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Don Juan Although the myth on Don Juan was that he was a womanizer, Byron offers completely different interpretation of his character. Byron's Don Juan is aimed to to clarify the nature of poetry in an age where obscurity on the subject, both in theory and practice, was becoming rampant (McGann 78), by describing the main character as an innocent youth who only succumbed to womens desire. World literature knows plenty of interpretations of Don Juan. The legend takes its origin from Spain. According to it, the image of an intrusive and pushing womanizer was created per sample of Don Juan Tenorio.
However, the image of Byron's Don Juan is completely different from all other interpretations. At the end of stanza 1 the poet playfully compares Don Juan with classical epos and dwells on the main peculiarities of his work. He compares it to the completely new type of the elope created pursuant to the modernity. The writers assessment of the role of women is quite interesting. Byron expresses romantic aesthetics with almost no changes throughout the story; however, the passionate denial of existing reality implies no escape from it, but rather the cognition and attempts to understand womens characters.
Whereas every century has its own image of Don Juan, either as passionate caballero, or the fanatic of love in the form of freedom, or egoist, self-lover, who came to the understanding that a rush for enjoyment ruined him to the ashes, or a willy-nilly hypocrite, who is forced to hide his rebellious nature under the skin of philanderer, which is more familiar and more acceptable for the crowd. Byron's Don Juan has nothing in common with all these characters, with the exception of the name. Really, light-hearted and unsophisticated Don Juan becomes an outstanding character. Don Juan's attitude to Julia is very illustrative. From his early childhood women had great influence on him. Women educated him, they influenced him and manipulated.
He was educated under the strict control of his mother and Don Juan was a mere toy in her hands. At the age of 16, everybody but his mother deem'd Him almost man (Byron, stanza 54) but his mother flew in a rage and bit her lips (54) If any said so. Further, Byron introduces Julia, a beautiful woman married to an elderly man. No wonder, she likes Don Juan and wants to seduce him. Whereas Julia acts as a person, who has the aim and undertakes all efforts to reach it, with putting no attention at the fact of her marriage, and has no moral boundaries, Don Juan, on contrary, is completely lost in reflections. He was in love, he dreamt while strolling about the meadows, a smile played about his face, and his love was innocent and very romantic.
Julia intentions werent as innocent as Juan's she thought of her own strength, and Juan's youth, and of the folly of all prudish fears, victorious virtue, and domestic truth (107). After the couple was caught by the jealous husband, Don Juan's mother sends him away on a tour to perfect his moral. Julia writes a letter, where she tells that he will forget her, because men are not so addicted to the objects of passion, and prefer career and other important things to being devoted to a woman. On contrary to the description of a man, provided by Julia's letter, Don Juan, being so self-willed in violation of all sanctimonious moral prohibitions, turns out to be the exceptionally moral person during the really important moments of his life. Don Juan is the son of the courteous epoque. He lost his aggressiveness and activity.
He is the passive devotee of womens peaceful enjoyments. Don Juan doesnt attack women, but he, himself, is the object of pursuit (e. g. Don Juan as Julia's and Catherine IIs lover), or simply a victim of accidental meeting with a women (e.
g. Don Juan in sultans harem). At the same time, Byron's women live only for passion, they perceive themselves only in the capacity of lovers, and, when sometimes they have to step outside the confines of contentment and enjoyment, they direct their activity at moral rebirth of their beloved man. Works Cited McGann, Jerome J. Don Juan in Context. Chicago: U of Chicago P, 1976.
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