An
opera written by
Mozart, based on the
Don Juan fable, which is basically a tale of a
promiscuous man attempting to get laid.
The da Ponte libretto was based loosely on Moliere's Don Juan. The Don Juan story was first published in 1630 in the form of a play by a friar named Tirso de Molina, entitled
El Burlador de Sevilla Y Convivado de Pietra (The Trickster of Seville and the
Stone Guest). Since then, many interpretations of this story have been written by authors of many nationalities such as
Jean-Baptiste Moliére (Dom Juan ou le Festin de Pierre, 1665), Lord
Byron (Don Juan, 1821),
Aleksandr Pushkin (Kamennyj Gost', 1830), and
Baudelaire (Don Juan aux enfers, 1861).
The main characters are Don Giovanni, his servant Leporello, Donna Anna, Don Ottavio (Anna's fiance), The Commendatore (Anna's father), Donna Elvira, Zerlina (a peasant girl), and Masetto (Zerlina's fiancee)
The opera opens with Don Giovanni escaping from Donna Anna's home. He has failed to seduce her, and she cries out. As a matter of honor, her elderly father, the Commendatore, challenges him to a duel, in which Don Giovanni slays him.
Don Giovanni then travels around looking for more opportunities for seduction, which he finds at a peasant wedding between commoners Zerlina and Masetto. He promises Zerlina love and marriage, and as a nobleman, nearly carries her away. However, Donna Elvira, one of Don Giovanni's previous conquests, reappears and warns Zerlina of his reputation. After his failure with Zerlina, Don Giovanni plans a party to lure in not only Zerlina but every peasant woman in the area to add to his book of conquest. Zerlina and Masetto end up attending. Donna Anna, Don Ottavio, and Donna Elvira arrive at the party disguised in masks, planning to expose Don Giovanni; they are not disappointed, their opportunity soon arrives. When Giovanni suddenly forces Zerlina into a room, Zerlina screams and Masetto rushes to rescue her. To save his reputation, Giovanni tries to pin the blame on Leporello, but no one is fooled. They proclaim that Don Giovanni will be punished by Heaven for his sinfulness.
After escaping from the party without injury, Don Giovanni meets up with Leporello in a graveyard, where the Commendatore's statue demands that he repents. When Don Giovanni refuses, he is dragged down to hell.