The famous comedy written by the great French playwright Jean-Baptiste Moliere, Don Giovanni (for a brief summary, read below), was first presented to the Parisian public on February 15, 1665 at the Palais Royal theater. Only now, surprisingly, after fifteen performances, Moliere removed it from the repertoire, and more during the life of the master, it was not staged and not published.
Moliere Don Giovanni: analysis of the work
In this play, the writer presented the scandalous image of a European nobleman who lives only for his love affairs and victories. His name is Don Juan. The heroes of Moliere’s work, in general, all included the characteristic vices of the then society, but, of course, are not devoid of external charm and individual virtues.
So, the main character of the play is a passionate and straightforward, at times virtuous and honest person. Moliere’s image of Don Giovanni is not entirely unambiguous, he does not believe in God and treats public morality with great contempt, always ready to marry any beautiful lady who conquered his heart.
Don Juan with his servant Sganarelle is always extremely honest, although he never listens to his opinion, but is often interested in him. Noble honor and fearlessness help him, without any doubt, defend his enemy - Don Carlos, who fought with his opponent one against three. With people of low social status, he does not stand on ceremony and can give a slap at any moment. Be that as it may, with all his amorous and passionate nature, Don Juan is swiftly and steadily going the road to Hell, Moliere is sure.
Don Juan (analysis of the work confirms this) is more afraid of physical than spiritual death. He understands that the whole society has long been mired in sins. And hypocrisy alone helps people get along with their passions and not be afraid of public hostility and condemnation.
Moliere "Don Juan": a summary of the chapters
The first part tells us that Don Juan was already bored by his wife, donja Elvira, now he is again in search of another beauty who can captivate his heart. He was not at all tormented by his conscience because he had once arrived in the city in which he wanted to abduct her, while killing her jealous commander-in-law. The court acquitted this fight, and therefore Don Juan did not suffer due punishment. However, God's law was certainly violated. This fact confused his servant Sganarel, who understood that the deceased in this city was full of relatives and friends who would definitely want to get even with the murderer.
Servant
And then Moliere’s comedy “Don Giovanni” tells us that Sganarel deep down in his soul considered his master a terrible atheist who has a very developed bestial instinct. So, as he did with women, it was worthy of the highest and most cruel punishment.
He stole Donya Elviru from the walls of the monastery, but she, breaking the vows, completely trusted him and ended up being deceived and abandoned. She became his wife, but this did not stop him from going “to the left,” he married almost every month, by this he literally mocked the sacred rite.
Tirades
Nevertheless, his servant sometimes found courage to reproach the owner with inappropriate behavior and warned that it was not worth joking with Heaven. But Don Juan always had folding tirades on this subject about the variety of beauty, the impossibility of forever tying oneself to its one manifestation, the sweet desire to achieve a goal and how sad and boring it is to possess what was achieved.
From a human point of view, these judgments are literally everything to a point, which is why Moliere is unique. “Don Giovanni” (summary) continues with the fact that when the gentleman had no words to answer his restless servant, he simply threatened to kill him.
Elvira
Donya Elvira could not understand and accept this behavior of her unfaithful husband and therefore decided to figure it out herself and demand explanations from him. She went after him. However, he did not begin to explain anything to her, he only advised him to return to his monastery as soon as possible. Doña Elvira tolerated these words humbly, did not curse and reproach her husband, only goodbye predicted him inevitable punishment and anger from above.
Another victim
This subject will be further developed by Moliere. This time, Don Giovanni chased after another beauty who, during a boat trip, planned to abduct, but an unexpectedly storm fell overturned their boat with Sganarelle. They were very lucky, they were pulled ashore by peasants who were not far on the shore.
But Don Juan reacted to this experienced danger as easily as he related to everything that happened to him. Before he had time to go ashore and dry, he immediately became interested in one young and playful peasant woman, and then another, a friend of Pierrot, who saved him from the water, caught his eye, and he and she began to treat her with compliments, even seriously assured that will definitely marry her. And when both girls appeared in front of him at the same time, he verbally twisted so that they were satisfied.
The respectable Sganarelle rushed to reveal to the stupid simpletons the whole truth about his dishonest master, but the truth did not seem to interest them at all.
Hunting
Further, even more intriguingly wraps up the plot of his dramatic comedy, Jean-Baptiste Moliere. Don Juan (the summary continues with this particular event) during a walk with these girls suddenly sees a robber he knows, who warns him that twelve riders are looking for him throughout the district.
Don Juan goes to the trick and offers to exchange dresses with his servant Sganarel, which causes him extraordinary joy. They changed clothes, however, a little not as originally intended. The owner dressed like a peasant, and the doctor’s suit was put on the servant, and so he immediately began to rant about the merits of this calling, about the drugs prescribed by doctors, but then he smoothly turned to questions of faith. But his master again mumbled his attacks with the words that you only need to believe in two, two, four, and two, four, eight.
