopedia of Sex and Gender. Edited by Fedwa Malti-Douglas, Macmillan Reference USA, 2007.
Cherry, Charles Maurice. "Don Juan Archetype in the Hispanic World." World Literature in Spanish: An Encyclopedia, Volume 1. Edited by Maureen Ihrie and Salvador A. Oropesa, ABC-CLIO, 2011.
Cochran, Peter, editor. Aspects of Byron's Don Juan. Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2013.
Eghigian, Greg. "Hypersexual Disorder: An Encounter with Don Juan in the Archives." Psychiatric Times, www.psychiatrictimes.com/blogs/history-psychiatry/hypersexual-disorder-encounter-don-juan-archives. Accessed 17 Oct. 2016.
England, Sarah. "Behind the Mask: Who Is Don Giovanni?" University of Maryland School of Music, www.music.umd.edu/news/post/who-is-don-giovanni. Accessed 17 Oct. 2016.
Forward, Stephanie. "An Introduction to Don Juan." British Library, www.bl.uk/romantics-and-victorians/articles/an-introduction-to-don-juan. Accessed 17 Oct. 2016.
Mandrell, James. Don Juan and the Point of Honor: Seduction, Patriarchal Society, and Literary Tradition. Penn State UP, 2010.
Wright, Sarah. Tales of Seduction: The Figure of Don Juan in Spanish Culture. I.B. Tauris, 2012.