Dimitri DuplanKylen Small

Juliana Jones

THE EPIC:

Don Juan by Lord Byron

Born January 22, 1788 in London, UK

A RomanticistIn 1819, while in Venice,

he wrote some of his famous works, including “Don Juan”.

Byron died on April 19, 1824 without finishing Canto 17 of “Don Juan”

Author Background

Satirical EpicDon Juan, a 16 year old inexperienced though

well learned boyThe poem spans vast setting: many countries,

many yearsPublished 1819-1824Unfinished, Byron died in 1824In the poem, Byron criticizes English society

Brief Overview

Known as the “seducer of Seville”Made more than a THOUSAND sexual

conquestsQualities

Virility -  the quality of having strength, energy, and a strong sex drive; manliness.

Arrogant CourageSense of Humor

The Legend Of Don Juan

SEXY

Well learned in books and scienceIgnorant of the opposite sex (especially have

to do with sexual activityCurious

Easily seduced

“Juan was taught from out the best edition,Expurgated by learned men, who placeJudiciously, from out the schoolboy’s vision”

(Byron, 1819, Canto I – p. 16/78)

Our Character Don Juan (Byron)

Love vs. Lust“Juan much flatter’d by her love, or lust; The two are so mix’d with human dust” (Byron, 1819, Canto 2- p. 23/108)

Unfair WorldDon Juan encounters countless perils and problems

Byron’s Commentary war, restraints on personal liberty and freedom of

speech are some of the topics addressed in the poem

Themes

Written in Ottava RimaEach Stanza has eight linesRhyme scheme abababcc

17 CantosEach Canto is like an episode of TV. They are connected

but also have their own storiesIambic Pentameter17 Cantos long, 16,000 lines. 17th Canto is 14 lines longEach Canto is an individual episode

Structure

The story starts with a background on Juan’s life.Don Juan was born in Seville, SpainDon Juan’s father, Don Jose, “was

… of the careless kind, with no great love for learning” whereas his mother was a “learned woman”

Don Jose diesDon Juan meets Donna Julia, a

young girl married to a man twice her age

They have an affair but they are caught

Don Juan’s mother sends him away

Canto I

Juan board’s a ship bound for Italy.After boarding, he quickly becomes

sea sickThen there is a storm which wrecks

the ship and kills all but 39 sailors.The sailors, who have escaped

tragedy in a longboat, stay alive by turning to cannibalism

After several days, only Juan has survived and he climbs up the shore of the closest island

He is found by a girl named Haidee who nurses him to health

They fall in love

Canto II

After Lambro, Haidee’s father leaves for an excursion, Juan and Haidee are free to court in the open.

Receive word of Lambro’s death, mourn, then get married

They throw lavish partiesLambro is not dead, comes

back & secretly and schemes!Byron gives commentary in

the epic catalogue form about the Ottoman Empire’s control over Greece.

Canto III

Juan Juan

Lambro

During Don Juan and Haidee’s “siesta”, Lambro sneaks into their room

Lambro calls twenty men to capture JuanIn an attempt to save Juan, Haidee topples

over, bleeds out, and falls into a coma, which causes death

Juan is sold onto a slave ship headed for Constaninople

Canto IV

Don Juan befriends a man named Johnson They are both sold to Baba, a sultan’s servantJuan is introduced to the beautiful sultana,

Gulbeyaz, who attempts to seduce him!Juan refuses to love her and this angers the

sultanaThe sultan enters the room and all eyes fall

on Don Juan

Canto V

There is no bed for Juan at the moment so he must share with Dudji, a 17 year oldgirl

When the sultana learns of this, she is infuriated

She demands that Baba kill them by tying them with rope and throwing them into the sea

Canto VI

Canto VII

Rant on philosophers“By swift, by Machiavel, by Rochefoucault,

By Fenelon, by Luther, and by Plato;By Tolotson, and Wesley, and Rousseau,Who knew this life was not worth a potato”

Does not describe how Juan escaped the Sultana

Now Juan, John Johnson & co. are involved in the Ismail war at Danube

Meets Souvaroff, who Byron calls Suvaroff“[Russians] names want nothing but- pronunciation”

Writes descriptively (gross-ly) about war:“Sliding knee-deep in lately frozen mud Now thaw’d into a marsh of human blood”

Canto VII

THE SIEGE OF ISMAILTurks surrender to the

Russians, it’s brutalDon Juan saves a little

Turkish girl (Leila) from two of his own men

A man watches his five sons get murdered because he refuses to surrender

IN SUMMARY: War is horrible

Canto VIIIGO

DON JUAN!

