DON JUAN IN THE GENERATION OF ’98

DISSERTATION

Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University

37

STEPHEN HAMILTON ACKERMAN, B. A., M. A.

The Ohio State University 1955

Approved by:

Adviser Department of Romance Languages ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I should like to express my deepest appreciation to my adviser, Carlos Blanco. In his helpful guidance and more parti­ cularly in the generous giving of his own time, he has demonstrated the finest qualities of the true teacher who places the needs and aspirations of his students above any personal considerations. I have made a sincere effort to provide adequate treatment of the subject material involved in this study and in the course of this work I have received invaluable suggestions from many colleagues and friends. It may well be, however, that the reader will detect what he considers to be errors or lacunae and in such case, it goes without saying that I assume full responsibility.

ii TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS...... ii

INTRODUCTION...... 1

Chapter I. RAMON DEL VALLE-INCLAN...... 8

II. RAMIRO DE MAEZTU...... 66 III. ANTONIO AND MANUEL MACHADO...... 79

IV. MIGUEL DE UNAMUNO...... 129 V. JOSE MARTINEZ RUIZ (AZORIN)...... 101

VI. PIO BAROJA...... 16^ CONCLUSIONS...... 176

BIBLIOGRAPHY...... 183 AUTOBIOGRAPHY...... 188

xii INTRODUCTION

The perennial literary and popular interest in Don Juan Tenorio

has raised this figure to the realm of legend and myth. Since his

literary debut in Tirso de Molina1 s El burlador de Sevilla , he has long

ceased to be the property of any one author and has been recreated and

transformed by many writers both inside and outside of Spain.^

Tirso *s drama presents an active, irresponsible debauchee who '

could not fail to catch the public*s eye. Don Juan is a proven ,!box

office success11 and as such cannot fail to attract the playwright who must look to his profession for his livelihood. There is, however, another side to this immortal figure which is essential to a serious consideration of any aspect of the Don Juan theme. Tirso’s deline­ ation of the libertine does not probe deeply into his character. The dramatist shows us what his protagonist does but does not say why Don

Juan acts in such a manner. Nor does he dwell upon the long range worldly consequences of the burlador * s anti-social activities. The essential focus of this drama is upon theological considerations.

Tirso presents an archtype evil-doer, then poses and finally resolves the question of his salvation or perdition. Motivations and social implications are of secondary or no importance to Tirso and are there­ fore only superficially developed in his drama. This fact combined

comprehensive bibliography of the Don Juan legend is to be found in: Armand Edwards Singer, A Bibliography of the Don Juan Themes Versions and Criticism (Morgantown: West Virginia University, West Virginia University Bulletin, Ser. Sbt no. 10-1). 1 with the necessarily episodic structure of the Burlador de Sevilla

created a fertile field for further literary developments of the figure

of Don Juan. Tirso had crystallized a legend into literary formj the

popularity of his and subsequent renditions of the story of Don Juan expanded this legend and gave it renewed strength. In a sense each new

version presented a new Don Juan. Each author provided additional epi­ sodes in the libertine's tumultuous life and increased the wealth of

interpretations of his character. In the Romantic period Zorrilla re­

suscitated the theme in his Don Juan Tenorio3 and likewise in the "Generation of *98" the character and legend of Don Juan appears in a

number of works. For its part, the public— readers or spectators— accepted or rejected the various literary offerings, selecting even within the in­ dividual works those elements which particularly appealed to its 2 imagination.

The aura of promiscuity and lawlessness which came to surround

the figure of Don Juan has even attracted the attention of investi­

gators outside of the purely literary world. Unamuno gives a succinct resume of the fate of the libertine at the hands of the sciences:

o Ramiro de Maeztu indicates that a possible reason for Zor­ rilla's eventual distaste for his own drama, Don Juan Tenorio, was the tendency of the public to demonstrate great enthusiasm for the protagonist's licentious character: "...el publico aplaude los peores sentimientos, porque es regia que la galeria se entusiasme cuando dice Don Juan: *Yo a los palacios subx— y a las cabaftas baje— y en todas partes deje— memoria triste de m£.tsicj Don Quijote, Don Juan 2 Is Celestina (Buenos Aires: Espasa-Calpe, I 9I4B), Vo. 3 Hanse apoderado de la figura historica de Don Juan, y hasta han pretend!do ac otarsela, los biologos, los fisio- logos, los medicos— y hasta, entre estos, los psiquiatrasl— , y hanse dado a escudriiSar si es— no si era— un onanista, un eunucoide, un esteril— ya que no un impotente— , un homo­ sexual, un esquizofrenico— £que es esto?— , acaso un suicida frustrado, un ex-futuro suicida. A partir, en general, de que no busca sino el goce del momento. Ni siquiera conser- varse, menos reproducirse, sino gozarse. Proceso catabolico, que diria un biologo.3

Don Juan, subject to so many literary, popular and scientific

interpretations, has consequently outgrown the possibility of strict

definition. To attempt to define this character is but to add more material to the already vast legend. There can be no single absolute interpretation acceptable to all. Don Juan will continue his career, always tempting and eluding those who would attempt to fix him in a single concept, and providing a vehicle for the expression of personal ideals and thought. For this reason a comparative study of the liter­ ary interpretations of Don Juan are an invaluable aid to a greater understanding of the author's themselves.

The specific problem of this thesis is the reaction of the members of the ''Generation of *98" to Don Juan Tenorio and the legend surrounding him,^4- In the course of this work, we shall necessarily become involved in a general way with another important subject*

There has been a common tendency among teachers and scholars to accept the "Generation of ’98" as such, that is to say, as a generational

^Miguel de Unamuno y Jugo, El Hermano Juan (Madrid: Espasa>

^For a listing of the works devoted to Don Juan by these writers, cf. Singer, op. cit. unit. Reputable works have gone far toward establishing this theory.

We might mention in particular Lain Entralgo's excellent study,-* to­

gether with Pedro Salinas1 essay^ which applies an exacting definition to this group of writers. The polemic, however, is still far from a definitive resolution. As Salinas has pointed out, even within the

group, there was no agreement as to the existence of the generation: Pxo Baroja y Ramiro de Maeztu, en libros y en artlculos, han negado la existencia de esa generacion, en la que se les colocaba. Tenemos, pues, a individuos que fueron primeras cabezas de ese movimiento literario, Azorxn y Baroja, como re- p resent antes de las dos actitudes: la afirmativa y la negative de la existencia de la generacion del 98.7 Certain objections notwithstanding, the term ’'Generation of ’98” has been firmly established and will continue to be employed if only as

a useful literary division and teaching tool. This need not be harmful if we are careful to avoid one prime danger, and this peril will cer­

tainly be intensified if and when the existence of the ’’Generation of

*98" is fully established. The course of time will raise certain

authors to immortality while it eclipses others. This is not to be

regretted and is, in any event, inevitable, but we have no right to

hasten the process and destroy the individuality of a literary artist, relegating him to the relative anonymity of membership in a group. This is a danger which we face, given our proximity to the period in question.

5Pedro Lain Entralgo, La generacion del noventa j ocho (Buenos Aires: Espasa-Calpe, 191*7)• 6pedro Salinas, ’’EL concepto de la Generacion Literaria apli- cado a la del 98” in his Literatura espaftola siglo XX (Mexico: Antigua Librerxa Robredo, 19l*9). It would be unfair to the writer— and possibly a sign of mediocre scholarship— to immerse him in an aggregation before we have thoroughly studied and understood his work and thought.

Nevertheless, the possible relationships which may exist be­ tween writers are of paramount importance. When we are led to believe that strong bonds exist between certain authors, we are obligated to study this apparent literary kinship in detail. It may best be done by examining certain common themes or interests in terms of each individual and then relating the results to the group as a whole. Thus, it is our purpose to investigate the attitudes toward the Don Juan theme as they are expressed by certain writers of the early twentieth century commonly included in the "Generation of '98."

Perhaps one of the major reasons for questioning the existence of the "Generation of *98" is the inability of the critics to come to an agreement on the exact membership of this group. This has compli­ cated our task, since it has been necessary to establish certain limits in this investigation. Among all of those who have been cited by various critics and historians, we have selected the four names most commonly associated with the "Generation of f9 8 " i Unamuno, Azorin,

Baroja and Antonio Machado. Maeztu and Valle-Inclan have also been included in this study as writers frequently linked with this group and authors of well-known works touching on the Don Juan theme. That this is a representative group not selected at random is borne out by Lain Entralgo*s listing of the writers directly and indirectly asso­ ciated with the "Generation of 19 8 ." 6 Son todos ellos hombres cuya conciencia personal y espafxola despierta y madura entre 1890 y 190£. Con Miguel de Unamuno, Azoron, Antonio Machado, P£o Baroja, Valle-Inclan y Menendez Pidal estan, precediendoles en algo o subsiguien- doles en poco, Angel Ganivet, Ramiro de Maeztu, Jacinto Benavente, Ignacio Zuloaga, Manuel Machado, los hermanos Alvarez Quintero, Manuel Bueno, Silverio Lanza, tal vez Dario de Regoyos, el pintor impresionista de Castilla. Los mas jovenes de esa estupenda promocion de espafioles, escapandose ya de ella hacia otro modo de sensibilidad historicamente ulterior, son el novelista Gabriel Miro, nacido en 1879, 7 el poeta Juan Ramon Jimenez^ que ve la luz onubense en 1881. Son quienes plenamente, quienes por tangencia, los hombres de la llamada "generacion del 9 8 .

The Don Juan theme was chosen for this study primarily because it is a subject of universal interest and has therefore, like the Quixote, been treated by many recent Spanish authors. The Quixote,

however, is the definitive expression of a consequently "fixed" charac­ ter. As we have noted, such is not the case with Don Juan. This figure has developed in an atmosphere of controversy, admired and reviled, known throughout the world but always associated with his mother countxy. He has appeared in a multitude of conceptions but always identified, rightly or wrongly, with the civilization of Spain.'

Since proponents of the generational concept have stressed the introspection of the "Generation of *98," both on an individual and national plane, and since the Don Juan theme is such a vital element of the national heritage, it seems logical to assume that their views on Don Juan should be particularly revealing. Although these writers are certainly not excessively preoccupied with this theme, they have given it enough importance to justify a comparative study of their views.

®La£n Ehtralgo, 0£. cit., 29. 7 In the face of the impos sibility of formulating an acceptable definition of the libertine, we must turn to another point of reference for our investigation. For this basis we have chosen the two best known treatments in Spanish literature of the Don Juan theme. The

Burlador de Sevilla marks the first complete literary crystallization of the earlier legend. As such, it is the touchstone for a n other versions. Zorrilla's Don Juan Tenorio is already a variation on the theme but is important as the most popular interpretation thereof. In the use of these two dramas we establish a control with which we may compare the variations which occur in the works being studied.

At the completion of our detailed investigations, we shall re­ view the findings on each author with the aim of noting unanimity or disagreement of attitude on an important national theme among these men who are considered representative of the so-called “Generation of *98.» CHAPTER I

RAMON DEL VALLE-INCLANX

To understand the Marques de Bradontm in his role of a Don Juan, it is necessary to take two diametrically opposed views of the protago- nist of the four Sonatas. 2 The internal view is unavoidable for, given the autobiographical structure of the works, we are constantly faced with the thoughts and motivations of the Marques. In a sense this aspect is what confronts us throughout the work as a whole. The ex­ ternal aspect may only be clearly defined after we have removed the bulk of the narrative: that is to say, everything stated by the protagonist concerning his own thoughts and all that might be construed as sub­ jective interpretations on his part. The value of this approach is im­ mediately evident when we realize the fact that it is only the external view which we have of the traditional treatments of Don Juan. In the works of Tirso and Zorrilla there are, of course, soliloquies which may

The works by Valle-Inclan concerning the Don Juan theme to be dealt with in this chapter are: Sonata de otoffo, 1902; Sonata de estio, 19035 Sonata de primaveraj I90U; Sonata cfe inviemo, 190^7 % n this chapter the Sonatas of Ramon del Valle-Inclan will be studied in the following editions: Sonata de estio, memorias del Marques de Bradomin... (Madrid: Irrcprenta belenica, 1913); Sona-ba! de otono; Sonata de inviemo, memoriae del Marques de Bradomin (iBuenos Aires : EditordaT Losada, 193b) ; Sonata de primavera7 memorTas del Marques de Bradomin... (Madrid: ImprentaTTelenica, 1917) • Full bibliographic description will not be used for citations throughout the chapter. Instead, the following abbreviations followed by the page number will be given in the text immediately following the quotation: Sonata de estio— E; Sonata de inviemo— I; Sonata de otoSo— 0; Sonata de primavera— P. 8 be considered as an accurate reflection of the thoughts of the pro­

tagonist, but in general, the view of Don Juan is in the third person.

The wealth of thoughts, interpretations and digressions en­

countered in the reading of the Sonatas tend to obscure the external

view of the protagonist in action both as he appears to those around

him and as he should appear to the reader himself. Essential to this

external view of Bradomin is a consideration of the element of time.

