Don Juan

Don Juan indicates at the same time a person having really existed and a character appearing in many works of fiction. The true person was recognized for her weak female Moralité and her conquests. After its death, its life became a Mythe which was used many times to present Allégorie S of the Séduction but also of the challenge to the authority and morals in oneself, and thus as well with the established order as with God.

Basically, Don Juan seeks and lives in the pleasure and the pleasure of the moment present, while being opposed to the constraints and the social rules morals and nuns, and by being unaware of voluntarily others. It is thus at the same time a sensualist and a libertine, also egoistic and destroying. At our modern time post-revolutionist one makes of it also the prototype of the man (should one say " the superman? ") independent and powerful, making precede the free-referee and individual freedom vis-a-vis all " oppression" : constraint or social or divine authority.

The established use wants that one writes “Dom Juan” when it is about the title of the work of Molière or the poem of Baudelaire, “Don Giovanni” when it is about the opera of Mozart and Da Ponte, “Don Juan” when it is about another work.

Initial history

The history of Don Juan is at the base a true story: with Seville (Spain), at or the beginning of the 16th century, a Spanish young man was known for his escapades, his complete absence of Moralité, and his challenge with the authorities and the values of the time, and even with God (“That it thus punishes me! ”); he thus constituted a serious public scandal. But from its skill, no one had not still been able to confuse it or to catch it in the act.

It made a fault of too by removing an young girl with a Couvent by promising the marriage to him, by alluring it, by dishonouring it, then by giving up it. This young girl was Pupille monks franciscains of this convent.

The monks were outraged of this wretched act because, at the time, the Sacrilège was the most serious moral fault, and the Déshonneur the most serious social attack. They warped a plot “of public health”, assassinated it and made disappear the body, telling then that it had been struck down by the Sky and had been involved in Enfer like punishment of all its faults, of the evil made with the others and of its refusal of repentance.

By the dimension of the man himself, the fame of its acts, and by the spectacular one of this end, all the elements of a Mythe were joined together: the myth of Don Juan was born.

The writing of the adventures of a seducer

In 1630 (17th century), Tirso de Molina, Spanish playwright, written El Burlador de Sevilla Convidado of will piedra there ( the Misleading one of Seville and the Guest of stone ). Begun again many times, the text arrive then at the Commedia dell' arte then at Molière which adapts the text in 1665. Da Ponte and Mozart in the opera Don Giovanni , Mérimée, Byron, Dumas, Baudelaire in poetry, Montherlant and by very many other authors, musicians, directors, scenario writers, authors of cartoons, were inspired by this skilful character and by scale which defies morals, the law and order, and God. The character evolves/moves slightly with the times. But the basic screen remains: seduction of the women, rejection of the social rules and morals, challenge with the authority and God, punishment " exemplaire". However on this last point of the notable differences appear in certain authors of the romantic period and continue nowadays: sign evolution of mentalities between Christian monarchies with social vision and the laic contemporary world or atheist with individualistic vision.

great characteristics of the character in the authors

Tirso de Molina

Pleasure: sovereign sensuality, triumphing sexuality, erotic outburst which is opposed to the gallant speech of in love truth, success; cynical Selfishness: the other does not exist in oneself but only for the interest and the pleasure that Don Juan in the car, it continues and misleads in many women, handling of the women, sadism, does not feel any duty towards the others; Challenge: déf of the authorities and the company of its time while refusing to subject itself to morals, ignorance and challenge of the Catholic religion; Antisocial: completely opposed to the duties which the social life imposes, completely opposite with the respect of the other and Christian charity, Don Juan is placed above all and of all, it places the individual above the company, the general interest and the community property; Materialism: Don Juan lives in the moment present and for the sensual pleasure, it puts the religious principles doubts, and always gives about it to later its repentance, it are repent too late only once plunged in the flames of the hell; To be able and conflict: verbal violence and sometimes physics, threats, masculine against the female one, the pure physical desire against the union of the beings, the carnal act against the marriage, refusal of the constraint, abuse the capacity of seduction, abuse the capacity of its social position.