It sucks.Imagery

“And thirty thousand muskets flung their pills Like hail to make a bloody diuretic.”

(Byron, 1819, Canto VIII – 5/50)

Theme of War

Suvarrow choses Don Juan to bring news of the capture to empress

Empress Catherine in Petersberg is enamored with Juan

The feelings are mutual <3

Canto IX

Juan writes to relatives about life in RussiaFalls ill, puzzles doctors.Prescription: needs a change in lifeEmpress Catherine sends Juan out to England to

work on negotiations

Canto X

Strolling in London Juan is attacked by robber whom he shoots

Juan is the ish, he gets settled in and women want him, he’s rich, noble, and handsome

Attends many parties“Don Juan was

presented, and his dress and mien excited general admiration..Fair virgins blush’d upon him; wedded dames Bloom’d also in less transitory hues”

Canto XI

Party on, old sport

Focuses on Juan’s companion LeilaJuan decides its best that Leila is taken

under the wing of another figureLady Pinchbeck, an old, wise, reputable

woman, becomes Leila’s new guardian Juan appears somewhat tired of

romance, and finds English women unattractive

“Love or lust makes man sick, and wine much sicker; Ambition rends, and gaming gains a loss; but, making money, slowly first, then quicker, and adding still a little through each cross”

Canto XII

Juan has become quite friendly with an English couple, Lord and Lady Amundeville

It is foreshadowed that there is an affair One September, couple invites guests,

including Don Juan, to their summer home in Norman Abbey“Now hatred is by far the longest pleasure;

Men love in haste, but they detest at leisure”

Canto XIII

Is well-acquainted with English lifeProficient in hunting and dancing Becomes the love interest of Duchess Fitz-Fulke,

friend to Lady Adeline Lady Adeline is conflicted about her marriage and

emotions Hinted that she has feelings for Don Juan Author proclaims that an affair will develop

between the two “The Lady Adeline, right honorable; And honour’d ran

a risk of growing less so; For few of the soft sex are very stable in their resolves”

Canto XIV

The author provides in-depth characterization of Don Juan

Lady Adeline continues to struggle over her feelings for Don Juan

Decides that Don Juan should marry soon Don Juan’s final love interest, Aurora Raby, is

introduced“No marvel then he was a favorite; A full-grown

Cupid, very much admired; A little spoilt, but by no means so quite; At least he kept his vanity retired. Such was his tact, he could alike delight the chaste, and those who are not much so inspired”

Canto XV

Divided into four section1st section involves an

encounter with a ghost 2nd section depicts a business

day in the life of Lord Amundeville

3rd section deals with a public day at the Amundevile residence

4th section ends with a resolution of the supernatural encounter

Canto XVI

Final canto of the story Author reflects upon the moral development

of Don Juan Ends on an ambiguous note Author never specifies what occurred during

the end of Canto XVIByron dies in 1824 before finishing

his poem.

Canto XVII

Begins with an invocation to a muse “ Most epic poets plunge ‘in medias res’ … My way is to begin with the beginning”

Story is vast, spanning across many nations “She had resolved that he should travel

through All European climes, by land or sea” (Canto

1, 67/78)Shows divine intervention in human affairs

Luck

Epic Qualities That The Story Possesses

Includes the use of epithets Don, Donna “Gentle Julia” (Byron, 1819, Canto I – p. 34/78)“Fair Haidee” (Byron, 1819, Canto II – p. 61/76)

Epic CatalougingCanto III – Byron’s rant on 19th century politics

Con’t Epic Qualities

Epic speech Media res

“Most epic poets plunge in ‘in medias res’ … but not mine”

Epic adversary/adversariesHero that does not embody the values of his

civilization

Epic Qualities That The Story Does Not Possess

EhhhhhhhhhHe has his moments, like when he saves the

Turkish girl, Leila and adopts herHowever having affairs with married women

hardly embodies civilizations values

Don Juan as an Epic Hero?

a character that rejects established norms and conventionshas been rejected by societyhas the self as the center of his or her own

existence

He is a ROMANTIC Hero!

FIN!