Valle-Inclan takes unusual pains to keep the reader aware of

the time of day. In these four volumes there are no more than three instances when the passage of time is not clearly expressed. This point would be of little importance to this study if it were not for

the relatively brief temporal period with which each book deals. In

five days Bradomin accomplishes the near seduction of a pious retir­

ing girl who is about to enter orders. This deed is only prevented

by a tragedy directly attributable to his advances (Sonata de

primavera). Again in the space of five days he seduces, loses and

regains la Niffa Ghole (Sonata de estio). Having rejoined Concha, a

foimer love, within six days he has so dominated her mind and body

that she meets death in mortal sin, and the libertine has seduced her

sister before the night is over (Sonata de otono). Finally, in a

period of seven days he renews his carnal relationship with an old

love, completes a mission for his king in which he is seriously wounded and recovers sufficiently to bring about the suicide of his

own daughter through his amorous advances (Sonata de Inviemo). I

use this succinct and rather facile resume to give a graphic picture of the similarity of the Marques de Bradomin to Don Juan Tenorio. 10 The apparently introspective protagonist, seemingly slow to act and

beset with an extremely Romantic sentimentalism, now in the light of

temporal consideration becomes a dashing libertine. Let us compare

this record with that of Zorrilla’s protagonist, who describes the

swiftness of his conquests in this manner:

Partid los dlas del ano entre las que ah! encontrals. Uno para enamorarlas, otro para conseguirlas, otro para abandonarlas, dos para sustituirlas y una hora para olvidarlas, (1 , 6 8 3 -6 8 9 ) Bradomin certainly does not fall far short of this schedule. The

last line, however, does not seem to apply to Valle’s protagonist, but we shall consider this later among the particular aspects of the

Marques,

Admitting the swiftness of Bradomin1s seductions, it might nevertheless be argued that he bears very little resemblance to the

Don Juan of Tirso or Zorrilla,^ To make this similarity even clearer

we must see the Marques exactly as he appears to other people in the

narrative. This again demands the exclusion of everything with the

exception of dialogue and evident action. Even the apparently objec­

tive descriptions of the reactions of others must be suspect, since

^Xt must be emphasized here that the Marques de Bradomin is not solely the product of the Spanish Don Juan tradition and the ima­ gination of Valle-Inclan, Although we shall center our attention tip on these two aspects, it is necessary to bear in mind that this work is inspired in part by demoniac and other erotic literatures. The direct or indirect influences of such authors as Barbey d ’Au- revilly, D ’Annunzio and Casanova have been thoroughly described and studied in such works as: Julio Casares, Crltica prof ana (Buenos Aires: Espasa-Calpe, 19IU4.), 63-72 and Alonso iamiora Vicente, Las 'Sonatas11 de Ramon del Valle-Inclan,,,(Buenos Aires: 19fJl), 11 any value judgment is necessarily colored by the interpretations of the protagonist* The Sonata de primavera is essentially the story of the at­ tempted seduction of a girl about to enter orders. On their first meeting Bradomin and Maria Rosario are introduced, but no words are exchanged and the contact is ended immediately as the latter retires from the room. Later they are in the same roam with several others, but although the Marques is increasingly fascinated by her presence, she apparently does not notice him* Their third encounter shortly thereafter finds them alone and with almost no preliminaries, Bra­ domin whispers: jQue os adoro! jQue os adoro!11 (p* 71) From this point onward, Maria Rosario must flee his advances until she in­ advertently causes the death of her sister in an attempt to thwart him*

The story of la Niffa Chole is much the same in this respect.

Although the situation is radically different, Bradomin makes use of his first conversation with her to state his intentions in a clear direct manner: "--Tengo el prcposito de secuestrarla a usted apenas nos hallemos en despoblado.11 (E 77) Again the process starts and be­ fore the day has ended, the now more astute and efficient libertine has achieved his goal* This same swiftness and forthrightness of action is consistent throughout the four novels, but is completely inconsistent with the bulk of the material presented to us by the protagonist*

This contrast of a slow narrative tempo and rapid development of the outward action is a consequence of the autobiographical style 12 of the Sonatas. They are presented by a Don Juan with spiritual and mental problems. We are directly confronted with a mind in conflict with itself and the physical actions which it only partly controls.

This mind is aware of the animal instincts which motivate the erotic drives. The sheer weight of words needed to express this complexity of thought tends to give a retarded tempo to the description of acti­ vities which actually take place in a brief period of time.

Among the four Sonatas there is one exception to this ten­ dency. The Sonata de estio depicts the height of sexual power. The purely instinctive drives are ascendant and the mind is therefore brought into close rapport with physical desires. This leads to swift­ ness of both act and expression. The activity is feverish, being quickened in both mind and body. There is direct correspondence be­ tween the fever heat of the season, heightened by geographical locale, and the fever pitch of activity. Here also is the strongest emphasis upon the identification of Bradomin with the tradition of the conquis­ tador. As a sensuous conqueror, he appears at the height of his activity, reflecting the surge of strength and expansion manifest in the Spanish conquests of the sixteenth century. Almost all the es­ sential elements of the Sonata de estio lead to rapid movement which demands consequently swift expression not to be found in the other three Sonatas.

The outward likeness to Don Juan does not cease with the simi­ larity in what might be called the technique of seduction. He is instinctively valorous and does not hesitate to risk his life in the face of great odds. This is perhaps best exhibited in his willingness 13 to face the enraged mob in the convent chapel. (E 12U-125) His awareness of his noble rank is no better exemplified than in his scornful warning: "— IAtrasI... iAtras, canallal" (E 125) Also sug­ gested here, although not explicit in the stage personage of Dan Juan is the myth of invincibility: Con encamizado vocerlo vinieronse para m£, amenazandome con sus pistolas. Una lluvia de balas se aplasto en la reja del coro. To, milagrosamente ileso, puse mano al machete... (E 125) The apparent strength of will in the character of Bradomin-- and it must be remembered that this is the force of will as it is seen by the other personages— is manifest throughout. It is that which gives him success in his amorous enterprises, what permits him to dominate the bruja (P 167-176) and makes it possible for him to bra­ zenly face the mother of Marla Hosario even after she is aware of his dishonorable intentions. Finally, the defiance of the Deity is evi­ dent throughout, but is so complex that we shall, examine it later in greater detail. The outward appearance of a Don Juan is, then, undeniable.

In word and action, the Marques de Bradomin is the living counterpart of Don Juan Tenorio. It is in the matter of thought that Valle's pro­ tagonist presents a difficult problem. It is impossible to say that this is necessarily the point of divergence of the two literary per­ sonalities. The legend of Don Juan is built upon his actions, not upon his inner self, and it is precisely this mystery of thought and motivation which permits so many reworkings of the basic theme and psychological conjectures into the causations behind the libertine's activities* Unlike Unamuno and Azorln, Valle-Inclan chooses to present his

Don Juan in the very midst of his licentious activities. His protago­ nist appears in the first person and becomes in a sense the author of the book. This technique is the most effective possible way of immers­ ing the reader directly into the mental processes of the libertine.

The reader finds himself faced with an almost imponderable mass of

self-recriminations, vacillations, remorse, self-justification, moti­ vations and conscious and unconscious direction of activity. Any attempt to separate genuine self-awareness from self-delusion would rest with a competent psychiatrist. We must be content to accept

Bradomin*s interpretations of his own thoughts and drives as basically valid. This unavoidable approach to the inner man from the point of view of the protagonist leads us to one generalized concept of the in­ dividual which we may call "the Don Juan in spite of himself.”

It is certainly true that the struggle against the carnal urges is not very vehement. If the expressed scruples do actually exist, there is no particular effort made to conform to them.^ At first, the Marques seems proud of his resistance. When invited to oc­ cupy quarters in the palace of the Princess— a situation which would

^This inner struggle between vague scruples and strong carnal urges does not exist in the traditional Don Juan. He represents pure action, following his instincts without reflection. In the case of the Marques de Bradomin we note here the intrusion of another theme deriving from the Romantic tradition of the hero in crisis, a phenomenon which persists and intensifies throughout the nineteenth century. This introspective element in the case of Bradomin ties in with another Romantic manifestation, the "demoniac,” which will be more fully discussed later in this chapter. 15 offer him ample opportunity to pursue his interests in Maria Rosario— he refuses: ••Mucho me alegraba la idea de vivir en el Palacio

Gaetani, y, sin embargo, tuve el valor para negarme." (P 1+6)

This resistance, however, is shortlived and characteristic of a~ll of Bradomin's struggles with temptation. Alone with Maria Rosario, he cannot control his impulses: "sin poder dominarme estreche una mano de Maria Rosario, y quise besarla..." (P 71) This weakness re­ solves itself into an indefinable force which the Marques finds impos­ sible to resist: No puedo decir lo que entonces paso por mi. Creo que primero fue un irapulso ardiente, y despues una sacudida fria y cruel: la audacia que se adraira en los labios y en los ojos de aquel retrato que del divino Cesar Borgia pinto el divino Rafael de Sanzio.5 (P 1 3 6 )

The struggle is dramatically reflected in almost simultaneous, but op­ posed urges: "Quise acercarme..." "Quise volver a sumergirme en mi amoroso ensueffo." (P 132) The latter resolution is thwarted by the croaking of a toad which the Marques interprets as a diabolic device to turn him toward evil:

En un libro de devociones donde rezaba mi abuela,...el diablo solia tomar ese aspecto para turbar la oracion de un santo monje, (P 133)

Full of his own pride and evidently desirous to excuse his weakness of the flesh, Bradomin repeats this suspicion:

xl ■'The attraction of Cesar Borgia for Valle-Inclan—. and conse­ quently for the Marques de Bradomin— as well as for other writers who participate in the demoniac tradition, such as Verlaine and Ruben Dario, is discussed on p. 66-67 of the study by Zamora Vicente already cited* 16

Yo estoy convencido de que el diablo tienta siempre a los me jores, Aquella noche el cornudo monarca del abismo encendio mi sangre con su aliento de llamas y desperto mi came flaca, fustigandola con su rabo negro,® (P 13£>)

In the Sonata de estio we may again detect this expressed re­ jection of carnal desires:

Verdaderamente, aquella Salambo de los palacios de Tequil empezaba a preocuparme demasiado, Lo adverti con terror, porque estaba seguro de concluir enamorandome locamente de sus lindos ojos si tenia la desgracia de volver a verlos• (E 30) It is not unnatural that this rejection of love should become weaker as the protagonist continues to pursue his amorous activities.

In his youth, Bradomin struggled— albeit weakly— with temptation.

With the apogee of his sexual life in the Sonata de estio, the Marques refuses to accept the responsibility for his weakness and places the blame on fate: "Sin duda estaba escrito que yo habia de ser tentado y vencido." (E 6 9 ) Having thus explained his inability to cope with his sexual impulses, he thrusts his scruples completely to one side.

Destiny may be sad, but he will no longer make any effort to overcome it. Love itself soon becomes a reason for being, a faith upon which his entire life seems to be based:

Yo siempre habia esperado en la resurreccion de nuestros amores. Era una esperanza indecisa y nostalgica que llenaba mi vida con un aroma de fe: Era la quimera del porvenir, la dulce quimera dormida en el fondo de los lagos aaules, donde se reflejan las estrellas del destino, iTriste destino el de los dost (0 11)

This presence of the devil in the midst of the intention of pure action epitomizes the demoniac tradition blended with that of Don Juan Tenorio. The background for the demoniac element in the Sonatas will be briefly outlined later in this chapter but is fully treated in the works by Zamora. Vicente and Julio Casares already cited. 17 From this increasing lack of desire or inability to control his sexual life, we can deduce one rather surprising characteristic of the Marques de Bradomin: a complete lack of effective subjective will power* This power is so commonly associated with the traditional concept of Don Juan that it is revealing to see that a like indi­ vidual can be conceived immersed in a licentious life precisely as a result of lack of will* The outward manifestations of will are evi­ dent, but within the mind and thought of the protagonist, it is almost completely lacking and it is this very lack of inner strength which drives him into a life so closely approximating that of Don Juan* It is possible that Don Juan, having no problem, needed no inner will power* Seen only in the third person, the burlador possessed apparent strength of will* The Marques de Bradomin, outwardly a Tenorio but exhibiting intellectual doubts and vacillations, reveals the possi­ bility of a new concept of the traditional Don Juan,

The duality in the character of the Marques is not limited to the matter of will* We may detect a similar conflict in the outer and inner evidence of valor* It has already been noted that the pro­ tagonist possesses an instinctive courage which commits him to acts of heroism seemingly inconsistent with the inner cowardice which he manifests to the reader alone* There is actually no single case where the Marques may be definitely accused of showing fear in the presence of others. However, in the course of his memoirs, he mentions feelings of fright* This feeling seems to stem largely from a sense of insecurity in the face of a situation which is not completely under­ stood; leaving the chamber of Maria Rosario, he describes his actions 18 In this manner: Tuve miedo, y cauteloso llegue hasta la vent ana. • .Salte la ventana como un ladron y anduve a lo largo de la terraza pegado al rauro. (P 138) Alone he feels and shows fear. The instant he is attacked, however,

his bravado returns: "Me volvx con fiera presteza..." (P 138) Try­

ing to anticipate the reaction of the Princesa, he succumbs to fear and indecision:

Torturado por este pensamiento pase la noche inquieto y febril. Querxa adivinar lo venidero y perdiame en cavi- laciones. Aun recuerdo que mi corazon temblo como el corazon de un nine. (P lijl) Again, however, when faced with the anticipated danger, he is capable of complete calm: Desde aquel memento tuve por cierto que la noble sefSora lo sabla todo, y, cosa extrana, al dejar de dudar deje de temer. (P lh3) When the dreaded object or situation crystallizes into reality, the fear falls away. When that which is feared fails to materialize as a

physical menace with which he might cope in some manner, the Marques

has no choice but to wait until he has placed either spatial or tem­

poral distance between himself and the object of terror. While his mount swims the lake of Tixul, he is approached by crocodiles. In

this case, there is no possible course of action, but to gain the shore.

Confieso que en tal momento sentx el frxo y el estremeci- miento del miedo...Hasta que el caballo volvio a cobrar tierra ba^o el casco, lanzandose seguro hacia la orilla, no respire sin zozobra. (E 206)

As was the case with the weakness of the inner will, the lesser fears of reprisal and physical violence are gradually eliminated and there 19 is but one thing remaining to instill terror in the heart of the

Marques. In a sense, the fear of death and righteous retribution Is a fear of the unknown and it cannot be faced in life except under supernatural circumstances. Immediately following the death of Concha,

Bradomin faces a greater terror than he has ever known before; "El frlo y el reposo de la muerte me aterraron..." (0 8 3 ) The image of Jesus illuminated by a small lamp is even more frightening:

La santa faz, desmelenada y llvida, me infundio miedo, mas miedo que la faz mortal de Concha. (0 8U) This is a terror which Bradomin cannot meet on common ground. He is able to obtain a brief respite from his own fear in his relations with Isabel, but the return to the reality of Concha's death is in­ evitable. Cuando volvl a ver con mis ojos mortales la faz amarilla y desencajada de Concha, cuando volvl a to car con mis manos febriles sus manos yertas, el terror que sent! fue tanto, que comence a rezar, y de nuevo nte acudio la tentacion de huir... (0 83-86)

The author has highlighted the terror and confusion of the Marques here with an interesting stylistic device. The juxtaposition of words re­ lating to life and death is striking and effective; "ojos mortales— la faz amarilla y desencajada"..."manos febriles...manos yertas."

