Richard II’s characteristics are the exact qualities for how kings fail and suffer a tragic ending. First of all, Richard is an incompetent king, who is unable to connect with his people. He is too busy in his court with all his attendants, who flatter Richard for personal gains. Richard is also lost in the fashions of his time. Already, a self-centered king not like very much by his people will need to change immediately. Richard disrespects John of Gaunt, Henry Bolingbroke’s father, when he is nearing his death. Richard is actually quite happy about this. When John of Gaunt dies, Richard takes the respected John of Gaunt assets. Richard, actually, has a cruel nature and does not want anyone being close to steal his throne. John of Gaunt even wants to warn Richard about his punishment from God before he dies, and he truly believes that God appoints the king. This is foreshadowing Richard losing his throne. A man so deeply believing that God controls the throne, tries to help Richard in the right direction only further serves as a message to Richard that he has to shape up his act.

What’s worse is that Richard is the leader of the group that killed Thomas of Gloucester. Richard plays a very political game. He banishes Henry from England, but he fails to notice that and pay attention to the fact that Henry can still come back and take the kingdom. He does so for only six years because Henry is the people’s champion and he has to satisfy the people by giving Thomas Mowbray a longer sentence. Richard is still in his own world making his own plans. His plan to steal John of Gaunt’s assets to fund for the war, shows how incompetent he is as a king. A good King does not need to steal to have a kingdom run smoothly. If Richard listened to the Duke of York, then Henry might have less of a support system when staging his coup. The Earl of Northumberland, Lord Willoughby, and Lord Ross would not have switched alliances. It’s such a pity that Richard does not listen to the elder’s wise words, possesses qualities that will only hinder the decadence of England and has a narrow scope of what is really going on.

Due to confusion over this week’s blog post, I inadvertently wrote about East Meets West for today. But having read Don Juan, and having gotten to know Moliere’s work this semester, I would like to say something about the play.

Citing Elizabeth’s argument in class today, I don’t necessarily think that Don Juan is a morally-plagued or squalid person. Moliere assigns comedic elements to his disposition, much like he does for most of his characters, such as Gorgibus in The Flying Doctor. What’s interesting about Moliere’s style is that he writes so bombastically and eloquently, while talking about infidelity, death, bodily humor, et cetera, which creates a certain comedic air about his works, particularly Don Juan. I feel like in the two plays I’ve read by Moliere, there is always the cunning, charming, well-spoken character, and his more ignorant, simple and “conformist” sidekick. Moliere has fun with constructing witty repartee and birthing characters who complement each other in humorous ways.

In Act I, I found it hysterical when Sganarelle impugns Don Juan’s impious behavior and Don Juan retorts with this long-winded, almost biblical (ironically, since he contradicts the Bible) monologue in which he justifies his actions of infidelity; Sganarelle believes him! Don Juan’s carefully devised dialog assigns the play a certain comedic element and makes it entertaining to read. Despite the monologues and inflated language, I did not find myself growing bored while reading Don Juan. Moliere has in fact become a playwright in whom I am more interested.

To be honest, I was less than excited to read Don Juan. I rarely ever enjoy literature that is not contemporary, because I tend to question its relevance to current times. However, I was pleasantly surprised to find the play to be not only interesting but relatable to scenarios of today.

The humor is similar to that of many sitcoms, with a main male character as a “womanizer,” with his sidekick as the voice of reason.  Sganarelle offers many asides during the play, providing humorous bits for the audience to enjoy.  He also exists as the source of information about Don Juan and balances out the character.  This is often used in television shows for both comedic and dramatic effect.

Gender relations, while much more proper in the era of the play, bear a striking resemblance to the present.  As is true in today’s world, women are judged more harshly for having multiple partners, or, in this case, even dating around.  Charlotte, for example, is criticized for allowing Don Juan to kiss her hand.  It is as though it is the woman’s fault for being attractive rather than the man for not controlling himself.  While circumstances are not quite that extreme today, there still is a certain undercurrent of different treatment for similar actions.  Therefore, I would argue that Don Juan still holds pertinent to modern times, as it is a tale that both genders can relate to, and even poke fun at.

-Jacqui Larsen

Moliere’s Don Juan tells the story of Don Juan, a womanizer who feels that there is nothing wrong with tearing marriages apart and using women until he no longer feels they are satisfying him. While reading, I couldn’t help but relate Don Juan’s character to the majority of humankind. We are all sinners and frequently do things that may seem right in our own minds, but wrong to those around us. It is those individuals who expose us to a different perspective other than our own and encourage us to be less narrow-minded. In the case of Don Juan, both Sganarelle and Elvire try to make Don Juan aware of the fact that what he is doing is very wrong and that he will be punished for his deeds. Sganarelle tells him that “…an evil life brings an evil death” and that he will be punished for mocking Heaven. Elvire also tells him his “…crime shall not remain unpunished” and that Heaven will punish him. Although some people tend to change their ways after they are told they will be punished, Don Juan was set in his beliefs. He continued to do what he enjoyed and ultimately this led to his demise, and he was punished.

I believe that what Don Juan was doing was extremely wrong and that he did deserve to be punished. Not only was he hurting those around him but he was doing it while benefiting from it. He was given fair warning that it was wrong, and he chose to continue on the path of women and lust anyway, but hey, to each his own.

When I think of Don Juan, the name that comes into my mind is Cassanova. Cassanova was famed for being a seducer. He was a romantic fool who’s sole desires were women and adventure. However, Don Juan seems to be a radical version of Cassanova, as he not only seems to take pleasure in seducing and marrying every other girl, but he doesn’t seem to heed anyone else’s warnings. For example, when Don Juan’s valet cautions him of his way of life, he doesn’t heed it; when Don Luis cautions him, he neglects it. He becomes so arrogant that he challenges the Heavens by calling statues over for dinner and not find it perplexing when they actually show up. He sealed his fate when he used the idea of being religious and pious as a disguise to cover his true intentions. At this moment, his hubris and his arrogance were explicitly shown, and this is what led to his inevitable doom.

In Moliére’s masterpiece, it is easy to notice the overbearing presence of religious satire and chauvinistic tendencies of the drama’s protagonist.

However, the relationship between Don Juan and his valet, Sganarelle, is what interested me most as I read this play. Despite the obvious moralizing tendencies of his thought, Sganarelle puts himself at the mercy of his master again and again. Don Juan addresses such cowardice when Sganarelle dresses as a doctor to avoid harm in the woods.

Obviously, it is not easy for a servant to leave his master, especially one as rich as Don Juan. Sganarelle’s reaction to his master’s death indicates the primary conviction he has to Don Juan and his family. Payment is central to the relationship between the two characters. Sganarelle cares not for the death of his master, or the moral judgement, which many think might lead to his satisfaction. However, Don Juan’s death leads only to the complaint:  “I am the only unlucky one. My wages, my wages, my wages!” Sganarelle’s concern is base, caring only for his money and not for the satisfaction of the destruction of a wicked man.

It is with this action that I can say Sganarelle is equally as immoral and unjust as Don Juan. His hypocrisy is blatant, as he parades around saying “Oh what a man,” and pontificating about what a horrible master he serves, he does nothing to modify his situation. When given the opportunity to stand down his master, he quivers beneath his shadow. Additionally, Sganarelle owes his debtors just as Don Juan does.

Therefore, it is through the character Sganarelle, which Moliére portrays the equal ungodliness of lord and common man. The satire of those who disregard religion against those who would use it as a blanket to cover their own sins (i.e. Sganarelle).