Don Juan Tenorio Play Plot Summary
ACT ONE: Debauchery and Scandal
The play begins in Seville in the year 1545. The first four acts take place on the same night, which is Carnival night. **Don Juan**, masked, writes at a table in **Buttarelli**’s inn. He speaks to **Ciutti**, who acts as Don Juan’s servant. They discuss their master, whom Ciutti describes as a Spanish knight: frank, rich, noble, and brave, though he claims not to know his name. Don Juan addresses Ciutti and hands him a letter, instructing him to give it to **Doña Inés** at the convent at the specified time. He must wait for her owner, who knows of his intentions, for an hour, with a key and a password.
Buttarelli speaks with Don Juan and asks about **Don Luis Mejía**. Buttarelli says Don Luis has not been in Seville for a long time. Don Juan asks for news of him, and Buttarelli recalls that today is the deadline of a year-long bet between Don Luis Mejía and Don Juan Tenorio: “who would in a year gain more wealth, do more damage.” Don Juan asks if Buttarelli thinks Don Luis will come to the appointment. Buttarelli hopes he will pay well for the bet but does not believe he will remember it, as the term ends today. Don Juan tells him to prepare two of his best bottles anyway, in case he appears.
Buttarelli believes Mejía is already in Seville when a man he seems to know well suddenly appears at the door. He sees the stranger among a great bustle of quarreling in the square. He thinks that when both men are in the city, everything goes into revolt. He sends **Michael** to prepare the table for the meeting of the two men.
**Don Gonzalo de Ulloa** (Commander of Calatrava) appears and asks Buttarelli if Don Juan has an appointment today. The host asks if he is Don Luis, and Don Gonzalo says no, but he is interested in attending the meeting. Buttarelli offers to set another table nearby, and Don Gonzalo says he would like to see them but secretly. Buttarelli says there is no adjoining room, but due to Carnival, any lord can hide behind a mask. So, Don Gonzalo instructs him to bring a mask.
As he recites his reasons for wanting to attend the meeting, it seems he wants to save his daughter’s honor. He says he would prefer to see her dead before she is the wife of Don Juan. Buttarelli brings the mask and tells him the game is very close, at eight o’clock, and whoever fails to appear at the first stroke has lost. The host leaves, wondering who this gentleman is. Don Gonzalo complains about being in this role, although he says it is all for the sake of his daughter.
**Don Diego Tenorio** appears at the door, asking if this is the Laurel Inn, if Buttarelli is the landlord, and if Don Juan Tenorio has an appointment tonight. He enters and sits on the opposite side of Don Gonzalo, giving money to Buttarelli not to ask questions. Don Diego regrets that a man of his lineage should come down “to so mean a mansion,” but thinks there is no humiliation a parent would not endure for his son. From the back, Buttarelli looks surprised at the two men.
**Captain Centellas**, **Avellaneda**, and two gentlemen arrive to witness the bet. They greet Buttarelli as an old acquaintance, and he brings them bottles while the gentlemen argue about which of the two rivals is worse and place their bets. They ask Buttarelli, who tells them about the arrival of a strange man wearing a mask who wrote letters and gave him two gold pieces to prepare a table with his best wine. They ask if he recognized either of the knights, and he denies it. Some bet it was Don Luis, others that it was Don Juan. The clock begins to strike eight. Several people come to the tavern. At the last stroke, a masked Don Juan comes to the prepared table. Immediately, Don Luis, also masked, goes up there with him.
They both challenge each other and doubt their identity. Then they remove their masks, and their friends and the curious come to greet them. Soon, they discuss the bet: who could do more evil with more fortune in a year. First, Don Juan tells of his adventures in Italy, his duels and love affairs. Immediately, Don Luis does the same, recounting what happened in Flanders and Paris, how he lost his fortune three times, and how he intends to replace it because tomorrow he is married to **Doña Ana de Pantoja**, a rich girl. The two stories are very similar. Both prepare to revise the lists they have kept of their dead and their seduced wives. When they compare, Don Juan’s count is higher than Don Luis’s in both cases. Then Don Luis defiantly tells him all he needs is a novice on the list for practice. Don Juan haughtily accepts the bet and adds that he will seduce the fiancée of some friend who is married, and says he plans to take Doña Ana. Both accept the bet and talk for a moment alone with their servants.