There is no expression of dread of Hell or hope of Heaven; death re­ presents for him a fear of the unknown, the one threat which he cannot face in physical terms. The figure of Christ, whose face for the Roman Catholic represents new life, means only death to the terrified Marques:

.. .tuve miedo de cruzar ante la iraagen desmelenada y llvida. jTuve miedo de aquella mirada muertal? (0 86)

This grotesque scene filled with unknown terrors in which Bradomin comes face to face with the mystery of death emphasizes the lack of a certain essential element of the legend of Don Juan: there is no equivalent of the stone statue in which the forces beyond the grave are crystallized into a form which is detectable at least to the senses of sight and hearing. Faced with such an undeniable apparition, the

Marques, in the light of his past reactions, might have been ejected, like his legendary counterpart, to take decisive action. Without such a perceptible object with which he might attempt to cope, the protago­ nist is reduced to thoughts of flight. He overcomes this urge and finally finds outlet for his energies by concealing the circumstances of Concha’s death. The following morning when Concha's two daughters come to see him, Bradomin is fully capable of conversing and acting with them in a natural manner. In their presence he can forget his emotions and, as he had done immediately following Concha's death, he finds human com­ panionship at least a temporary screen to protect himself from his own inner feelings. This contrast of the inner man with his outward ap­ pearance calls attention to a fact noted by both Unamuno and Azorln.

Unamuno's summation of Don Juan's relationship with others— "siempre representandose"— is directly applicable to the Marques de Bradomin.

?The terror instilled by the image of Christ is but one aspect of the intensive development of this entire scene. It does, however, represent still another element of the "demoniac" tradition. The Marques de Bradomin, like Satan, must cower before the face of God. 21

We have already noted that the protagonist depicted in the third person is a radically different and much more consistent individual than his inner-self would indicate* Focusing our attention upon this point, we find many examples of the Marques literally playing a role in a drama largely of his own making*® The awareness of his audience has already been noted in his conscious assumption of a show of will and valor when in the presence of others. It would be incorrect to say that these manifestations of good qualities are all artificial, but there is no doubt that the Marques constantly appraises his audience and the situation, and plays his role accordingly. The act­ ing becomes most evident in his association with people who inspire in him a certain insecurity or a suspicion of their sincerity of at­ titude. These two feelings are combined when the Marques finds himself in direct relationship with the clergy. He usually observes the amen­ ities with the precision of a trained actor, but frequently he attempts to assume an air of superiority* Xo repuse con un sertoril condescendencia, como si fuese un capellan de mi casa el Obispo de la Seo de Urgel...X con

O This tendency finds an interesting parallel in the life of Valle-Inclan himself, who was to be frustrated in his attempt to pattern his life after a personal ideal of nobility and grandeur. Fernandez Almagro in the introduction to his study of Valle-Inclan describes this facet of the author's character as one of his major objects for investigation : "Hemos de buscar el valor humano que pueda existir en el fondo de la propia farsa que viviera don Ramon, quien no siempre acerto a representar el papel de gran senor que reclamaba un esp£ritu como el suyo, de mucha y genuina raza. De favorecerle el tierapo y los hombres, hubiera sido virrey, capitan de tercios, inquisidor. Apenas si lo pudo sofiarj pero quiso ser marques, y tampoco.*.Toda la fuerza de su caracter se le escapo por la boca y por la pluraa." Melchor Fernandez Almagro, Vida y literatura de Valle-Inclan (Madrid: Editora nacional, T 9I43T, 8. 22

una reverencia mas cortesana que piadosa bese la pastoril amatista. (I 111) To gain this superiority through drawing an attitude of reverence from the clergy, he invents a fiction which effectively places himself in the limelight. This is done with a studied mien of humility, but with dramatic effect: Los graves teologos hicieron coro para escuchar mis nuevas, y como era muy poco lo que podia decirles, tuve que inventar en honor suyo toda una leyenda piadosa y mila- grosa...Todos se inclinaron como si yo fuese el Santo. (P 87-88)

In the Sonata de est£o, he does much the same thing for the Madre

Abadesa in the convent. Referring to la Niffa Chole, he says:

En honor suyo invente toda una leyenda de amor caballer- esca y romantica, como acjuellas que entonces se escriblan. La Madre Abadesa conmoviose tanto, que durante mi relato vi temblar en sus pestanas dos lagrimas grandes y cris- talinas. (E 9i|)

This same technique is employed for the benefit of the assembled clergy in the Sonata de inviemo. Fray Ambrosio, wise to the ways of the Marques, is unwilling to accept his story and warns his fellows.

Bradomin perseveres, however, and finds a receptive audience. This method of approach reflects a certain skepticism as to the means and motives of the clergy which is manifest throughout the Sonatas. Above all, however, it would seem to represent a certain envy. Given his role in life, the official of the church tends to become the center of interest in a group, who defer to him in respect and awe. Although there may be represented here an entire history of jealousy and dis­ trust between the first and second estate, the Marques de Bradomin places it on a highly personal plane. Through lies and assumed super­ iority he turns the focus of attention directly upon himself. This 23 point is best illustrated by his brief encounter with the Colegial Mayor in the Sonata de primavera:

El Colegial Mayor tambien dejaba o£r alguna vez su voz grave y amable: Cada palabra suya producla un murmullo de admiracian entre las seSoras. La verdad es que cuanto manaba en sus labios, parecla lleno de ciencia teologica y de uncion cristiana: De rato en rato fijaba en ra£ una mirada rapida y sagaz, y yo comprendfa con un estre- mecimiento, que acjuellos ojos negros querian leer en mi alma. To era el unico que a l l ! permanec£a silencioso, y acaso el unico que estabe triste. Adivinaba, por primera vez en mi vida, todo el influjo galante de los prelados romanos, y acud£a a mi memoria la leyenda de sus fortunas amorosas. Confieso que hubo instantes donde olvide la ocasion, el sitio...y que tuve-eelos, celos rabiosos del Colegial Mayor. De pronto me estremecf: Hacia un momento que callaban todos, y en medio del s ilencio, el Colegial se acercaba a m£: Poso familiar su diestra sobre mi hanibro, y me dijo: — Caro Marques, es preciso enviar un correo a Su Santidad. To me incline: — Teneis razon, Monseffor. T el repuso con extremada cortes£a: — Me congratula que seais del raismo consejo... iQue gran desgracia, Marques t ~ jMuy grande, MonsenorJ Nos miramos de hi to en hito, con un profundo conven- cimiento de que fing£amos por igual, y nos separamos. (P 66-68) Here is the clash at its height: each aware of the other’s falsity, each intent on maintaining his pretense. The dramatic situations of Bra- domfn’s own manufacture or occurring by chance find the protagonist playing his role to the hilt. Such situations are frequently a study in contrasts between the Marques, who remains calm and cool and his opposite in the scene who reflects some outward emotion. In the Sonata de otofto we see the following example:

jLeel jLeeJ iLeei...jQue soy la peor de las mujeresl... iQue llevo una vida de escandalo 1... iQue estoy condenadal... IQue le robo su hijoi... To queme la carta tranquilamente en las luces del can- delabro. Concha gimio. (0 6?) 2b

In both cases when the Marques is suffering physical pain, he exag­

gerates his own calm in contrast to the perturbation of those around

him. As Musarelo dresses his wound, it is Bradomln who calms his

servant: — A traicion serial... Yo sonrel. ...Al descubrir la herida, yo sentl que sus manos temblaban: --No te desmayes, Musarelo. (P lltO)

In the Sonata de invierno, when the amputation of his arm becomes in­ evitable, the protagonist exhibits a calm exterior which he is far

from feeling: — Hay que tener animo, Marques. Yo murmuret — Lo tengo, Sor Simona. Y volvio a repetir la buena Madre: — jMucho animoI La mire fijamente, y le dije: — iPobre Sor Simona, no sabe como anunciarmelol (I 1U9)

Following the amputation, the Marques is still capable of complete out­ ward tranquility: — »Es us ted mu y valientei Yo sonrel un poco orgulloso de aquella ingenua admiracion: — Ese brazo no servia de nada. (I 150)

The smile reappears frequently throughout the Sonatas and by its very mention, Bradomln emphasizes its dramatic possibilities. It is not always the same smile, and it is always calculated. It is used to assume an air of nonchalance and sang-froid in a situation which is hostile, such as the protagonist's first meeting with the Princess Gaetani after she has learned of his true intentions t "(Jon la sonrisa en los labios y atusandome el mostacho entre en la biblioteca.” (P U 4.3 ) 25> In the Sonata de estlo, la Nifta Ghole warns him of the terrible ven­ geance which her husband will take: "Oyendola sonrex desdenosamente.

(E 79) The smile is used to represent a modest rejection of a com­ pliment and to affect a diffidence which the Marques definitely does not feel: — jOhJ.,#iQue esparfol tan locol |Un leon en piei... Respond! con una vaga sonrisa. (E 127)

There are an infinite number of examples, but the general intention is the same. 'Whether it is a sad, vague or sentimental smile, it is always calculated to have a theatrical effect.

The awareness of stage presence is usually clear and we some­ times find it stated in so many words. The amputation of his arm re­ quires a new approach to his role and he considers it carefully: El medico y la monga se miraron. Lex en sus ojos la sentencia, y solo pense en la actitud que a lo adelante deb!a adoptar con las mujeres para hacer poetica mi manquedad. (I II4.8 )

Like a true actor, the Marques is well aware of the way he has affected his audience, and carefully notes effective stage technique:

Las damas se limpiaron los ojos, emocionadas de oxrme; Yo sonre! tristemente, considerando que aquella era la actitud que a lo adelante debla adoptar con las mujere3 para hacer poetica mi manquedad. (I 176)

Although the similarity of these two quotations is undoubtedly a simple matter of the frequent autoplagiarism characteristic of Valle-Inclan, it does seem to reflect the unchanging monotony found in stage di­ rections which are completely functional and not intended for the eyes of the public.

From the vantage point of old age, the Marques looks back upon 26 his acting techniques and considers their effect: Ella resignada. Yo con aquel gesto tragico y sombrlo que ahora me hace sonre£r. Un herraoso gesto que ya tengo un poco olvidado, porque las mujeres no se enaraoran de los viejos, y solo esta bien en un Don Juan juvenil.**a la pobre Concha el gesto de Satan arrepentido la hacla temblar y enloquecer. (0 26) Even at an advanced age, however, the Marques was still using similar gestures and, with proper stage awareness, he was able to recognize the ineffectiveness of one pose and adopt another:

Y me cubrl los ojos con la mano, en una actitud tragica. Asx permanecl mucho tiempo esperando cjue la nina me interrogase, pero como la nifia permanecxa rauda, me decidl ser el primero en romper aquel largo silencio. (I 1SU) As a final consideration in the matter of the actor-audience relationship which we have seen, it is necessary to note a particular aspect of the personality of the Marques de Bradomln. This is the drama which he plays largely for his own benefit and as a sop to his great pride. Although these poses may have incidental value to the protagonist in achieving his immediate ends, they stand out as a mani­ festation of his desire to link himself with the past apogee of the power of the nobility or the tradition of the great lovers: Como un aventurero de otros tiempos, iba a perderme en la vastedad del viejo Imperio Azteca... (E 70)

A1 desembarcar en Veracruz, mi alma se lleno de sen- timientos heroicos. Yo cruce ante la Nifia Chole orgulloso y soberbio como un conquistador antiguo. (E 70)

Y nos besaraos con el beso romantico de aquellos tiempos. Yo era el Cruzado que partxa a Jerusalen, y Concha la Dama que le lloraba en su castillo al claro de la luna. Con- fieso que mientras lleve sobre los hombros la melena merovingia como Espronceda y como Zorrilla, nunca supe despedirme de otra manera. (0 58)

Yo sent! alzarse dentro de ml el Animo guerrero, 27 despotico, feudal, este noble animo atavico, que haci- endome un hombre de otros tiempos, hizo en estos mi des- gracia. |Soberbio Duque de AlbaI iGlorioso Duque de Sesa, de Terranova y Santangelol jMagnxfico H e m a n Cortes I: Yo hubiera side alferez de vuestras banderas en vuestro siglo. Yo siento, tambien, que el horror es bello, y amo la purpura gloriosa de la sangre, y el saqueo de los pueblos, y a los viejos soldados crueles, y a los que violan doncellas, y a los que incendian mieses, y a cuantos hacen desafueros al amparo del fuero milltar. Alzandome en las almohadas se lo di^e a la monja: — Senora, mis soldados guardan la tradicion de las lanzas castellanas, y la tradicion es bella como un ro­ mance y sagrada como un rito. Si a mi vienen con sus quejas, asx se lo dire a esos honrados vecinos de Villar­ real de Navarra, (I 158)

Besides these evocations of the historic-chivalresque past, we may

note the attempt to dramatically emulate the romantic tradition of

love: Cierto que viajaba por olvidar, pero hallaba tan novelescas mis cuitas, que no resolvxa a ponerlos en olvido. (E 16) Hablame vestido de luto, y en presencia de las mujeres, a poco lindos que tuviesen los ojos, adoptaba una actitud lugubre de poeta sepulturero y dollente. En la soledad del camarote edificaba mi espxritu con largas reflexiones, considerando cuan pocos hombres tienen la suerte de llorar una infidelidad que hubiera cantado el divino Petrarca. (E 18)

Although we do not find it expressed quite as directly here as Unamuno was later to do, there is a definite emphasis on the dua­

lity of the personality of the libertine. This type of presentation accentuated the essentially theatrical nature of the Don Juan type.

Both authors seem to feel that Don Juan is in reality two or more distinct individuals. The inner-self is the genuine man, while the outward appearance is an assumed gud.se projected to the audience which, in this case, is constituted by the individuals surrounding Don Juan. Where Unamuno's and Valle-Inclan's concept differ 28 radically is in the reason for this duality. The Marques de Bradomln

evinces no great concern for the basic meaning of his own life or life in general which would make him attempt to present himself in his proper role in life. His basic motivation and, in fact, the common

denominator of his entire being is pride. Fully aware of this, he

does not fight this feeling like Unamuno’s Don Juan, but rather

glories in it and will stop at nothing to flatter it.