By the way, you can type a whole quote from his words, they sound a counterbalance, but not an argument, Moliere specifically emphasizes this. Don Juan, however, had never thought of anything such that would excite or touch his soul.
Vera
When they walked through the forest, a beggar walked up to them and asked for a penny, for which he promised to pray God for his benefactor all his life. Don Juan, too, spoke in his usual role, offering the beggar a golden louder, if he blasphemed. But we must pay tribute to the beggar, he flatly refused to do so. Despite this, our hero gave him a coin, and he rushed to help a stranger, who at the same time was attacked by three people armed with swords and daggers. Together, they were able to fight off the attackers.
Subsequently, from their introductory conversation, Don Juan realized that this was the brother of Doña Elvira. It so happened that he lagged behind Don Alonso - his brother, with whom all this time they were looking for their sister's malicious offender, in order to avenge her suffering. Don Carlos did not know this offender by sight, but Don Alonso, who hastened to help his brother, knew Don Juan very well. And having approached them, he immediately wanted to punish him, but Don Carlos asked for a delay in gratitude to cross the blades with him some other time and in another place.
The statue
In general, the lord and servant continued on their way, when suddenly they noticed a magnificent marble structure and, coming closer, they saw in it the tomb of the commander killed by Don Juan. And above it stood a huge statue of magnificent work. Don Juan was in high spirits and with a grin asked the servant to ask the commander if he would like to have dinner with him at his place today. Sganarelle timidly asked this mocking question to the monument and suddenly saw that the statue unexpectedly nodded his head. Then Don Juan decided to repeat the invitation, the statue and nodded to him.
Dinner
On the evening of the same day, the master was in his apartment, and his servant, under a strong impression, tried to explain to him that today's event did not predict anything good, but most likely looked like a warning, and that it was time for him to change his mind. But Don Juan demanded that he shut up immediately.
Moliere is developing an eerie intrigue with even greater scope in his drama. Don Juan, be that as it may, never really thought about anything serious. The evening turned out to be very turbulent, and he could not manage to have a quiet dinner. At first, various visitors came to him, then the supplier, to whom he was heavily indebted, but, resorting to flattery, he calmly escorted him. Then came his father, don Luis. He was extremely saddened by the frivolous behavior of a dissolute son and spoke of the memory of his ancestors, which he tarnished with his unworthy actions. Don Juan was completely bored from his words, and his father continued that it was better to die to fathers early so that they would not be annoyed by their stupid sons.
Lady
As soon as the angry father left Don Juan's house, the servants reported that a certain lady with a veil wanted to see him.
And here Moliere leads his work to a tragic end. Don Juan saw that it had come to him to say goodbye to Don Elvira. Motivated by love, she came to him for the last time to beg him to reconsider his life, since it was revealed to her that the sins of her husband were already so great that heavenly mercy was no longer enough for them. And that he, perhaps, did not have more than one day left to live, and it would be better to spend this day on repentance in order to turn his back on cruel punishment. From these words Sganarel burst into tears. The woman left. Don Juan, as usual, did not take her words seriously, however, as soon as he began to have dinner, suddenly an invited guest appeared - a statue of the commander. The owner was not flinch, they calmly dined, and, leaving, the statue now invited him to her with a return visit. And he accepted this invitation.
Repentance
The plot is in the same spirit and continues to Moliere. Don Juan met with his father the next day. Don Luis heard rumors that his son had repented and decided to start a new life. Don Juan confirmed his intentions to end the past. Sganarelle was happy like no one else, but then the owner explained to him that all his words were just cunning and hypocrisy - a fashionable human vice that can easily be mistaken for virtue and which does not give in to sin.
How useful was this hypocrisy, the servant quickly became convinced when they met with Don Carlos, who demanded in public to recognize Don Elvira as his wife. But he, referring to the will revealed to him from heaven, for the salvation of their souls, convinces him that they should not resume their marriage. Don Carlos released him, but reserved the right to challenge him at any time in order to bring final clarity on this matter.
Omens
But Don Giovanni was blasphemed for a short time, referring to a voice from above. The sky gave him a sign in the form of a ghost of a woman with a veil, who uttered menacingly that he had very little left to appeal to God's mercy. The ghost meanwhile turned into the image of Time with a scythe in his hand, which immediately disappeared.
Then a statue of the commander appeared before Don Juan, she extended her hand to him, and he, too, without fear extended his own and instantly felt how invisible fire burns him and heard the fateful words of the statue about the terrible death of the one who rejected heavenly mercy.
And suddenly the earth was dissolved and swallowed it in its infernal flame. Many had the death of Don Giovanni on hand, but only Sganarelle was the most worried that nobody would pay him his salary now.
That's so cruelly ruined his hero Moliere. Don Juan, whose quotes in the work are witty but not wise, was too narcissistic and presumptuous, for which he paid in full.