Don Gonzalo summons Don Juan and warns him that his father had arranged a good marriage for him and is ashamed to see him there. Don Juan tells him to remove his mask. Don Diego does so, to Tenorio’s surprise, and leaves, telling him to forget Doña Inés. But Don Juan replies that he will either be given her or he will take her. Don Diego then stands before him, scolds him, disowns him, and reminds him that there is a God of justice. Wondering who is speaking that way, Don Juan tears off the mask and is surprised to see his father. Don Diego and Don Gonzalo cancel the wedding they had agreed upon. Rather than shy away, Don Juan says he trusts that he has a long time to live and also that he has not asked for forgiveness, implying he will seek it at the final judgment.
Leaving the inn, Don Juan and Don Luis are arrested by the sheriff, whom each of their servants had sent to betray the other. But before being separated, they reaffirm that the commitment remains. Captain Centellas, Avellaneda, and other onlookers who bet on each of them are left behind.
ACT TWO: The Skill
Don Luis Mejía appears hidden, lurking outside Doña Ana’s home. **Pascual**, Doña Ana’s servant, appears, and Don Luis calls him. Pascual is surprised to see him there, as they were told he was a prisoner. Don Luis says his cousin, the royal treasurer, lent him money so he could leave prison. He tells Pascual what happened with Don Juan, the bet, and how he fears for Doña Ana, knowing the prodigious skills of the gentleman Tenorio. Pascual tries to calm him by saying that Don Juan is in prison. Don Luis tells him that if he managed to escape, why could his opponent not do the same? After expressing these concerns, Don Luis says the only way he will spend the night quietly is in Doña Ana’s house, or else he will stay in the street while the courts search for him, because if there is anyone he trusts less than Don Juan, it is women. Pascual scolds him but reluctantly agrees to go with him to his room for the night. Don Luis asks for silence and says he must wait for his master, **Don Gil de Pantoja**, to retire to his chambers at ten. He asks Pascual to call him at the gate at that time and wait there, trusting him in the meantime.
But Don Luis cannot wait there doing nothing; his nerves corrode him. He feels great love and uneasiness for Doña Ana, so he decides to call out to the window. Doña Ana replies, and he tells her of his fear of Don Juan. She tells him not to worry, to trust her, for tomorrow she will be his wife. But Don Luis asks her to grant him a favor for his peace of mind.
While they are talking, Don Juan and Ciutti are on the other side of the fence. Don Juan asks his servant if he has fulfilled his orders. Ciutti nods and hands him the key to the convent garden, saying that the nun is waiting there. The servant hears someone else at the gate and, realizing that Don Juan is talking to a lady, decides to set an ambush. Doña Ana and Don Luis are saying goodbye. She says she will wait there again at ten and hands him the key to the house. They hear someone approaching and leave. It is Don Juan, who intercepts Don Luis. When they unsheathe their swords, Ciutti positions himself behind Mejía and traps him. Don Juan is glad of his good luck, for now, while he snatches the lady, the other will be locked in his cellar. But suddenly, he hears another woman arrive.
This is **Bridget**, the nun, who brings news of the novice Doña Inés. Don Juan asks if his page has a pocket and hands her a paper. She replies that Doña Inés should be reading it now and that it has been prepared with such skill that she will surely surrender to him. She says Doña Inés is very beautiful, only seventeen years old, and that everything he told her about has already ignited a flame of undying love in her heart. Don Juan seems moved by the portrait she depicts, and Bridget is surprised, as she believed him a libertine. He argues that “so noble an object must focus double.” Bridget says the mothers superior should be contained and that the key she has been given by the faculty allows him to come and easily reach her cell. Bridget and Ciutti leave.