As we have seen in the unusual care in the controlof his deal­

ings with others, the role of pride in the character of the Marques is

a dominant one and it is interesting to note that it passes through a

distinct evolution. This pride finds its greatest ascendancy in the

complete attention and submission of a woman. In the Sonata de prima-

vera, before he has immersed himself in a more or less completely

erotic existence, the Marques is especially absorbed in matters of

pride. He is faced here with a variety of people and he is not suc­

cessful in achieving his ultimate goal of seduction as is the case in

the later Sonatas. His insecurity is often manifest and at times he finds difficulty in choosing the attitude or action which will best satisfy his pride. After his designs have become known, we find him deep in his problem:

Luchaba inutilmente por dominar mi orgullo y conven- ceime que era mas altivo y mas gallardo abandonar aquella misma noche...el Palacio Gaetani. (P 181)

He does not seem to fully understand that this is not a struggle against pride, but rather the attempt to make a decision, the outcome of which will do the least harm to his amour propre. A similar confusion is discernible in his earlier audience with the Princess: 29 Mi orgullo levantabase en rafagas, pero sobre los labios temblorosos estaba la sonrisa. Supe dominar mi despecho y me acerque galante y familiar. (P lhU) Again it is a matter of choosing the course which will best satisfy,

rather than repress his pride. With regard to Maria Rosario we can already see, at this

stage of his life, Bradomln's pride is largely dependent on therecog­ nition of himself by a woman. His sensitivity in this respectis so

great that he is unduly aware of an imagined slight which could hardly have been intended, given the circumstances and Marla Rosario's brief acquaintance with the Marques. Immediately following the announcement of the death of the old prelate, the girl leaves the room carrying her little sister who has been frightened by the proceedings. Bradomln hurries to lift the curtain for her, but receives no recognition for his act.

Marla Rosario paso con los ojos bajos, sin mirarme... con el alma herida por el desden que Marla Rosario me mostrara, volvl al estrado... (P 65) Unwilling now to expose his vanity to further disdain, the Marques rejects a notion which assuredly would have elicited st the most a rebuke:

Yo hubierale rogado que pusiese su mano sobre mi pecho, pero temi que desoyese mi ruego. Aquella nifia era cruel como todas las santas que tremolan en la tersa diestra la patina virginal.9 (p 77)

^This striking contradiction of the opposed words cruel and santa is a typical example of the use of contradiction of terms by the demoniac poets. Gherix cites this technique in the poetry of Baudelaire: "Le dualisme de l'idee se traduit quelquefois par 1 'opposition des deux membres d'un distique... Les rimes sont souvent 30 Frustrated by his own unwillingness to risk his pride by pressing himself upon her, he soothes his vanity by placing the blame on Maria

Rosario* Still unable to achieve his goal, which would have meant

the complete satisfaction of his pride, the protagonist derives a

■vicarious pleasure in deliberately worrying his prey.

Yo guise varias veces acercarme a Maria Rosario. Todo fue inutil: E U a adivinaba mis intenciones, y alejabase cautelosa, sin ruido, con la vista baja y las manos cruzadas sobre el escapulario del habito monjil que conservaba puesto. Viendola a tal extreme temerosa, yo sentia halagado mi orgullo donjuanesco, y algunas veces, solo por turbarla, cruzaba de un lado al otro. (P 128) In the Sonata de estio, when Bradomln has apparently matured both in technique and capability, the element of pride appears more in

action than in thought. In a previous quotation we have noted his at­

tempt to impress la Nina Chole and at the same time to fulfil his own desire to identify himself with the conquistadores♦ (E 70) She is a

proud woman, but he is willing to pit his own presumed pride of race

and background against this and through trickery he brings la Nina

Chole completely under his physical power in their quarters at the

convent. Her only defense is the threat of her husband's reprisals. This elicits both an exterior and inner expression of pride:

Y ciega de colera porque al olrla sonrel, me puso en la faz sus manos de princesa...que yo hice prisioneras. Sin dejar de mirarla, se las opriml hasta que lanzo un grito, y despues dominando mi despecho, se las bese. Ella, sollozante, dejose caer sobre las almohadas: Yo, sin in- tentar consolarla me aleje. Sentxa un fiero desdeno lleno

contrariees,...les adjectifs -violemment accouples— morbide ou petu­ lant (Le Possede), charmant et sepulcral (Le Flacon), ridicule e£ sublime (L'e 'Qyghe). Ro'bert-Senoit Chernx, ... Commentaire des •^Fleurs du mal"... (GenSve, Pierre Cailler, 19h9)f lli7-lU8. 31 de injurias altaneras, y para disimular el temblor de mis labios que deb£an estar llvidos, sonrela. Largo tiempo permanecl apoyado en la reja contemplando el jardin susurrante y os euro. El grillo cantaba, y era su canto un ritmo remoto y primitive. De tarde en tarde llegaba hasta mi algun sollozo de la Nina Chole, tan apagado y tenue, que el corazon siempre dispues to a perdonar, se conmovla. (E 109) In spite of the expressed eroticism of the Marques, his pride is con­

sidered first. Now sure of his goal, he allows himself the luxury of accepting injury, demonstrating his anger and forgiveness. In his old age the Marques was to look back on such emotions with nostalgia:

...las pasiones del amor, del orgullo y de la colera, las pasiones nobles y sagradas que animaron a los dioses antiguos • (I 9^) The subsequent loss and regaining of la Nina Chole would provide an interesting psychological study of the rationalizations which the

Marques finds necessary to maintain his pride. He is definitely flattered by la Nifia Chole's plea for his life and if we are to be­ lieve the protagonist, both he and the enraged husband felt a mutual fear of and respect for each other: "Jurarxa que tambien tuvo miedo." (E 195) The Marques, however, is keenly aware of his loss of face and manages to soothe his injured pride with a rather weak defense:

Mis eneraigos, los que osan acusarme de todos los crimenes, no podran acusarme de haber refiido por una raujer. Nunca como entonces he sido fiel a mi divisa: Despreciar a los demas y no amarse a si mismo. (E 197)

In spite of this conclusion, the motto seems far from an accurate description of the character of the Marques.

The Sonata de otofto represents for the Marques the perfect state of the ego. Pride is almost unmentioned, because its complete 32 satisfaction has been achieved by the protagonist’s living in constant sexual and social contact with a woman who feels complete dependency upon him. The most fitting way to express this relationship would be to say that Concha worships the Marques. It is this element of ador­ ation which is most important for the personal needs of the Marques de Bradomln. When Concha dies, he does not mention the physical pleasure he has lost, nor does he dwell upon the passing of the indi­ vidual. What he has lost is the support of his ego.

jLa pobre Concha habxa muertoJ iHabxa rauerto acjuella flor de ensueflo a quien todas mis palabras le parecxan bellasi jAquella flor de ensueno aquien todos mis gestos le parecxan soberanosi...iVolverxa a encontrar otra palida princesa, de tristes ojos encantados, que me admirase sienpre magnlfica? (0 90) These are not static expressions of grief. He starts in a conventional way, calling the name of the dead loved one. There is then a shift to his own completely personal loss and finally in the time that it takes him to repeat these four sentences, he is considering the possi­ bility of finding a new prop for his vanity. With the abrupt end of the period of complete felicity, the Marques is suddenly faced with the prospect of old age. His relations with Concha in the Sonata de otono had not been a new love, but rather, as he had termed it, a resurrection of the old. Reason tells him that the time has come to accept the physical limitations of his age.

Habxa sonado para mx la hora en que se apagan los ardores de la san^re, y en que las pasiones del amor^ del orgullo y de la colera...se hacen esclavas de la razon. (I 9h) However, the Marques is unwilling and possibly incapable of rexxnquish-

ing that which has come to be his sole source of pride. His affair 33 with Maria Antonieta is again a revival of an old love, but it does serve him as a reassertion of his sexual capacity. There is not, how­ ever, the self assurance that he demonstrated before: — Mira que voy a ser muy exi|ente. Confieso que al oirla, temble. jMis noches ya no eran triunfantes, como aquellas noches tropicales perfumadas por la pasion de la NiSa CholeI (I 1210

In spite of his fears, Bradomin manages to save both his self respect and his appearances of masculinity: Maria Antonieta fue exigente como una dogaresca, pero yo fui sabio como un viejo cardinal que hubiese aprendido las artes secretas del amor, en el confesionario en una corte del Henacimiento. (I 121+) Vie cannot fail to note two important points concerning this relation­ ship. The Marques asserts himself not solely through sheer sexual capabilities, but also through stratagem. Secondly, this is not the satisfactory relationship like that maintained with Concha, but rather a fleeting affair which can bolster only momentarily the fail­ ing pride of the protagonist. In the final amorous attempt which we see, there is still another interesting point of difference from the previous affairs.

With Maria Antonieta, the Marques had resorted to cunning to sustain his failing power. Here there seems at least some attempt to assume a type of love more in keeping with his years: — Hermana Maximina, .. .necesito alguno de tus balsamos • jCual quieres darme? — El que usted quiera. — Quiero el de tus ojos. Y se los bese paternalmente...Yo sentia que una profunda temura me llenaba el alma con voluptuosidad nunca gustada. (I 161)

If these paternal feelings actually do exist, they are not strong enough to overcome his old desiresr

Por primera vez la bese en los labios.. .Olvide el tono sentimental, y con el fuego de los anos juveniles le dije: — iSerxas capaz de quererme? (I 161)

With this last attempted seduction, we may say with some certainty that the life of the Marques has traveled in a full circle.

The first intended victim, like the last, was of a saintly quality, whose heart knew only kindliness and spiritual love; one was about to enter orders and the other is a student in a convent; both are young and inexperienced in the ways of love; both situations find the Marques impeded by the presence of others and slowed by weak­ nesses : early in life it was irresolution, in old age, weakness of the body. Finally, both situations end in stark tragedy and the failure of Bradomln* s intentions ,'1-0

Aside from the unsatisfactory relationships mentioned above, the protagonist seeks another more certain sublimation of his need for sexual relations. His service in the Carlist cause provides a new outlet for his energies and he is capable of reasserting his pride in his identification with this group and in a close associ­ ation with their pro claimed king. This might well have been the answer to his problems as suggested early in the Sonata de inviemo:

■*-°It will be noted that in this particular section we have chosen not to follow the actual chronology of the writing of the Sonatas. Valle first wrote the Sonata de otoffo which, as we have seen, represents the high point in the life of the Marques. In the comple­ tion of the entire cycle Valle-Inclan filled in a background for this climax and finally worked out the denouement represented by the Sonata de invterao. Thus regardless of chronology the four Sonatas may be viewed as an integral whole. The similarities noted in the Piima- vera and Inviemo, however, may well be due in part to the fact that they were evidently written within a year of each other. 3f? Yo estaba en ese declinar de la vida, edad propicia para todas las ambiciones y mas fuerte que la juventud misma, cuando se ha renunciado al amor de las mujeres. i Ay, por que no supe hacerlol (I 9U) Again his dependency on feminine contact is too great and the Marques realizes the tragedy of his position. Even the loss of his arm fails

to provide him with an adequate support for his vanity. Such a dis­ ability, incurred in the most noble fashion— in the military service of his king— might well be considered as a mark of distinction to

last him the rest of his days* None of this will suffice, and now the Marques must face the tragedy of a Don Juan who, unlike his trad­ itional counterpart, is not cut down early in his life, when he is

still capable of anything within physical limits. All that is left is

"la emocion del amor, que da una profunda tristeza a las vidas que se apagan. ” (I 162) Valle-Inclan is unable even at this point to find the solution of the problems of this decadent Don Juan: Al trasponer la puerta sentl la tentacion de volver la cabeza y la v e n d . Si la guerra no me habla dado ocasion para mostrarme heroico, me la daba el amor al despedirse de ml, acaso para sierapre. (I 18U)

These closing lines, still showing the indomitable pride of the old nobleman, are indecisive and the word "acaso11 fully represents this lack of faith in himself. Valle refuses to continue further and we are left with the vision of the old man again playing the role which he long ago had attested to evade: the Don Juan in spite of him­ self.

The all consuming pride of the Marques de Bradomln is his most consistent character trait. It saturates his entire being and is expressed in his personal thoughts and spoken words. More im- portant, he demonstrates it constantly in thought, word and action.

Although in his youth he struggled weakly with temptation, he had to yield, for his vanity could best be flattered in the complete capitulation of a woman. Tirso's Don Juan depended upon this same type of surrender, but his sense of pride led him beyond the act it­ self and could only be satisfied in the resultant dishonor for the woman and notoriety for himself. His self-importance was therefore derived largely from ostentation. He demonstrated no great degree of emotional intensity and a continuation of his relationship with his victim once she had been seduced would thwart two of his basic aims: the frequency of his seductions which would lead to widespread fame and the pure joy that he derived from the dishonor itself:

Sevilla a voces me llama el Burlador, y el mayor gusto que en ml puede haber es burlar una mujer y dejalla sin honor, (l. 1313-1317)

There can be no doubt that this type of activity gives Don Juan a high degree of inner satisfaction. As we have seen the Marques de Bradomin attains this feeling directly through relations and inter­ course with the woman, and not through the medium of notoriety. Whereas Don Juan's pride is best satisfied by boasting of his se­ ductions, the Marques reserves his smaller collection of triumphs for himself and revels in the evocation of past affairs. In this sense he is more of a "lone wolf" than Don Juan. Thus the sentimen­ talism indicated by the Marquesa de Tor and repeated in Valle-Inclan's introductory note represents an intensification of, rather than a deviation from, the Donjuanesque tendency to divorce himself from 37 society through his anti-social behavior. This sentimentality and eroticism, which are not a part of the personality of Don Juan Ten- orio are a logical result of the libertine who turns completely within himself and becomes preoccupied, in the Romantic tradition, with reflections on love, life, death, etc. In this state he can find no pleasure in sharing the joy of his conquests even with those like himself. There is no Marques de Mota, no Don Luis, not even a

Catalinon or Ciutti to whom the rake communicates his pleasures. It is true that these characters are not technically necessary in a nar­ ration in the first person, but, aside from their stylistic value in drawing out the true character of the protagonist, they also repre­ sent the need of Don Juan to share his experiences.

