26 pages • 52 minutes read
Don Juan Tenorio
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Themes
Damnation and Salvation
Many of the themes in Don Juan Tenorio are focused on religion. While the first half is a tragedy about two men who bet each other to see who can cause the most damage in a year, and the fallout from the bet, the second half is about Don Juan choosing whether to believe that he can be saved through a bargain Dona Ines made with God, or, alternately, deciding to allow himself to be damned. When Don Juan presents himself to Don Gonzalo and Don Luis, and begs their forgiveness, saying he's a changed man, they refuse him. He says that Don Gonzalo is taking away his salvation in refusing to let Dona Ines marry him. When they still refuse to forgive his actions, Don Juan kills them both. Later, Don Gonzalo appears to urge Don Juan to accept the deal Dona Ines made that would save his soul. Funeral sounds signify his coming doom; death bells play. Skeletons come from nearby tombs to claim him. The ghouls of Hell appear to show Don Juan what awaits him in Hell and, as they come to take him, he finally yields to the bargain. He reaches for Dona Ines and she pulls him toward Heaven. Angels appear and sprinkle flowers and perfume on Don Juan and Dona Ines. Light appears. Their souls, which are shown to be flames that come from their mouths, leave their bodies and go toward Heaven, unified and saved.
Corruption and Innocence
The theme of innocence is embodied in the character of Dona Ines, who Don Juan is planning to marry. She is barely seventeen and has spent her entire life living in a convent. She makes choices based on that innocence, such as immediately wanting to leave Don Juan's and return to her father's house after she is kidnapped. Dona Ines is so pure of spirit that God allows her to bargain her soul to try to save Don Juan. The innocence of Dona Ines can be seen in the statue that marks her grave. When she appears and offers the deal to Don Juan—salvation for both or damnation for both—the statue disappears. On one hand, it's proof that her spirit is telling the truth and isn't just a trick. On the other, Dona Ines's statue functions as a symbol of her life on Earth. She was something beautiful and then she was gone because of Don Juan's actions.
Hate and Love
The theme of hate and love is prevalent in the play. Everyone is doomed by hate and Don Juan is redeemed by the love of Dona Ines. When Don Luis and Don Gonzalo refuse to stop their persecution of Don Juan, who says that he loves Dona Ines and is a changed man, he chooses to kill them instead. He says Don Gonzalo is taking his salvation. In the end, Dona Ines loves Don Juan enough that she bargains her soul to save his own and literally pulls him from the cusp of Hell.
Hope and Despair
Hope and despair also play an important role in the play. When Don Juan is in despair because he can't find forgiveness with Don Gonzalo or Don Luis, he acts out in rage and kills them. This sends him deeper into despair and forces him to be away from Spain for five years. Only the hope Dona Ines has that Don Juan can find God and ask for forgiveness saves him from Hell at the end of the play.
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