Molière

Pleasure: it takes again the character of Molina, but of intrinsically sensual nature Don Juan does not seek any more the simple physical pleasure; cynical Selfishness: hypocritical, cynical and cold, it handles men and women, allures by the speech to make fall the woman who it wishes, the marriage promises mensongèrement, dishonors the women; Challenge: proud and proud, Don Juan wants to affirm her superiority on all and all, including morals and the religion; Antisocial: completely opposed to the duties which the social life imposes, completely opposite with the respect of the other and to Christian charity; Materialism: libertine, atheist, it repent themselves too late only once plunged in the flames of the hell; To be able and conflict: verbal violence and sometimes physics, threats, refusal of the constraint, abuse the capacity of seduction, abuse the capacity of its social position.

Da Ponte and Mozart

Pleasure: wild appetite of living, pleasure of each lived moment; cynical Selfishness: hypocritical, cynical and cold, it handles men and women, allures by the speech to make fall the woman who it wishes, the marriage promises mensongèrement, dishonors the women; Challenge: proud and proud, Don Juan wants to affirm her superiority on all and all, including the constant morals and religion, mockeries; Antisocial: completely opposed to the duties which the social life imposes, completely opposite with the respect of the other and to Christian charity; Materialism: libertine, atheist, he lives in the moment, rejects any morals or religion, even while falling into the flames from the hell; To be able and conflict: verbal and physical violence, threats, refusal of the constraint, abuse the capacity of seduction, abuse the capacity of its social position.

The 19th century

The romanticism deeply alters the character in accordance with the aspirations of the time, at the point to make of it a seducer… allured, in love, idealistic, even repenting! Don Juan is described like a romantic, tempting hero but also allured, attracting the love without calculation and being made take by him, poetic, without sordid cynicism, which absolutise the love and devotes its existence to it; it carries in him an image of a female absolute whose research becomes a disproportionate search, melancholic person, and without end; the redemption is possible and sometimes present. Pleasure: the pleasure is not any more the original intention; cynical Selfishness: much less cynical and perverse; Challenge: incarnation of the rebellion of the solitary individual vis-a-vis any order and any authority; Antisocial: rejection of the social love " normé" , rejection of the established social order, morals and the religion, with the profit of a personal design; Materialism: less materialist, in bond with the absolute and the beauty, aspiration towards the supreme beauty, replacement of the divine absolute by the female absolute, thirst for a beauty that only can offer the woman, absolutisation of the love and dedication to him of its existence; the redemption becomes again possible; To be able and conflict: frequent refusal of the constraint, rejection of the limits, access to a superhuman and almost divine size, the " surhomme" of Nietzsche is not far.

Nowadays:

The character preserves his features constitutive or present new characteristics created by the personal vision of the author. The aspect revolt is often present, as much against God that against a company moralizing and alienating. Certain authors and contemporary critics followers of certain theories " psys" with the mode see in the frenzy of seduction of Don Juan near the women the sign of a driven back homosexuality…

In literature

In 1665, Molière writes the famous play which reports by bringing up to date it at the French Great century the history of Don Juan; its success will make remain in the shade the part the Feast of Pierre of Thomas Corneille of 1677;

See also: Dom Juan or the Feast of stone

Other authors will take again the same topics:

This list is nonexhaustive: tens of writers treated this myth. To have a very complete list, to consult Christian Biet: Don Juan, Thousand and three accounts of a myth , Gallimard, collection “Discovered”, 1998

In music

This list is also nonexhaustive.

With the cinema

This list is nonexhaustive

Internal bonds

External bonds

  • '' the Seducer '', extracted from a novel of Anne-Marie Simond, to appear in republication

  • On Don Juan
  • Don Juan, a free man? (Magister site, with four vidéos
  • Article " Don Giovanni: Mozart and others… " (Series: " The myth of Don Juan to the opera… ")
  • Article " Beginnings of Don Juan with the opera: Empio punito (1669). " (Series " The myth of Don Juan to the opéra")
  • Article " “It convitato di will pietra O sia It dissoluto” (1776) of Righini." (Series " The myth of Don Juan to the opéra")
  • the Encyclopedia of the Agora: Don Juan
El Don Juan de Zorrilla

Random links:Râkshasa | Skolémisation | Trigana Air | Mosquito (editor) | Fly | Règlement_de_Toledo