Having examined the Marques de Bradomin both inwardly and externally, we must now undertake the task of seeing each aspect as a whole. The outward appearance of the protagonist, as we have al­ ready seen, is largely governed by his constant effort to maintain a pretense. Bradomin, as a man acting a part, is actually playing two roles. These are not always distinct, but may be examined separately. In the role of which he Is completely aware, the Marques stresses the appearance of nobility with all that it entails: valor, pride, self-confidence, the will to domination and freedom from certain religious, civil and moral restrictions. These traits, although maintained to perfection, are mere appurtenances. They are consciously controlled by the protagonist in an effort to convince the audience composed of those people who surround him.^ The other aspect of his

■^Zamora Vicente is inclined to see other personages as well pretense is far more important. This is the drama in which he is the

spectator as well as the actor. In this role he is not a represen­

tative of the nobility which is far past its prime, but rather he is

immersed in a realm of fantasy in which he imagines himself as a viejo caballero of the Spanish empire. This identification with the past glory of Spain is perhaps the most significant aspect of the Memorias. As a member of the decadent nobility, the Marques relives

vicariously the part of the conquistador. As actor and spectator, he accepts his delusion, thus presenting a grotesque deformation of

the old nobility* The Sonatas, in spite of their place in modemista

literature, already demonstrate the tendency toward the eventual fruition of Valle-Incla^s style in the Esperpento. In a sense this deformation of the noble tradition is as marked as in the later

Comedias barbaras. In the former, through the identification of a completely depraved Don Juan with the conquistador, the author dis­ torts and defoms both the literary and historical traditions which he attempts to combine. Don Juan, originally a product of the ac­ tive, extrovert Spain of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, has become an introvert, perverse caricature of Spanish nobility through his contact with the post-Romantic preoccupation with life and in the role of actors : riNi Bradomin, ni Maria Rosario, ni la prin- cesa Gaetani hablan y se raueven (en la Sonata Italiana) como se esperaria dentro de la atmosfera familiar— aunque noble— del Palacio* Todos estan convencidos de que alguien los mira. De ahi su constante superarse, la cuidadosa ocasionalidad de sus impetus, de sus mas leves gestos. Valle-Inclan se decide por unas rapidas acotaciones que revelan un exacto conociraiento de las bambalinas de su pericia teatral." Zamora Vicente, op. cit., l8£-6 . 39 death, good and evil. This distortion reaches a high point when Bradomin* finds himself at the period of old age*12

His false portrayal of the conquistador had been maintained through the donjuanesque domination of women rather than empire. In the Sonata de inviemo, he is deprived of his power and dominion, and like -the Spain of his day is reduced to indecisive, petty inner conflict. The identification of the depraved Marques de Bradomin with the conquistador of the Spanish empire has elicited some very bitter and subjective criticism:

Zl esto es un "caballero legitimista" de la rancia nobleza espanola, que quiere ser "caballero andante de su reina, como Inigo de Loyola lo fue de la Virgen Maria’*? que lamenta no haber perdido el brazo "al sacar la es- pada para defender a los ninos principes y a su madre la reina" y que, sintiendose, en fin, "hombre de otros tiempos," dice "al soberbio Duque de Alba," al "glorioso Duque de Seaa" y al "magnifico Heman Cortes: Yo hubiera sido alferez de vuestras banderas"? ... jNo, Bradomin, noi Ni essbanderas cobijaron hombres de tu calana, ni caben en tu menguada comprension esas grandes figuras de

12Ortega y Gasset, at the time of composition of his article on the Sonatas (190U), was acquainted only with the Otofio and Estio. Thus he was unable to consider the ultimate failure of bradomin1 s life depicted in the Sonata de inviemo. He rightly detects the feeling of the author regarding the old nobility: "Valle-Inclan, al evocar los hombres de Maquiavelo, no se contenta con el dia- trambo y llega hasta la ternura." (Jose Ortega y Gasset, Obras completas. Madrid, Revista de Occidents, 1950. I, 20) However, the critic, even as others were to do after the appearance of the complete Memorias, sees only the characteristic modemista striving after an art completely divorced from any transcendental values. In referring to Valle-Inclan*s work, Ortega y Gasset quotes a description of Theodore de Banville by Anatole France: "i*Es acaso de todos los poetas el que menos ha pensado en la naturaleza de las cosas y en la condicion de los seres. Formado su optimismo de una absoluta ignorancia de las leyes uni versales, era inalterable y perfects. Ni por un momento el amargura de la vida y de la muerte ascendio a los labios de este gentil asociador de palabras. 1 Solo Uo

nuestra historia... Tu no puedes ser paladin de ninguna empresa noble; eres legitimists Tpor estetica,* y nada tienes de comun con los ilusos defensores de la causa perdida... i Bradomln, eres un majaderol^

It must be remembered, however, that Valle-Inclan himself had a nos­ talgic love for the traditions of Spanish nobility. Ortega was not mistaken in this* Even before the full development of his style,

Valle-Inclan demonstrated the tendency to give a warped picture of certain Spanish traditions which he actually admired. In the full deformation and distortion characteristic of the vision of the Esper- pento, the author was not necessarily turning his attention toward

elements which he found distasteful. This was an artistic method of

searching for the truly significant by means of a systematic defor­ mation : El sentido tragico de la vida espanola solo puede darse con una estetica sistematicamente deformada... Espafta es una deformacion grotesca de la civilizacion europea... La deformacion deja de serlo cuando esta sujeta a una matematica perfects.-^ Although he is still primarily a moderaista in the composition of the Sonatas, Valle-Inclan is already anticipating the Esperpento in his treatment of the Marques de Bradomin as a caricature of the conquis- tador.

as£ se comprende que hable el Sr. Valle-Inclan de lo que hable en unos tiempos tan anemicos y reglamentarios que ni aim alientos quedan para los grandes vicios y los crimenes grandes." Ortega, ojd. cit., 21 . ^Casares, op. cit., 77-8.

■^Ramon delValle-Inclan, Luces de Bohemia (Madrid: 19UU), 222-22U. ia

It is evident from the preceding material that we cannot classify any facet of Bradomln»s personality as completely exterior or interior. His outward appearance of nobility, strength, and will­ power is something in which he sincerely believes and as such forms a part of his inner self. We prefer to see these elements, however, as surface manifestations of certain deep-seated spiritual compli­ cations . We have been kept constantly aware of a struggle in the mind of the Marques between what we may call good and evil. Don Juan as a product of "Espana conquistadora” was completely extrovert, devoted

entirely to action. The Marques, maintaining this appearance, turns within himself, weakly struggling with his instinctive erotic drives, attempting to justify his actions and exploring new routes toward moral and religious perversity. These three mental tendencies, each one in opposition to the other, constitute a legacy from literary traditions which Valle-Inclan employs and adapts throughout the Sonatas.

Since the main interest of this study centers around the trans­ formation of the figure of Don Juan, in examining the nature of the

Marques de Bradomin we must consider certain elements in his charac­ ter which parallel and intermingle with the character of the burlador and, while leaving Bradomin essentially a Don Juan, profoundly change and alter his final impact. Let us then look into those manifestations which fall into the category of "Satanism” or the "demoniac” to see in what way and to what extent they have set apart Valle-Inclan's pro­ tagonist from Don Juan Tenorio, who, believer or unbeliever, was definitely not "satanic.” k-2

The "satanism" which we encounter in the Sonatas is not the tradition of Theophilus or Doctor Faustu^ who, recognizing the fear­ ful power of the fallen angel, submitted themselves to his dominion as a method of gaining their own human ends by more than human means.

It is rather based on what we may call the Satanism of the angel

Lucifer of Hebrew theology who would rival God and was expelled from

Paradise for his temerity. It is true that he gained dominion in keeping with his awful power and will, but his realm embodied the com­ plete negation of the Heavenly. With the fallen angel, those un-God- like elements, which are normally merely human, become exaggerated to the "satanic."

The story of rebellion and rivalry as a literary subject has been treated throughout the centuries.^ However, when the rational doubting spirit of the eighteenth century, to which nothing was sacred, was followed closely by the Romantic excesses, self-indul­ gences and taste for the exotic, this tale of rivalry with the power of God and rebellion against the rules of Heaven took on a new light of accessibility for the jaded and bored Romantics, To one suffering from ennui and mal du siecle, the threats of an enraged God held little fear. Satan had rebelled, survived and, what is more, had the power to enjoy himself. Rationalism had taught the Romantics that there was nothing to fear and any lingering doubts could be

•*-^lfThe strongest and the fiercest Spirit That fought in Heav'n, now fiercer by despair: His trust was with th1 Eternal to be deem'd Equal in strength^ and rather than be less , , , ^ Car'd not to be at all." (Milton, Paradise Lost* Bk.IH, U a - a o */ 1 1*3 quelled by the promise of escape from ennui given by Baudelaire's

Familier des angoisses humaines. The perverse and exaggerated became fair game for the disturbed and questioning soul. "Christian good­ ness" having left them unsatisfied, they turned to the exact opposite.

Non siamo piQ. nell'epoca della messe nere, ma la formula esteriore del Satanismo rimane la stessa: il rawicinamento, talora perfino inconsepavole, di valore sacri alle piii esasperate violenze della came, 1 'apologia del delLitto come forme di predominio spirituaie, la ricerca del sublime nella bassezza.^°

...Mesmerism and similar pseudo-scientific phenomena led to a probing of unknown forces of the soul and en­ gendered a preference for the weird, the violent and cruelly perverse in human nature which was coupled with an extreme individualism and an exclusive cult for the beautiful in its exotic, colorful and sensual features'

There was naturally a reaction against this perverse exag­ geration and it is in Southey's denunciation of what he called the

"Satanic school" that we see more clearly the relationship to the

Sonatas of Valle-Inclan. With reference to Byron, Shelley and Keats, he had this to say:

For their productions breathe the spirit of Belial in their lascivious parts, and the spirit of Moloch in their loathsome images of atrocities and horror which they de­ light to represent, they are more especially characterized by a satanic spirit of pride and audacious impiety which still betrays the wretched feeling of hopelessness where­ with it is allied.

^Dizionario Letterario Bompiani deile Opere.•. (Milano: Bompiani, 19i|6), t, 2&2.

-^Cassell's Encyclopedia of Literature (London, 1953). I, U79* n O Robert Southey, Preface to the Vision of judgement (Boston: Houghton, Osgood & Co., 1880), 195-196. U1+ For our study, the Marquis de Sade, with his belief that satis­ faction is obtained by inflicting cruelty on others, may be considered as one of the first exponents of this ’'school1' by the publication of his roman noir, Justine, in 1791* The Memoires of the cynical adven­ turer Casanova provided a living example— almost a manual— for those who wished to instruct themselves in the arts of libertinism, Valle- Inclan* s familiarity with the Memoires has been clearly indicated by

Julio Casares in his confrontation of parallel texts in the Memoires and the Sonata de primavera.1^ We have already noted Byron's association with this "satanic" viewpoint. Although he shows no particular acquaintance with the details of the legend of the burlador or Don Juan*s fate at the hands of earlier poets, the general aura of non-conformity and libertinism evoked by the name Don Juan made the hazy outline of this character a perfect vehicle for the portrayal of the uneasy Romantic hero in crisis, denying his ties with the past and seeking new sensations in exaggerated and irresponsible thoughts and sensual activity.

It might be argued that Byron's Don Juan, in its actual form, was the only manner left for a poet of the nineteenth century to adopt with power of conviction...It is the epic of m o d e m life.^O

^Julio Casares, Crltica profana (Buenos Aires: Espasa- Calpe, 19hh)> 65-70. on Complete poetical works of Lord Byron, ed. Paul Elmer More (Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1933)/ 7Uu« In passing, it is interesting to note how aptly the title of one of Byron's verse dramas, The Deformed transformed, might serve as a sub-title for the Sonatas or some other versions of the Don Juan theme. Even Tirso's burlador was in some sense deformed and certainly not a "normal" member of society. However, with the nineteenth century, Without further discussion of other English "Satanic" works such as Byron's Cain or Shelley's Prometheus unbound3 let us look briefly at the trend in France, where the demoniaque was to receive such exaggerated development. In the Romantic era we meet, of course, the rebellious hero protesting against both transcendant and human absolutism (e. g. Hugo's Hemani) and such varied expres­ sions of unrestrained fantasy as the works of Charles Nodier or the

Contes drolatiques of Balzac. But it is not until the onset of the decline of Romanticism, when the "purer poetics" of the Pamasse were coming to the fore, that those remaining die-hard defenders of Ro­ mantic individualism who would not or could not be converted to calmer views carried their exaggerations even further. This marks the full flower of the demoniaque. Charles Baudelaire with his urgent search for sensation and escape includes in his Fleurs du Mai the Litanies de Satan, in which the eternal presence of the evil genius is recog­ nized, evoked and adored. Even more pertinent to our discussion is Bau­ delaire's sonnet, Don Juan aux anfers,which,as Cherix points out, is not found in the actual demoniac section of the Fleurs du Mai but is rather inserted in the midst of the author's art poetique. Don Juan, for Baudelaire, remains true to himself, the self-contained, proud individual who does not deign to recognize an environment which for

when the libertine became the mouthpiece of a writer's rebellious views or, as with Azorxn or the Machados, he is "saved" in the Christian sense, the deformed was truly transformed. \ 6 others ia Hell. The pride and will of the rebel hero see him through

what, in Christian terms, must be the most terrifying of human ex­ periences. Yet Baudelaire is not satisfied with this ultimate demon­ stration of pride. Even truly satanic vain-glory, strong enough to

defy the Deity, will be punished. Immediately following Don Juan aux enfers in the original Fleurs du Mai is another sonnet, Le Cha-

timent de 1 1orgueil, in which the rival of God so exaggerates his

claims that he becomes merely ridiculous and is mocked by little children. Thus pride when carried to the extreme becomes the instru­

ment of its own destruction.^

The demoniac tradition is carried on by Barbey d'Aurevilly,

who in his Diaboliques (187U) shows to what lengths Romantic ex­

aggerations may be carried where, as Zamora Vicente indicates, the distance between man and the super-humah powers of Hell is lessened and sin becomes attractive for its very perversity. Barbey d ’Au-

revilly, with all his natural talent, also becomes through his very

perversity absurd. In his curiosity for the forbidden and delight in the abnormal, he too chose Don Juan as a vehicle and transformed him, allowing him to reach old age in a singular manner.

