Date of Award

5-1996

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

M.A.

Degree Program

English

Department

English

Major Professor

Robert Sturges

Second Advisor

Dan Doll

Third Advisor

John R. Holmes

Abstract

The thesis essay "Potentiality in Lorenzo da Ponte's Don Giovanni" explores the many facets of Don Giovanni's roles and functions in the opera by Mozart-daPonte. The thesis states that Don Giovanni does not merely function as a libertine who is finally punished for his crimes; instead, Don Giovanni offers many various roles and functions to the other characters. The functio of Don Giovanni at any given time in the opera depends on the other character's psychological background and impression of Don Giovanni. For instance, the noble Donna Elvira looks to Don Giovanni for a lover; but the peasant Zerlina sees in Don Giovanni an opportunity for marriage, which would allow her to rise in social standing. Zerlina's betrothed, Masetto, sees Don Giovanni as a rival love and threat, but the servant interprets Don Giovanni as an employer, who provides for him life's basic necessities, such as food, clothing, and shelter.

Don Giovanni's various roles are evident not only in da Ponte's libretto, but also in the Don Juan texts of Tirso de Molina, Molière, and George Bernard Shaw. Lorenzo da Ponte's text receives the primary focus, but the other texts are incorporated as well in order to show consistency in Don Juan's character; that is, he's always perceived in many different ways, whether the text is drawn from the Renaissance, Seventeenth Century, or Nineteenth Century. The thesis concludes on the note that Don Giovanni has no semantic in and of himself, but rather it's the other characters who give him this value or role: which role depends upon the individual's psychological make-up and background.

Rights

The University of New Orleans and its agents retain the non-exclusive license to archive and make accessible this dissertation or thesis in whole or in part in all forms of media, now or hereafter known. The author retains all other ownership rights to the copyright of the thesis or dissertation.

Share

COinS