Don Juan- Lord Byron

In this poem Byron satirises the story of Don Juan, the infamous womanizer, and presents him as being seduced by an older woman named Julia. Julia is married to Don Alfonso, and Byron writes that “she inly swore/ by all the vows below to powers above/ she never would disgrace the ring she wore”. These lines suggest that Julia does not intend to go against her marital sacrament by seducing Don Juan. However, Bryon continues by writing that “while she pondered this…/ One hand on Juan’s carelessly was thrown/ Quite by mistake- she thought it was her own.” The humorous, ironic tone of the poem is exemplified here because while Julia is pondering the religious values of marriage, she places her hand on Juan’s. Although Byron writes that this was “quite by mistake-she thought it was her own”, this is most definitely not the case, and is merely further evidence of the poems ironic tone.

This poem seems to suggest that Don Juan’s immoral actions in later life are a direct result of being victim to seduction as an innocent young man. Julia is described as being attracted to his “prudish fears” and his “victorious virtue”, two attributes the adult Don Juan certainly doesn’t possess. Furthermore, when Don Juan returns Julia’s advances with a “grateful kiss”, Bryon writes that he “withdrew/ in deep despair, lest he had done amiss”, which further exemplifies how the portrayal of the young Don Juan differs greatly to his elder representation.

One critic described Don Juan as the “passive recipient of the erotic attentions of aggressive women.” However this interpretation seems to exclude Don Juan from any responsibility for his own actions, and a feminist approach is that this poem is yet another example of how women are unfairly blamed for mans failings. This feminist viewpoint is supported by the manner in which the narrator succinctly accuses Don Juan’s mother of influencing events: “twas surely very wrong in Juan’s mother/ to leave together this imprudent pair”. Therefore the narrator’s attribution of blame solely to the women in the poem is arguably unfair, and excludes the responsibly of Don Juan. However, a post-feminist approach may conclude that the poem empowers female beauty because Julia holds a position of power of Don Juan because of her sexuality.

The narrator in the poem commentates on events and seems to hold a position of moral judgement, describing Don Juan’s mother as “wrong” in leaving the pair together and saying that what Don Juan did “was much what you would do” when advanced upon by a woman. One possibility is that the narrator’s voice is a reflection of the author himself, however I believe this is highly unlikely. Byron is more associated with the character of Don Juan, because as a critic points out, “the adventures of Don Juan are poetic re-imaginings of Byron’s own escapades and dysfunctional relationships with women.” Therefore the poem becomes a sort of insight into Byron’s mind, a biography of his life, and whether or not the poem is a work of self-indulgence is a point of debate.