Don Juan tells his servant that he is now free of Don Luis and that he is going to call with a sign that **Lucia** has agreed upon with him. Lucia arrives, and he asks her what he wants. Without warning, he tells her he wants to see Ana de Pantoja. She is first shocked, then says her mistress is marrying tomorrow, but soon Don Juan shows her a lot of money, which immediately removes any prejudice. He tells her to be there at ten in the evening so she can deliver a key. Don Juan laughs, exclaiming that with gold, nothing can fail, and as she leaves, he tells Ciutti: “at nine in the convent, at ten in the street.”
ACT THREE: Desecration
In Doña Inés’s cell, she talks to her **Abbess**, who seems to be communicating her father’s decision for her to stay for life in the convent. The abbess then praises her luck, as she has never been outside and does not know the outside world, so she cannot miss it and is therefore free from temptation. She says she truly envies her. Doña Inés sighs, and the abbess thinks it is because she misses her governess. She says that when she returns, she will send her to her and sends Doña Inés to sleep.
As the Abbess leaves, Inés says she does not know what is wrong with her, as the abbess’s words, which sometimes seemed empty, have convinced her today. She hears the footsteps of her nurse, Bridget, who closes the door upon entering. But Inés tells her it is the convent’s rule that it remain open. Bridget tells her so they can talk better and asks if she has looked at the book she brought her. Inés replies that she had no time because the abbess came. Bridget announces that the book is from Don Juan. Inés excitedly opens the book, and a letter falls between its leaves. She innocently asks what and who the paper is from. “Who else but Don Juan,” says the nurse. The novice sighs and tells Bridget she does nothing but think about the gentleman Tenorio. Bridget tells her she seems to love him, but Inés denies this and says she dares not read the letter. Encouraged by her governess, she finally reads Don Juan’s letter, which traps her more and more, making her swallow the bait whole. When Bridget tells her that perhaps only spirits like Don Juan can get there if they have the proper key, just then, footsteps are heard on the stairs, and it is Don Juan.
Inés looks surprised, not knowing if it is reality or illusion, and faints. Don Juan takes her in his arms, and the letter he sent her falls from his hands. Don Juan says that is better and saves time, and he thinks people will take her down and wait for him. Bridget, shocked, thinks that man is a beast. They leave.
The abbess enters, wondering where Inés and her owner are, as she has not seen her in her cell. **Sister Tornero** appears and tells her that an elderly gentleman wants to talk to her, that his charter allowed him to go to the convent. Knowing that this is Don Gonzalo de Ulloa, the Commander of the Order, the Abbess allows him to enter. He tells her everything that has to do with Don Juan and asks her to bring his daughter, because he wants to take care of her, as people say they have seen her nurse talking to Don Juan’s servant. The abbess sends the gatekeeper to look for Doña Inés, who is not in her bed. The father is startled because he knows it is time for her to be there. He then finds Don Juan’s letter, which he reads lamenting. Sister Tornero arrives, saying she saw a man jumping over the garden wall, and Don Gonzalo runs, fearing for his stolen honor.
ACT FOUR: The Devil at the Gates of Heaven
Don Juan has saved Doña Inés, who was suffocated and near death. As it was such a late hour, he took them to his house until dawn. Inés tells him she must go, because she has her father’s house and it does not seem right to be in Don Juan’s. But the nurse says they are far from Seville, across the Guadalquivir. Inés asks to flee, as he has poisoned her heart. Perhaps she loves Don Juan, but something tells her to be away from him before he returns, because if she sees him again, she may no longer have the strength to leave. At that moment, they hear the sound of oars on the river; it is Don Juan returning. Bridget tells Inés that his men will take her home, but first, she must say goodbye.
Don Juan arrives. Bridget tells him about the fire that almost killed Inés and says she talked to her father, who is in his safe house. Bridget leaves, and Don Juan displays all his gallantry, promising Inés with the most beautiful words that his love for her is sincere and true. Inés, intoxicated, says she feels the same and intends to speak with his father to give him her love. At that moment, they hear another boat arrive, commanded by Don Juan. Inés is with Bridget, who says a masked Ciutti is striving to meet him. Don Juan tells him to permit entry.
Don Juan tightens his belt, carrying a sword and two pistols, and sends out his squire. The masked man who appears is, of course, Don Luis, who comes to avenge Don Juan’s affront to Doña Ana in a duel. He says they were stationed there, having lost their lives, and he is left with no choice but to fight. They are about to begin their duel when they hear noises outside.
