DON JUAN, a drama in prose by Moliere, was first acted by his own company at Paris, 15 Feb. to 20 March 1665, with a success ri valed only by that of 'Tartuffe.' It aroused opposition at court hardly less bitter and tena cious, was withdrawn from the stage and first published, altered for the worse by the censor ship, in 1682, nine years after Moliere's death. Three copies of the unaltered version survive. An edition printed in Amsterdam in 1683 and reproduced in Brussels in 1694 presents the work in still earlier form before excisions had been made by Moliere, after the first presenta tation, in hope of placating powerful offended offenders. Don Juan's origin is in an Andalu sian legend of uncertain date. Here Juan Tenorio, a degenerate descendant of one of the Twenty-four of Seville, abducts the daughter of Commander d'Ulloa, kills him, insults his statue on his tomb, which coming to life sends Juan to subterranean flames. Early in the 17th century this legend was dramatized by Brother Gabriel Tellez of the Order of Mercy, under the name Tirso de Molina, as 'El Burlador de Sevilla y Convidado de Piedra' (The Seville Deceiver and the Stone Guest). This was adapted to Italian'taste by Giliberto at Naples in 1652 and by Cicognini at Florence before 1664 with the title Convitato di Pietra.' One of these plays was acted in Italian at Paris in 1657. A French version by Dorimond was acted at Lyons in 1658, another by Villiers soon after at Paris, both with the inept and mistranslated title 'Le Festin de Pierre' (Peter's Feast). The subject proved very popular. Moliere's company, unable to produce 'Tartuffe,) urged him to use it and 'Le Festin de Pierre' was the original title of the play now known as 'Don Juan,) written in evident haste, one of the most loosely constructed of his dramas, but for psychic penetration and strength in presenta tion of character ranking with and 'Le Misanthrope' as chief among his comedies.
The subject was treated dramatically in France during Moliere's life also by Gueulette and Rosimond. Thomas Corneille versified and mol lified Moliere's prose in 1677. This version held the stage till 1841. Since 1847 the original Moliere rules unchallenged in France. In epi sodes masterful but not dramatically linked 'Don Juan' presents an awesome picture of a wicked man of power, fascinating and abusing the despairing love of his wife, horrifying his ignorant and self-seeking but honest-hearted servant Sganarelle, whose part was taken by Moliere, deceiving with facile protestations two fatuous peasant girls, tempting a distressful beggar to curse and tossing money to him at last with a jeer at *the love of humanity,* showing physical courage in an encounter with robbers and moral bravado at the moving image of the murdered commander. Feigning hypoc risy as fashionable vice that he may screen wickedness under the mantle of religion, he continues the same hard, cruel atheist, indiffer ent to, or taking a fiendish delight in, the suffer ing he inflicts, till clasping the hand of the statue he finds himself consumed by an invisible fire within. The earth swallows him as flames burst from the cleft in which he sinks. Sga narelle gasps, "Itty wages, my wages P and adds a moral. Thus Moliere fixed the type for the Don Juans of Mozart and Merimee, of Musset and of Byron. The best editions of 'Don Juan,' both with accompanying comment and documents, are by Mesnard in Vol. 5 and Moland in Vol. 6 of their 'Fuvres de Moliere.' Consult also Trollope, H. M., 'Life of Moliere' (London 1905, pp. 371-394). There are good translations by H. Van Laun (Edinburgh 1875) and C. H. Page (New York 1908).