"As a warning, let me say -- between us two --
Don Juan, my master, is the greatest scoundrel you
Will ever find."
-- Sganarelle, Act 1, Scene 1
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The Roles We Play
I was described so often in high school and college as "nice" that it became a four-letter word in the truest sense. What I longed for was a difference - to be a rogue. And yet I continued to wear and ear the reputation of the white cloaked knight.
That changed when director Barbara Leavel Smith cast me as Don Juan in her new play. It's my first lead role and just the challenge I was seeking.
Fortunately for me, Barbara is a director who believes in evolving a play organically, with input from the actors. So is Don Juan actually a rogue, or a "soundrel" as his valet Sganarelle says? Various interpretations see Don Juan as a sort of Don Quixote or a Hamlet, two vastly different characters. Barbara sees him as a dashing Errol Flynn/Douglas Fairbanks Jr.-type -- or Tangled's Flynn Ryder, for you young'uns.
Since this is a study in Don Juan, it's good to look at all the possibilities, including the archetype that he represents. I have attached a link to a site that puts Don Juan in the Rebel family.
The article adds an interesting quote from German philosopher Fredrich Neitzsche about this type: “The true man wants two things: danger and play. For that reason he wants woman, as the most dangerous plaything.” Interesting. Maybe it's that.
But another quote I like even better describes the archetype in this way: “I don’t know where I’m going from here, but I promise it won’t be boring.” -David Bowie
The good thing about literature is that power is in the hands of the reader. And the actor. Find out yourself which way you see him.