Ciutti signals the Commander’s arrival with gunmen and asks Don Juan to flee for his life. Don Juan, however, tells him to stop the Commander from entering, allowing only him. Then he asks Don Luis to wait behind a door to talk with the Commander, as his daughter is there, and he will fight Don Luis after finishing with him. Don Luis reluctantly accepts.
The Commander enters, enraged, determined to get his daughter and give her abductor his due. Don Juan, however, falls to his knees and asks for forgiveness. He declares that his love for Doña Inés is true and that her naiveté has achieved what closures or sermons of priests have failed to do: turning a demon into an angel. He says he will bring her to the Commander and will pay his penance, asking in the end that he let him marry his daughter honestly. But the Commander refuses to listen and declares that Don Juan will never be his wife’s husband, that he is a coward, and he suspects this is the last of Don Juan’s tricks to get his way, but it will not work. Don Juan tells him that he wanted to reconcile, but now weapons must prove their honor and courage.
Don Luis Mejía comes out of hiding to claim his revenge. Thus, the two affronted men face Don Juan. There is a scuffle, and Tenorio kills his two opponents. Ciutti tells his master to throw himself over the balcony to safety, and he does so. He is heard falling into the river and is picked up by the ship, sailing away rapidly.
At that moment, soldiers and officers enter the room, followed by Doña Inés and Bridget. They find the two bodies. Doña Inés recognizes her father’s corpse. The soldiers see the ship leaving and demand justice for Doña Inés. “But against Don Juan,” exclaims her love.
PART TWO
ACT ONE: The Shadow of Doña Inés
The scene is the Tenorio family pantheon. The three remaining events happen in one night, five years later than previously narrated. In the beautiful garden of the cemetery, the tombs of Don Gonzalo de Ulloa, Doña Inés, and Don Luis Mejía can be seen in the foreground. Behind these is the tomb of Don Diego Tenorio.
The sculptor, admiring his completed work, is preparing to leave when Don Juan arrives, wrapped in a cloak. He asks the sculptor for an explanation, as he has been away from Spain for some time and finds this site very different. The sculptor says that, of course, it was different before it became a palace vault, or rather, according to its owner’s wish. He says it is a famous story to which he owes his fame, and Don Juan asks him to recount it. The sculptor tells him that a gentleman lived there, Don Diego Tenorio, who had the worst of sons, so he left his estate to be turned into the pantheon, with the condition that those who had perished by his son’s wickedness be buried there. He says he is the sculptor who made all the statues and asks if he knew the deceased, referring to Don Juan. Don Juan nods and proceeds to recognize the statues of those present. After defending the honor of the knight Don Juan, he suddenly notices the statue of Doña Inés. He asks if she died, and the sculptor replies that she apparently died of grief upon returning to the convent, abandoned by Don Juan. This prompts Don Juan to ask the sculptor to leave him alone and give him the keys to the cemetery, especially when he says it is impossible to discover his identity. Don Juan makes a threatening gesture, and the sculptor hands over the keys.
Don Juan is left alone, noting that those whose lives he took were given a good burial. He seems to meditate on his past actions and goes to the statue of Doña Inés, saying that since he had to flee, he did not think of her, and now that he finally returns, it is to find her grave. He rests on the grave and buries his face in his hands as if crying. Suddenly, a mist envelops the statue of Doña Inés, and it disappears. Don Juan, out of his stupor, feels something supernatural and sees that the statue has disappeared.
The shadow of Doña Inés appears, talking to Don Juan. He thinks he is going mad and hears her words. She tells him she gave up her spirit as the price for Don Juan’s impure soul and was told that if he wanted both their salvation, he should wait for Don Juan’s burial there, and that their salvation depends on him repenting. If he does not, Doña Inés will perish with his soul. So, she tells him to act with conscience that night, as it is the date when their fate will be decided. Saying this, the shade of Inés disappears. Everything remains as before, except the statue does not reappear.
Don Juan is stunned and thinks that everything is a product of his imagination. He challenges the deceased to leave, so he returns to their graves.
