Don Juan Study Guide
“Don Juan” is traditionally portrayed as a satirical poem, but it also can be seen as a tragedy. The author presents the story of a legendary lover from the unusual angle, showing him not as a selfish seducer who breaks the hearts of the countless women and then forgets their names, but as a victim of his own love, passion and stunning appearance. We see Don Juan as a person capable of love and, moreover, faithful to his love. Unfortunately, the poem was never finished due to the untimely death of Byron, so the final fate of the ill-fated lover is unknown.
We see Juan for the first time when he is only sixteen, a promising young man raised in the family with strict morals by his mother Donna Inez. He is naive and pure, and his first love affair is indeed based on love. Too bad that this love - exploited by the adult and married woman - ruins the fates of both her and Juan, sending him to his life-long quest.
We see that Don Juan isn’t a bad person at all - he is brave, honest, handsome and intelligent. Still, he becomes a constant victim of powerful women who lust after him and are completely consumed by their passion. The poor young man often has to choose between a surrender and a gruesome death.
We understand that the man who we are used to see as seducer is the victim of seduction. The journey of Don Juan is his way from a romantic young man to an adult who regains control over his life. This epic poem will turn the image of Don Juan you are used to see in culture into something completely different. The level and eloquence of satire here can be compared to “Don Quixote” that also completely averts the common images and clichés and turns a comedy into tragedy. Lord Byron turns a romance into a tragedy, showing that no one else, but Don Juan is left with the broken heart.
Author: Levi Jennings
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