The very clever, very immoral tale called Le Plus bel amour de Don Juan— which relates how a super-annuated, but still incredibly vigorous old beau gives a supper to the beautiful woman of quality he has known, and recounts to them the most piquant adventures of his life— is redo­ lent of this intense delight in the prolongation of enjoy­ ment by the sheer refusal to admit the ravages of old age.^

^•Cf. Robert-Benoit Cherix, ...Commentaire des "Fleurs du Mai"... (Geneve: Cailler, 19k9)» 8O-8J4.. 22Edmund Gosse, French profiles (New Yorkt Dodd, Mead, 190k)f 99• Here the Comte Ravila de RavilSs and his confrere the Vicomte de Brassard in Le Rideau cramoisi , though they are not viejos Caballeros in a false Spanish tradition, are at least old dandies of the Sa­ tanic tradition and in some aspects show an amazing kinship to

Bradomin.^

Verlaine, together with his more precocious companion Rimbaud, provides another link in the chain of satanism. Zamora Vicente in his work already cited thoroughly studies the influence of these writers on the Sonatas of Valle-Inclan, as well as that of those elements of the Spanish tradition which fill out the literary background of the

Sonatas» Espronceda's Estudiante de Salamanca with its implacable pro­ tagonist is one of the best literary examples of the satanic Don Juan type who carries his defiance of God to the ultimate extreme. Grandiosa, satanica figura, Alta la frente, Montemar camina, Espiritu sublime en su locura, Provocando la colera divinar. Fabrica fragil de materia impura. El alma que la aLienta y la iluxaina Con Dios le iguala y con osado vuelo Se aiza a su trono y le provoco a duelo.

More recently Ruben Darfo, although he cannot really be considered a poet of the satanic tradition, shows great interest in the sensuous and even voluptuous elements of pagan life and feels the strange attraction of the seven deadly sins. Again we must emphasize the fact that the

23a full discussion of this relationship is to be found in the already cited work of Julio Casares, 63ff*

^Jo s e de Espronceda, El Estudiante de Salamanca (Boston: Ginn & Co., 1919), 5H, 1. 12b$-12$T. us general and specific influences of the entire satanic tradition are treated in detail in the work of Zamora Vicente whose citations fully round out his exhaustive study.

Having briefly examined the historical background of the demoniac element, let us now see how it directly pertains to the

Marques de Bradonmi. In the course of this particular investigation we shall try to show this element not just in its use as a stylistic device but as it relates to the problem of morals in the light of

Roman Catholic doctrine. The general inconsistency of the thoughts of the Marques makes it difficult to establish a single constant attitude toward the Church. If, however, we consider this attitude as evolving through­ out his life, much of the inconsistency disappears, and we may discern a religious viewpoint in accord with Bradomin1s physical and mental state and his feelings of spiritual need. We have noted the associ­ ation in the mind of the protagonist of religious appearance and sex­ ual attractiveness. There is a constant effort to describe the woman in question with words generally associated with religion:

En mi memoria vive siempre el recuerdo de sus manos blancas y frias: iManos diafanas como la hostial..• A1 verla desmayada la cog£ en brazos y la lleve a su lecho, que era como altar de lino albo y de rizado encaje. (P 136) Concha is also seen in like terms:

Sobre aquel fondo de verdura gracil y umbroso, en- vuelta en la luz como en diafana veste de oro, parecia una Madona soffada por un monje serafico. (0 36) ...su boca sin color, sus mejillas dolientes, sus sienes macerados, sus parpados de cera velando los ojos en la cuencas descamadas y violaceas, le daban la h9

apariencia espiritual de Tina santa muy bella consumida por la penitencia y el ayuno. (0 30)

la blancura eucarxstica de su tea.*. (0 2b) aquella tunica blanca que parecxa un habito monacal (0 22) The insistence on the word "monacal" is particularly impressive. This type of description is not unusual in a people whose lives have been so thoroughly saturated with Roman Catholicism. Many similar examples may be cited and it seems neither odd nor improper that the ultimate of physical beauty should be likened to that which is held to be spir­ itually beautiful. A further examination of this tendency, however, reveals a more unusual trait in the character of the Marques, and it is in this that he enters the realm of the demoniac. The religious terminology is found to be more than a stylistic device to convey a picture of beauty. It is the essential element which draws the pro­ tagonist. The very religious nature of the woman is a physical at­ traction for him. In the Sonata de primavera there is an entire chap­ ter devoted to the saintly qualities of Marxa Rosario.

Marxa Rosario era una figura ideal que me hizo recordar aquellas santas hijas de prxncipes y de reyes: Doncellas de soberana hermosura, que con sus manos delicadas encen- dxase con el raisrao anhelo de santidad...

Marxa Rosario lloraba en silencio, y resplandecxa hermosa y Candida como una Madona...

Vivxa en el Palacio como en un convento...y cuando sus manos se aplicaban a una labor monjil, su mente soSaba sue§os de santidad... (P 89-93)

This long eulogy is climaxed by the one brief sentence: "Marxa Ro­ sario fue el unico amor de mi vida." (P 9$) Again it must be empha­ sized that this is not a platonic affection. The sole apparent aim gO of the protagonist is seduction. The Sonata de estfo presents a variation of this carnal at­

traction to the devout woman. There is a general change in the tenor

of the narrative and the descriptive passages are generally based upon pagan and classical, rather than Christian allusions. Neverthe­

less, the protagonist is still drawn to la Nina Chole by something

not wholly physical in nature. She is not merely beautifulj she is

exotic and mysterious. Me parecio la Salambo de aquellos palacios... Era una belleza bronceada, exotica, con esa gracia extrana y ondulante de las razas nomadas, una figura hieratica y serpentina, cuya contemplacion evocaba el recuerdo de aquellas princesas hijas del sol, que en los poemas indios resplandecen con el doble encanto sacer­ dotal y voluptuoso. (E 26)

...tenxa esas bellas actitudes de fdolo. (E 27) Sus ojos. ..tienen algo de misterioso, de quimerico y lejano, algo que hace recordar las antiguas y nobles razas que en remotas edades fundaron grandes Imperios en los pafses del sol. (E 2+7)

The attraction which the Marques feels here is not wholly different

from his reactions to Marfa Rosario or Concha. In la Nifla Chole, he senses a pagan mysticism which fascinates him in somewhat the same manner as the Christian spirituality in other women. Certainly in both cases it is a deep regard for a mystic inner quality which Bra- dorafn is incapable of feeling. In spite of the different quality of

la Nina Chole1 s exotic charm, the protagonist by his own admission

indicates the peculiar quality of her personality which definitely captivates him. The exoticism and mystical native charm of la Niff a

Chole is largely based upon Bradomfn1s own vivid imagination which £L attempts to read some deeper significance into the physical appearance

of the woman. In reality she is a devout Christian and itis this attribute which constitutes the ultimate attraction for the Marques.

...la Nina Chole entro ten la iglesiaj. Todavxa desde la puerta me envio una sonrisa. iPero lo que acabo de prendarme fue aquella muestra de piedadl (E 72) In the Sonata de otono Concha’s spiritual attraction is com­

bined with a moribund appearance which makes her supremely desirable

to Bradomxn. Concha tenia la palidez delicada y enferma de una Dolorosa, y era tan bella asx deraacrada y consumida, que mis ojos, mis labios, y mis manos hallaban todo su de'leite en aquello misrao que me entristecxa. Yo confieso que no recordaba haberla amado nunca en lo pasado, tan locamente como aquella noche. (0 32)

Concha tenia para mi todos los encantos de otro tiempo, purificados poruna divina palidez de enferma.25(o ijl)

This, like the religious descriptions, has a deeper significance than if it were a mere suggestion of period fashion. Passion and sorrow are fused into a chaotic expression of tortured physical pleasure:

A1 oirla suspirar, crei que agonizaba. La bese tem- blando como si fuese a comulgar su vida. Con voluptuo- sidad dolorosa y no gustada hasta entonces, mi alma se embriago en aquel perfume de flor enferma, que mis dedos deshojaban consagrados e impios. Sus ojos se abrieron amorosos bajo mis ojos. jAyJ Sin embargo, yo adivine en ellos un gran sufrimiento. (0 5>0 )

Attracted by her sickly appearance, the protagonist draws her closer

ocj -un the Romantic tradition which, as we have seen, so pro­ foundly influenced Valle-Inclan, a pallid and sickly appearance was considered a sign of beauty. This ideal appears in such varied works as La Dame aux camelias of Dumas fils and Baudelaire' s concept of beauty which unites "...un coeur de neige a la blancheur des cygnes." "La Beaut!" in Charles Baudelaire, Les Fleurs du Mai (Paris: Gallimard, 1?£L), 9h. to her death with conflicting but simultaneous feelings of fear, suf­ fering and joy which both individuals experience. In the spiritual as well as the physical aspect, the Marques is attracted by that which he destroys. Las cuentas del rosario pasaban con lentitud devota entre sus dedos palidos. Algunas veces, sin esperar a que concluyese, me acercaba y la sorprendla. Ella tomabase mas blanca y se tapaba los ojos eon las manos. Yo amaba locamente aquella boca dolorosa, aquellos labios tremulos y contraidos, helados como los de una rauertai...Despues sus brazos rodeaban mi cuello; su cabeza desmayaba en mi hombro y lloraba, lloraba de amor y de miedo a las penas eternas. (0 12) jPobre Conchal Sobre sus labios perfumados por los rezos, mis labios cantaron los prdmeros triunfos del amor y su gloriosa exaltacion. (0 ill) Concha is able to recognize the sacrilege in the irreverent expres­ sions of the Marques, but although aware of the spiritual danger to which he exposes her, she does not denounce him as strongly for his overall intentions. Following an impious remark by the Marques and immediately preceding Concha's death the following scene ensues: — Me das miedo cuando dices esas impiedades...s£, miedo, porque no eres tu quien hablar Es Satanas.•• Hasta tu voz parece otra...Es Satanas1 Cerro los ojos estremecida y mis brazos la abrigaron amantes. Me parecio que en sus labios vagaba un rezo y murmure riendome, al mismo tiempo que sellaba en ellos los mxos: — lAmeni...Meni...Ameni.... Quedamos en silencio. Despues su boca gimio bajo mi boca. — jYo muerol (0 82)

In spite of the attraction which he feels for the spiritual nature of

Concha, the Marques seems specifically intent on preventing her from using that quality to save her soul. The significance of this effort is to be noted in these words as Concha attempts to withdraw: — Quedate. — No. I No I ... Mariana quiero conf esarme... j Temo tanto ofender a Diosi Entonces, levantandome con helada y desdefiosa cortesia, le dijet — £De raanera que ya tengo un rival? (0 81) This question of the Marques implies far more than mere sarcasm or cajolery. It has become increasingly evident that his intentions are far more complex than the mere physical pleasure of sexual satis­ faction. There is the unmistakable will to accomplish both physical and spiritual seduction. God is a rival from whom the Marques must win the soul of the woman. This type of action can gain no ultimate reward, since the final achievement of the goal can only be realized at her death. It is at this point that the complete emptiness of his conquest is felt and again the words of the protagonist in the expres­ sion of this disillusion are of extreme importance in the description of something which he himself is never capable of fully admitting: iVolveria a encontrar otra palida princesa, de tristes ojos encantados, que me admirase siempre magnlfico? Ante esta duda llore. jLlore como un Dios antiguo al extinguirse su cultoJ (0 90)

It is this scene which unequivocably places the Marques on equal terms with Satan: he rivals God, attempts to win a soul, shrinks from the face of God and suggests the existence of an erotic cult of which he is the perverse deity.* For this reason it is well to note the few other instances in which this word "cult11 is used. In the Sonata de primavera It is natural that such an expression should not occur be­ fore the very end of the work. This represents a period of trial and

^Gf. Footnote no. 7> p. 20. error in which the protagonist demonstrates an insecurity which will

not manifest itself again until his physical decline in the final

season of his life. The difficulties involved in the unsuccessful

seduction of Maria Rosario may be attributed to three factors; the

inexperience of the Marques, the necessarily close association with

other people and the firmness of his intended victim. The unforeseen

tragedy which ends this episode of his life is perhaps the one thing

that prevents the ultimate conquest. It is immediately prior to this

event that Bradomfn, in a final effort to impress the girl with the place that he feels that he has won in her heart, or in s heer desper­ ation, refers to his worldly cult:

— Vos me perteneceis. Hasta la celda del convento os seguira mi culto mundano.Solamente por vivir en vuestro recuerdo y en vuestras oraciones, morirxa gustoso. (P 212)

Whatever his purposes in the use of this expression, it is clear that

even if he has resigned himself to the loss of the physical being of Maria Rosario, he has not renounced his claim to her mind and soul.

This is the only specific identification of his cult. The fact that he

does not express it in the communication of his own thoughts to the

reader may well indicate that he is not fully conscious of itsexis­

tence. His interests in this matter of cult, even if he is unaware of its direct relationship to lis own life, lead him into the pagan, exotic world which he depicts in the Sonata de estxo*

...iba a perderme en la vastedad del viejo Imperio Aztecaj Imperio de historia desconocida sepultada para siempre con las momias de sus reyes, entre restos ciclo- peos que hablan de civilizaciones, de cultos, de razas que fueron... (E 12-13) The suggestion of cult, although vague and illusive, reappears & with some regularity.

La pobre Concha era muy piadosa, y aquella admiracion estetica que yo sentia en mi juventud por el hijo de Alejandro VI, le daba miedo como si fuese el culto al Diablo. (0 25) Ya solo me estaba bien enfrente de las mujeres la actitud de un idolo roto, indiferente y frxo. (I 179-180)

The rivalry which the Marques feels between himself and the Deity is, as we have previously noted, extended to include members of

the clergy. They are frequently treated with a patronizing air and the Marques demonstrates his jealousy of their position of respect and awe. We have seen how he and the Colegial Mayor sought to penetrate each other's mind to uncover the sham and pretense which each de­ tected in the other. At this same time the Marques experiences feel­ ings of extreme jealousy.