Captain Centellas and Avellaneda appear, calling for Don Juan Tenorio. Don Juan initially treats them as specters, but they identify themselves as friends and greet him. They wonder what he is doing there, and he answers them, saying he is talking to his dead. They scoff and ask if he is afraid of them, and he proudly denies it. They ask him to tell them the story of his return to Seville that night. He invites them to dinner that night at his ranch to tell the story. But before leaving, to prove he is not afraid of ghosts, he invites the Commander, turning to his grave, to dinner. Centellas calls his action insanity, not valor, but Don Juan reaffirms his invitation.
ACT TWO: The Statue of Don Gonzalo
In Don Juan’s dining room, he is at the table with Centellas and Avellaneda. On the table is another plate and an empty chair.
Don Juan tells how he received the emperor’s favor and returned to Seville, and how he immediately bought a furnished house that was sold cheaply as payment to creditors. They serve wine, and Don Juan tells Ciutti to serve the Commander. His friends laugh at him, but he indicates that even if a friend could not come, he will not fail to serve him as he must. They laugh, and while they are talking, they hear a knock at the front door. Don Juan sends Ciutti to open it, but he comes back saying there is no one outside. The knocking sounds again, and Don Juan tells Ciutti to give the joker a kick. More knocks sound, but this time on the stairs. Don Juan tells his friends that this is a hoax concocted by them, but the gentlemen deny it. The knocking sounds come closer. Don Juan closes the locks on the door of the room and asks them to return for dinner. The knocking is now at the door, and Tenorio challenges the callers, saying that if it is death, it should be able to pass through the wall. At that moment, the statue of Don Gonzalo passes through the door without opening it and walks quietly.
Centellas and Avellaneda faint upon seeing this marvel. Don Juan exclaims: “Is it reality or delirium?” The statue of the Commander asks him why he is astonished to find that he himself invited him. Don Juan recognizes the Commander’s voice and says that as he is not a specter, he will not live there. The statue tells him that God granted him the right to attend that appointment to tell Don Juan that there is an eternity after life and that he must die tomorrow, so God still gives him time to order his conscience. Then he invites him to meet him tomorrow and pay him a visit. Don Juan accepts the invitation but says that first, he wants to make sure that it is a specter. He takes his gun, but before he can shoot, the statue disappears through the wall.
Don Juan doubts his vision and believes it is due to the spirits he has ingested. He then calls Doña Inés, saying he needed her by his side and that if he pierces the wall, the shadow of the deceased will appear. She urges him to go to the appointment tomorrow with wisdom and accept death, and that on that day, their bodies will sleep in the same grave. The shadow disappears.
Don Juan is surprised and nervous and feels that this was a trick of his friends, who pretended to be asleep and played such a joke on him. He wakes them, asking if this is true, but both say they know nothing and believe, however, that it is Don Juan who has slept and given them poison so he can then tell the story of the deceased. They get into such a discussion that they end up challenging each other to a duel.
ACT THREE: Mercy of God and Apotheosis of Love
In the family pantheon, Don Juan Tenorio is present, wrapped in his cloak and distracted, grieving over the death of his two friends, who he says sought their own ruin. He sees the statue of Don Gonzalo is missing and calls the Commander. The tomb is changed into a parody of a guest table with snakes, fire, and ashes. All the other tombs are open, revealing the skeletons of Don Juan’s victims and the statue of Don Gonzalo. The only tomb that remains closed is that of Inés.
The statue says that as time expires, the captain was killed outside his home. Don Juan exclaims that there is no forgiveness for him from a statue and asks him to shake hands in farewell. At that moment, as he reaches out, the statue exclaims that his last moment of redemption is gone, and he must go to hell. Don Juan tries to free himself from the stone hand, while all the dead are hovering over him. Don Juan falls to his knees, apologizing to the sky with one hand. At that moment, Doña Inés appears, holding Don Juan’s hand, saying that she saved his beloved by giving her soul. She sends the dead back to their graves and says that love saved Don Juan. Doña Inés falls on a bed of flowers, and Don Juan falls next to her. From their mouths, their souls emerge as two bright flames that are lost in the sky to the beat of music.