Will the real Don Juan please stand up?
Which Don Juan am I talking about? One of these?
Molière's play Dom Juan ou le Festin de pierre (1665); yes, it is with an m; it's French.
Byron's epic poem Don Juan (1821)
José de Espronceda's poem El estudiante de Salamanca (1840); Don Juan is in it!
José Zorrilla's play Don Juan Tenorio (1844).
Don Giovanni, an opera composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
Errol Flynn stars as a swashbuckling lover of women in the film The Adventures of Don Juan (1948); I like movies.
Johnny Depp and Marlon Brando starred in the film Don Juan DeMarco (1995).
Let's not confuse Don Juan with Casanova, that's a completely different story.
My understanding is that Don Juan is a common metaphor for a womanizer. Don Juan is a fictional character, but there is some evidence that his persona is based on a real person who once lived in Sevilla.
The first written version of the Don Juan legend was by the Spanish dramatist Tirso de Molina (AKA, Gabriel Téllez). He wrote the play, El burlador de Sevilla y convidado de piedra (The Trickster of Seville and the Stone Guest), which was set in the 14th century and published in Spain around 1630. The basic story portrays Don Juan as a wealthy libertine who devotes his life to seducing women, taking great pride in his ability to seduce women of all ages and social status. In most cases, Don Juan repents and does good deeds in the last years of his life.
Let's consider Miguel Manara Vicentelo Leca born in Sevilla in 1627. He was raised in a family of wealthy merchants and was given the best eduction possible and was a member of all the important social circles in Sevilla. Four months after the death of his father, at twenty-one, he married Doña Jerónima María Antonia Carrillo de Mendoza y Castrillo, born 1628. It was an arranged marriage.
Manara was known to have a taste for drink and to be in the company of many women of both high and lower social status.
When his wife died in 1661, without having children, he entered a period of deep personal reflection, even considering entering a religious order. Miguel Mañara retired, for five months, to the Carmelite hermitage of the Desierto de las Nieves (Our Lady of the Snows) and dedicated himself to the pure contemplation of his life. There Mañara prayed and did penance for his past digressions. He came to the conclusion that he would direct his life towards the helping others less fortunate.
The repentance of Mañara has been frequently compared with the final repentance of Don Juan, and the Sevillian character of Tirso de Molina (El burlador de Sevilla) and José Zorrilla (Don Juan Tenorio).
In his quest to do good, Mañara purchased an old shipping warehouse, renovated it, and created The Hospital de la Caridad in Sevilla in 1674. A church was added, and Mañara took up residence in a humble room in the hospital. The facility was and is devoted to the care of the aged and infirm. The hospital's chapel is open to the public and contains some of Seville's best examples of baroque art.
Here are a few images from my visit to the Hospital de la Caridad.
Molière's play Dom Juan ou le Festin de pierre (1665); yes, it is with an m; it's French.
Byron's epic poem Don Juan (1821)
José de Espronceda's poem El estudiante de Salamanca (1840); Don Juan is in it!
José Zorrilla's play Don Juan Tenorio (1844).
Don Giovanni, an opera composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
Errol Flynn stars as a swashbuckling lover of women in the film The Adventures of Don Juan (1948); I like movies.
Johnny Depp and Marlon Brando starred in the film Don Juan DeMarco (1995).
Let's not confuse Don Juan with Casanova, that's a completely different story.
My understanding is that Don Juan is a common metaphor for a womanizer. Don Juan is a fictional character, but there is some evidence that his persona is based on a real person who once lived in Sevilla.
The first written version of the Don Juan legend was by the Spanish dramatist Tirso de Molina (AKA, Gabriel Téllez). He wrote the play, El burlador de Sevilla y convidado de piedra (The Trickster of Seville and the Stone Guest), which was set in the 14th century and published in Spain around 1630. The basic story portrays Don Juan as a wealthy libertine who devotes his life to seducing women, taking great pride in his ability to seduce women of all ages and social status. In most cases, Don Juan repents and does good deeds in the last years of his life.
Let's consider Miguel Manara Vicentelo Leca born in Sevilla in 1627. He was raised in a family of wealthy merchants and was given the best eduction possible and was a member of all the important social circles in Sevilla. Four months after the death of his father, at twenty-one, he married Doña Jerónima María Antonia Carrillo de Mendoza y Castrillo, born 1628. It was an arranged marriage.
Manara was known to have a taste for drink and to be in the company of many women of both high and lower social status.
When his wife died in 1661, without having children, he entered a period of deep personal reflection, even considering entering a religious order. Miguel Mañara retired, for five months, to the Carmelite hermitage of the Desierto de las Nieves (Our Lady of the Snows) and dedicated himself to the pure contemplation of his life. There Mañara prayed and did penance for his past digressions. He came to the conclusion that he would direct his life towards the helping others less fortunate.
The repentance of Mañara has been frequently compared with the final repentance of Don Juan, and the Sevillian character of Tirso de Molina (El burlador de Sevilla) and José Zorrilla (Don Juan Tenorio).
In his quest to do good, Mañara purchased an old shipping warehouse, renovated it, and created The Hospital de la Caridad in Sevilla in 1674. A church was added, and Mañara took up residence in a humble room in the hospital. The facility was and is devoted to the care of the aged and infirm. The hospital's chapel is open to the public and contains some of Seville's best examples of baroque art.
Hospital de la Caridad
Hospital courtyard
Main altar
In ictu oculi by Juan de Valdés Leal
Finis Gloriae Mundi by Valdés Leal
Satan supporting the pulpit
As to the Don Juan story, I'll leave the decision to you. There is lots of info on the web. For me, I'm not going to spend much time on it. I won't lose any sleep either.
PS: There was a special exhibit at the Hospital de la Caridad regarding the restoration of 2 of Bartolomé Esteban Murillo's paintings. Both were about 24 inches by 140 inches in size.
Moses and the water from the rock of Horeb by Bartolomé Esteban Murillo
Miracle of the loaves and fishes by Bartolomé Esteban Morillo
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