Adivinaba...todo el influjo galante de los prelados romanos, y acudaa a mi memoria la leyenda de sus fortunas amorosas. Confieso...que tuve celos, celos rabiosos del Colegial Mayor. (P 66-67)

The protagonist's conduct in matters of religion, which would be considered unbecoming in the eyes of the church, range from minor irreverence to the most startling displays of sacrilege. As Concha mentions her desire for pardon, the Marques makes light of her fears by introducing a light-hearted bit of irreverence:

— Tendras todos los perdones,Concha...Y la bendicion papal. — jAh, si Dios te oyesel jPero Dios no puede o x m o s a ninguno de nosotrosl — Se lo diremos a Don Juan Manuel, que tiene mas potente voz. Concha estaba a la puerta y se recogla la cola de su ropon monacal. Movio la cabeza con disgusto: — iXavieri jXavier’. (0 71) Bradomin is not afraid to refer to his own base intentions in a mock­

ing parody of a more religious project. In the Sonata de estfo he quickly satisfies the curiosity of a nun concerning the object of his

journey to the convent. "Llego a esta santa casa para cumplir ton

voto." (E 88) In a more serious vein, doctrinally speakihg, he is aware

of the inherent charity of the devout Christian and does not hesitate

to use this knowledge to his advantage by a display of tears:

Aquella nina era una Santa, y viendome a tal extremo desgraciado, no tenia valor para mostrarse mas cruel con- migo. (P 198) Leaving aside for the moment the serious sin of the conquest of the

devout spirit, probably the basest sacrilege from a religious point

of view is the desecration of the statue of Jesus in the convent garden:

Y las dos legas...raostrabanme el angelote desnudo, que enredador y tronera vertia el agua en el tazon de alabastro por su menuda y Candida virilidad. Me dijeron que era el Nino Jesus...Freferi saciar mi sed aplicando los labios al santo surtidor de donde el agua manaba. Me acometio tal tentacion de risa que por poco me ahogo. (E 97-98)

In his active struggle with the spiritual hold of the Roman

Catholic Church, the Marques is certainly guilty of what would be

considered one of the worst of all sins. Irreverence or blasphemy might have effect upon his own soul alone. It is in his attack upon the spiritual strength of others that he could be held most culpable

and clearly demonstrates his kinship to the Prince of Darkness.

This basic sin is evident throughout the Sonatas and is to be noted in action rather than in specific statement. There are, however, at % least two places where he clearly demonstrates his role as a temptor. In the Sonata de primavera, he, perhaps unwittingly, identifies him­ self as the tool of the devil:

Aquella nina era cruel como todas las santas que tremolan en la tersa diestra la palma virginal. Confieso que yo tengo predileccion por aquellas otras que primero han sido grandes pecadoras.•.La pobre no sabla que lo mejor de la santidad son las tentaciones. (P 77) Many years later in the decline of his life, Bradomin openly places his cult of love over the doctrine of the Christian Church. He has just asked Maximina whether she would be willing to risk a danger for him: --^No es usted mi projimo?*.. — Que dano me han hecho tus palabras. Son crueles como el deber. La nina nturmuro: — El deber es dulce. — El deber que nace del corazon, pero no el que nace de una doctrina. (I It will be noted that we have drawn little on the Sonata de inviemo to illustrate the foregoing material. The reason for this is obvious, since we must remember that his struggle for the souls of the women whom he seduces is intimately connected with the protagonist’s physical attraction and attractiveness to the opposite sex. In old age he must face the diminution of his sexual powers and the loss of whatever youthful charm which he may have possessed. The end of his passionate existence is now seen to be close at hand and the Marques must face what life remains to him with the realization that the only thing which has given it significance will soon be completely gone:

Hoy, despues de haber despertado araores muy grandes, vivo en la mas triste y mas adusta soledad del alma, y mis ojos se llenan de lagrimas cuando peino la nieve de mis cabellos. iAy, suspiro recordando que otras veces los halagaron manos principescas1 (I 93)

Yo sentxa un acabamiento de todas las ilusiones, un profundo desengaffo de todas las cosas. Era el primer frxo de la vejez, mas triste que el de la muerte. (I 9 3 )

Incapable of completely renouncing his former life, the Marques again enters into an extremely brief and unsatisfactory relationship with

Marxa „ Antoni eta de Volfani, Later, he again practices his waning powers of seduction on Maximina at the convent and is obviously pleased when informed of the success of his actions. This pleasure, however, is shortlived as Sor Simona bluntly reveals to him the decadent nature of his methods: --Ha cometido usted la mayor de sus infaraias enamorando a esa nina. Confieso que aquella acusacion solo desperto en mi alma un remordimiento dulce y sentimental: — Sor Simona, imagina usted que con los cabellos blancos y un brazo de menos aun se puede enamorari... — A una nina que es un angel, s£, jComprendiendo que por su buen talle ya no puede hacer conquistas, fin^e usted una melancolxa varonil que mueve a lastima el corazoni (I 166)

With the failure of this final adventure, the Marques seems convinced of the fact that he has made his last conquest. The relative certainty of this conclusion is emphasized by two widely spaced, but remarkably similar statements:

Yo adivinaba que aquellos ojos aterciopelados y tristes serxan ya los ultimos que me mirasen con amor. Bra mi emocion como la del mordbundo que contempla los encendidos oros de la tarde y sabe que aquella tarde tan bella es la ultima. (I 153, 1510

i Ay, yo sabxa que los ojos aterciopelados y tristes que se habxan abierto para mx como dos florecillas franciscanas en una luz de araanecer, serxan los ultimos que me mirasen con amorl (I 179)

To overcome the misery of his old a ge, the Marques plunges 5£ into a life of activity. In this he is at least capable of staving off the danger which lies in his nostalgic and remorseful thoughts.

Como la luna no disipase mis negros pensamientos, comprendx que era forzoso buscar el olvido en otra parte, y suspirando resignado me junte con mis mundanos amigos del Cuartel Real. (I ll+O)

This, however, could only be a temporary remedy and it is true that

the barques de Bradomln does seek a more lasting solution to his

problems. Action alone can do no more than temporarily assuage his

spiritual lack. This must be remedied with a type of faith and devo­ tional stimulus which will fill the emptiness in his life left by the passing of his physical power and attraction. At some points this seems to have been achieved by his dedication to the Carlist cause.

A1 entrar en la saleta, donde la Senora y sus damas bordaban escapularios para los soldados, sent! en el alma una emocion a la vez religiosa y galante. Comprendl entonces todo el ingenuo sentiraiento que hay en los libros de caballerxas, y aquel cu'lto por la belleza y las lagrimas femeniles que hacla palpitar bajo la cota, el corazon de Tirante el Blanco. Me sentl mas que nunca caballero de la Causa: Como una gracia desee morir por aquella dama que tenia las manos como lirios, y el aroma de una leyenda en su nombre de princesa palida, santa, lejana. (I 113)

A1 entrar en la saleta temx que a los ojos me acudiese el llanto: Recordaba aquel dla, cuando al besar la mano alba y real de azules venas, sentx con ansias de paladin el deseo de consagrar mi vida a la Senora. Por primera vez guste ante mi fea manquedad, tin orgullo y altivo con- suelo: El consuelo de haber vertido mi sangre por aquella princesa palida y santa como una princesa de leyenda... (I 175, 176) Even these sentiments, however, are passing and the Marques appears to have been dependent too long upon his erotic cult to replace it so easily. He has developed a cynicism and inability to find a basis of faith except in his dead institution of love. 60 iOjos queridosi Yo los habla amado porque encontraba en ellos los suspiros romanticos de mi juventud, las ansias sentimentales que al malograrse me dieron el escepticismo de todas las cosas, la perversion melancolica y donjuanesca que hace las vxctimas y llora con ellas• (I 167) He fights for the Carlist cause and in the presence of the King and Queen feels a strong identification with it, but in his disillusion with all things, he has developed a sense of aesthetic affinity for defeat.

...estoy por decir que me alegro de que no triunfe la Causa... Yo halle siempre mas bella la majestad caida que sentada en el trono, y fux defensor de la tradicion por estetica. EL carlismo tiene para mi el encanto solemne de las grandes catedrales, y aun en los tiempos de la guerra, me hubieran contentado con que lo declarasen monumento nacional. (I 170) Having lived in the midst of the Christian tradition it is possible that this spiritual element is to be the eventual answer to

Bradomin's difficulties. In spite of his contempt for the clergy, and his mocking view toward the Church and Deity, he gives evidence at times of sincere interest in this institution. This almost invariably occurs after his deeds have led him to such an extreme of sacrilege

that he is seized with remorse or terror. There is a suggestion of this in the Sonata de primavera where he, himself, is frightened by his lies to the clergy and their pious acceptance of the fabrication.

El temblor de un rezo paso por las luengas barbas, que salxan del misterio de las capuchas, y en aquel momento yo sent£ el deseo de arrodillarme y besar la mano del Prior. Aquella mano que sobre todos mis pecados podia hacer la cruz: Ego Te Absolvo. (P 88)

Following a certain evolutionary pattern, the Marques at the height of his cult of love in the Sonata de estio and the Sonata de 61 otono displays nothing but cynicism and contempt toward the Church and the elements that represent it. Me have already noted his stark terror following the death of Concha. This is the turning point of his life. In the course of the final work, there is evidence to sup­ port the possibility that he will turn to Christianity to soothe his feelings of loss, remorse and fear.

Despues de una noche en lucha con el pecado y el in- somnio, nada purifica el alma como banarse en la oracion y oxr una misa al rayar el dxa. La oracion entonces es tambien un rocfo matinal y la calentura del Infiemo se apaga con el. Yo como he sido un gran pecador, aprendx esto en los albores de mi vida, y en aquella ocasion no podxa olvidarlo. (I 162)

Sentx terror de mis pecados como si estuviese proximo a morir...Los anos pasados me pareciame llenos de sombras, como cistemas de aguas muertas. La voz de la corazonada repetxa implacable dentro de mx aquellas palabras ya otra vez recordadas con terca insistencia., La monja juntando las manos clamo con horror: — jLo sabxa usted! ...Parecfame estar muerto y escucharla dentro del sepulcro, como una acusacion del mundo. (I 166) The tendency to turn to the Church for spiritual comfort is not converted into firm resolution. For the Marques the Church which had always presented a source of sensual attraction could hardly have suddenly become a means of spiritual salvation. Neither Bradomxn nor his creator seem capable of solving the problem of a demoniac liber­ tine who has outlived his life of passion. Inability to meet the necessary transitions in life leads to a state of physical and spiritual frustration for which there can be no remedy.

Yo estaba en ese declinar de la vida, edad propicia para todas las ambiciones y mas fuerte que la juventud misma, cuando se ha renunciado al amor de las mujeres. »Ay, por que no supe hacerloi (I 9U) 62

This is the expression of the tragic situation which is basically un­ changed at the end of the work. The Marques has exhibited but one consistent character trait throughout the four novels. His sense of pride, exhibited in word, thought and action, has directed him on a course from which he seems incapable of deviating or turning back.

This is his tragedy.

In spite of the marked differences between the demoniac Marques de Bradomin and Hon Juan Tenorio, as he appears in drama or legend, it is to be noted that an exaggerated sense of pride is the motivating force behind both individuals. For this reason it is well to examine the definition of this characteristic as it is understood by the Roman Catholic Church:

Pride...is ordinarily accounted one of the seven capital sins. St. Thomas, however, endorsing the appreciation of St.Gregory, considers it the queen of all vices and puts vainglory in its place as one of the deadly sins. In giving it this pre-eminence he takes it in a most formal and com­ plete signification. He understands it to be that frame of mind in which a man, through love of his own worth, aims to withdraw himself from subjection to Almighty God, and sets at naught the commands of superiors. It is a species of contempt of God and of those who bear his commission. Re­ garded in this way, it is of course a mortal sin of a most heinous sort. Indeed St. Thomas rates it in this sense as one of the blackest sins. By it the creature refuses to stay within his essential orbit; he turns his back upon God, not through weakness or ignorance, but solely because in his self-exaltation he is minded not to submit. His attitude has something Satanic in it, and is probably not often ver­ ified in human beings. A less atrocious kind of pride is that which impels one to make much of oneself unduly and without sufficient warrant, without however any disposition to cast off the dominion of the Creator.. .Ordinarily, however, this erroneous persuasion does not exist; it is the demeanour which is reprehensible. iCertain types of pridej are not held to constitute grave offences. This is not true, however, whenever a man’s arro­ gance is the occasion of great harm to another...or when pride has given rise to such temper of soul that in the 63 pursuit of its object one is ready for anything, even mortal sin.27 In general terms, both Don Juan and the Marques de Bradomln fit this definition. It is immediately apparent, however, that the intensity of pride is relative and its nature may range from that of a venial sin to a mortal sin, and in this latter sense— "one of the blackest sins"— it involves something Satanic. This term has been subject to generalization and Satanism is best described for our purposes in the

Bnciclopedia Cattolica which presents its purest meaning as it is understood by the Roman Church:

SATANISMO. Statodi ciS che £ satanico, cioe sotto- posto all'azione di Satana, o consacrato all1antagonista di Dio, o pervaso dal suo spirito. XI termine assume uno dei tre significati: impero di Satana sul mondo, culto reso a Satana, sequela-imitazione della sua ribellione a Dio.28 Tirso's Don Juan as a believer, does not fit any of these categories.

He defies the laws of God, but not the Deity Himself. The Marques goes further than this and in his seduction of the spirit as well as the body is most certainly guilty of Satan's sin against God, which is described thus by St.Thomas:

Satan sinned by desiring to be as God.2?

The destruction of the woman's Christian spiritual life might have occurred in Don Juan's activities, but only incidentally. For Bradomln

27 The Catholic Encyclopedia, Editors: Charles G. Herterman et al (New York: Robert Appleton Co., 1911), XEI, lj.05. 28fiaciclopedia Cattolica. (Cittil del Vaticana: Ekite per 1 'Encyclopedia Cattolica e per il Libro Cattolico, 1953)i X, 1953. 29 ^Catholic Encyclopedia, IV, 765. the conquest of the spirit is an integral part of his seduction. "We are, therefore, faced with an individual who possesses the same traits as Don Juan, but possesses them to a greater degree. Thus the Marques embodies two distinct but blending traditions* the active Don Juan Tenorio governed by instinct and the vacillating nineteenth century Romantic introvert in crisis. Don Juan seduces the body, the

Marques seduces body and spirit5 Don Juan endangers his own soul, the

Marques endangers his soul and those of others;.; Don Juan defies the laws of God, the Marques seeks to rival God Himself; finally Don Juan evidently accepts the dominion of the Church while the Marques shows contentt and jealousy for it. The elements of eroticism and sentimentalism found in the

Marques de Bradomin are mere consequences of his exaggerated pride. Unlike Don Juan Tenorio his self-esteem is flattered by the act of sexual intercourse itself, and his cult of love is based upon a con­ tinuous relationship with the woman. Don Juan's joy was only complete when he had deserted his victim, Bradomln's joy can only be maintained by the constant physical and mental subjection of the woman. Thus, when the source of his satisfaction has been lost, he falls into sen­ timental recollections. These take the place of the boasts of Don

Juan. They are a direct flattery to his pride and are the essential thing which gives meaning to life after the affair has ended. The

Marques de Bradomln is a Don Juan who has evolved beyond the point of exhibiting his triumphs. He has turned within himself and hoards his conquests in his own mind. He is perfectly selfish and has found his greatest pleasure, not in the admiration and horror of his fellow men, but in the adoration and worship of himself by individual women.

The Marques de Bradomin differs from the classic Don Juan Tenorio not only by the. addition of Romantic Satanism and a false vision of the tradition of the conquistador, but also in the intensified defor­ mation and over-extension of his distinctive traits, thus foretelling the full development of the Esperpento in Valle-Inclan1s later works. CHAPTER II

RAMIRO DE MAEZTU1

The approach of Ramiro de Maeztu to the subject of Don Juan is markedly different from that which we encounter in the other authors

included in this study. His book, Don Quixote, Don Juan y la Celes- 2 tina, does not attempt to recreate the individuals involved, but

rather to examine their nature in the literary works in which they have

already appeared. Each of the three sections of this book is com­

posed of articles which appeared at various times in La Frensa (Buenos

Aires). Although the author destined these articles for publication as a whole and submitted them to extensive revision, the chapter on Don Juan tends to ramble and contains several glaring contradictions. It will be noted that we do not deal with much of the author's

commentary on various literary manifestations of the Don Juan legend. Many of his comments are passing and repetitive seeming to have no bear­ ing on his over-all view of the subject. This tendency toward brief,

1The works by Ramiro de Maeztu to be dealt with in this chapter are: Don Quixote, Don Juan y la Celestina (1926)j Authority, Liberty and F u n c t i o n s (1916 ) V L a ~crisis del' humanisroo (1 9 1 9 ); Defens a ^Le la hispani'dad Tl93^) 5 Espaga £ Europa (l9li7). o Ramiro de Maeztu, Don Quixote, Don Juan y la Celestina... (Buenos Aires: Espasa-Calpe, 191$. Coleccion Austral, no. 31.) This edition will be used throughout this chapter. Quotations from this work will not be footnoted, but the page reference to the above edition will be given in the text immediately following the quotation.

66 6? undeveloped expression of ideas is noted by his sister and attributed to his journalistic styles Maeztu era un periodista. EL oficio condiciona la forma de expresion y se advierte en su estilo energico, conciso, vibrante. Su pensamiento, concebido y desarrollado de acuerdo con las exigencias que el articulo impone— limi- tacion de tiempo y espacio--, se nos presents a veces, sobre todo en su printers epoca, un poco trunco, sin plena y cabal estructura...3 Bearing all this in mind, let us note the author’s intention in the composition of this tripartite work and examine its application in the section on Don Juan* The prologue to Don Quixote, Don Juan £ la Celestina presents in some detail the author's ideas on various aspects of literary cre­ ation* In concluding this introduction Maeztu expresses his reason for undertaking this study of the three outstanding figures of Spanish literatures Los personajes de la fantasia***no nos cuentan una fabula extrana, sino una realidad o una posibilidad de nuestra propia vida (de te fabula narrator), con lo que remueven, quieranlo o no quieran, nuestros propios problemas. Su misma sencillez no tiene otro objeto que el de presentamos con mayor claridad los eternos con- flictos del ideal y de la realidad, las pasiones y el deber*..Don Quixote, Don Juan o Celestina...son pro- blemas morales que esperan solucion, lo que justifica el caracter etico de estos ensayos de sirapatizacion* Y cuando los resolvemos, si llegamos a resolverlos, se convierten en experiencias aleccionadoras de la vida, por lo mismo que no han sido meramente abstracciones, como teoremas de moral, sino que entraron en nosotros por la intuicion y el sentimiento, como la vida misma..* EL resplandor de la fantasia nos permite percibir con claridad lo que pugnaba por esclarecerse en nuestro

^Maria de Maeztu, ’’Prologo" in Ramiro de Maeztu, La crisis del humanismo...(Buenos Aires: Editorial Sudamericana, 195>T), 9. 66

esplritu. As! podremos, al digerir los mitos, construir el ideal. (1 5 -1 6 ) The full title of the chapter of Don Juan indicates the ideal which is to be abstracted from his myth, rtDon Juan o el poder." As Don Quixote represents the ideal of love and the Celestina that of knowledge, so Don Juan will represent the ideal of power. This is the focus of Maeztu*s investigation and it is therefore our purpose to examine the importance which the author places on a particular aspect which he detects in the character of the burlador. After extensive discussion of various literary manifestations of the theme and the outstanding attributes of the traditional Don Juan,

Maeztu reaches his central argument. P'ero Don Juan es, ante todo, una energia bruta instin- tiva, petulante, pero inagotable, triunfal y arrolladora: es, como dice Said Armesto, Mel slmbolo de aquella EspaSa inauieta, caballeril y aridarlega, que tenia por fueros sus broos y por pragmaticas su voluntadr,$ es el instinto sobre la ley, fuerza sobre la autoridad, el capricho sobre la razon; es, segun la frase de Ganivet, la personificacion de aquellos hidalgos cuyo ideal jurxdico se reducla a "llevar en el bolsillo una carta foral con un solo articulo • ••: este espanol esta autorizado para hacer lo que le de la gana." (8 9 )

By combining the elements of energy and caprice, Maeztu has broadened the scope of his study. One of these elements possessed by man or seen as an ideal does not necessarily imply the existence of the other and Maeztu is later to see them as two distinct phenomena. However, in his examination of the historical fascination for Don Juah— -an attraction which the author perceives at its height in periods of crisis of ideals and power— he is willing to view power and caprice on equal terms. The author emphasized his theory that already in the early seventeenth century Spain was aware of the precarious situation of her empire. Pero cuando escribe su obra Cervantes ya sentlan los soldados espafioles, desparramados por el mundo, temblar bajo sus pies la tierra que pisaban. El proceso de de- composicion ha avanzado en estos affos. Espana se halla presa en su imperio y empeHada en una tarea de la que o puede desentenderse...Todo se va a perder, mas pronto o mas tarde. (9$) Assuming this awareness of the situation, Maeztu is able to account for the immediate popularity of the Burlador de Sevilla. Don Juan es la libertad de movimientos, la irresponsi- bilidad, la energxa infinita, inagotable. Solo sofiarlo es el paraxso para el que se siente con el agua al cuello. ( 9$) Turning later to Don Juan Tenorio, Maeztu separates the two elements which he sees synthesized in the libertine and defines their nature:

Con ser tan bello el drama de Zorrilla, la importancia de Don Juan no consiste tanto en lo que le sucede como en lo que es: de una parte el mito de la energla inagotable5 de la otra, el lema de wYo y mis sentidos," frente a todas las leyes humanas y divinas. Pero lo primero es ideal permanente del espxritu huraanoj por lo segundo, ideal his- torico, que surge en horas de crisis, desaparece con la normalidad y reaparece con la nueva crisis. (1 0 2 ) In spite of the emphasis on power~as specifically indicated in the title— we must consider the matter of caprice to which Maeztu devotes the entire last chapter of the section on Don Juan. The premise of this chapter, briefly stated, is that if there exists no set of absolute values based on a God concept, then responsibility is meaningless. This is expressed in a single statement which is re­ peated several times with slight variations?

Si no hay un Dios en los cielos, Don Juan tiene razon. (107) 70

This is definitely not an example of the Romantic revolt against established institutions and religions. '*La razon de Don Juan” ap­ peared during or just following the First World War at a time when

Maeztu was undergoing a profound change in his political and religious outlook. His interest in English^ and other foreign institutions was waning and he was becoming more vitally interested in seeking the answer to the problems of Spain on Spanish soil and in the fervent support of the Mother Church of his country. In the face of the grave problem facing Spain, our author indicates the easy path of irrespon­ sibility, but this he feels can only be taken in the absence of a supreme God in whose concept is embodied a fixed set of eternal values.

Caprice is an alternative to the facing of problems and the temptation is great.

Estamos sumidos en problemas enloquecedores e in­ solubles. Y entonces aparece la alternative del capricho absoluto. Las almas apaticas se dejaran vivirj las que slenten la plenitud del apetito en medio de un mundo desolado y vacxo, ven a Don Juan y se preguntan si no tendra razon. (102-1 0 3 ) Although this means of escape is discussed at length, there is no evi­ dence to indicate that Maeztu accepts it. On the contrary, he clearly denounces the irresponsibility exemplified in the actions of Don Juan: Don Juan es el raal, porque es el capricho absoluto y una ley para sx misrao. fl0 6 )

^Ramiro de Maeztu, although born in Spain, had strong ties with England. The son of an English mother, he was acquainted with that country from childhood and developed a strong interest in its customs and government. During his extensive residence in Engl and as a journalist and war correspondent, he frequently voiced his ad­ miration of English institutions. 71 Returning now to the primary focus of this work, let us ex­ amine the significance of the ideal of power in the thought of Maeztu.

• ••Son Juan tiene tambien su lado positive. Las epocas de crisis de ideales lo son tambien de crisis de poder... Don Juan es el poder, la energxa que Dios da, sin que cueste nada almacenar y mantener} la fuerza por gracia, y no por merito. Por la inmensidad de su energxa es Don Juan el ideal, el sueSo, el mi to. Y porque la invierte en el placer y no sabemos, en horas de crisis de ideales, emplear mejor la vida, es nuestra tentacion. (1 0 £) In seeing what he calls a positive side to the figure of Don Juan,

Maeztu differs from the other authors idiom we are studying. The latter choose either to ridicule, destroy or reject Don Juan, openly transforming his character. The power which Maeztu sees as represented

by Don Juan is not specific. It is an ideal synthesized from the dom­ inant traits which the burlador demonstrates:

Will and the domination of women:

Lleva Don Juan en su presencia y en su palabra la varita magica. Lo que a los hombres nos interesa no es tanto sacar agua de las peSas o atravesar instan- taneamente los espacios como imponer nuestra voluntad a otros hombres. Y aun mas que a los hombres, a las mujeres. (9 3 ) Valor and lawlessness:

Mas he aqul el hombre que no paga las cuentas que el mundo le presents sino con la punta de su espada. (910 Inexhaustible energy: Es el Aladino de la vitalidad, la lampara mara- villosa de la energia sieropre renaciente, el milagro de la fuerza inagotable. (9 2 )

All of the elements of strength are combined into a general quality 72 of omnipotence which sin*passes the sura-total of its individual com­ ponents : jHabrxa nada m5s hermoso que saltar sus barreras y convertirse uno en ley para sf mismo? La vida que pasa, la que se derrocha no puede reeobrarse. Todos los seres estaraos condenados a andar por el mundo entre tapias altas, como pasillos de carcel, que nos quitan la vista, ensombrecen el aire y paralisan la accion* Pero dejad que suenen los clarines. Surge Don Juan* Ya no hay pasado, ni porvenir, ni afforanza, ni saudade: todo es presente* Ya no hay tuyo, ni mlos todo es mxo* Las barreras han ca£do y el mundo entero se tiende a nuestros pies. (93-9U) In his discussion of Don Juan, Maeztu gives the impression of stating what he considers to be objective truths* There is, how­ ever, one brief moment when he expresses himself in a most subjective manner:

Don Juan emplea mal la vida, pero tiene una vida fuerte que emplear. Don Juan es la fuerza y la fuerza es tin bien. Don Juan malgasta su fuerza* Senor, SefSor, te prometemos no malgastarla, pero Jdanos fuerza para que podamos malgastar para el mal, para otros bienes, para perdernos, para seguir. tus pasosj idanos, Seflor, la fuerza, la vida, el poder, la victorial (95-?6)

This revealing outburst gives us the author's personal feelings on the subject* As we have already stated, Maeztu was undergoing a profound change of outlook just prior to the writing of the material presented here. His book, Authority, Liberty and Function, is made up of a series of articles which appeared in an English periodical,

The New Age, during the years 1?15 and 1916. In one chapter of this work entitled "A Doctrine of Power," we find these statements: This doctrine of power has not been dealt with because the writers have seen, and with reason, that power is only a means for the application of moral or political ideas and of legal rules. A 73 "Cratology" cannot be,in theory, more than a secondary doctrine, since it is a doctrine of the means and not of the ends.5

Free energy is not bad in itself. It is neither good nor bad, but indifferent} like matter, like life. The point is that energy cannot be,good ex­ cept when it is bound up in good works...

These sentiments in and of themselves do not present any startling revelations. We must look still further for a full understanding of the impassioned plea cited from ’’Don Juan o el poder." Strangely

enough, a fuller explanation is to be found in what is supposedly a direct translation of Authority, Liberty and Function.. .appearing

in Spanish under the title of La crisis del humanismo. Marfa de

Maeztu in her introduction to this volume refers very briefly to the original version and does not indicate the change in content:

Este libro ... fue escrito originalmente en ingles en el ano 1916 con el titulo de Authority, Liberty and Function.?

For our purposes the most important change is the inclusion of these

lines:

El problema de si el poder es un bien en s£ mismo o meramente un bien instrumental es uno de los mas fascinadores que puede plantearse el espfritu humano. Durante largo tiempo me he inclinado a no considerarlo sino como un bien instrumental, y no ha sido sino despues de ven­ eer toda clase de repugnancias como me decido a hacer la afirmacion de que el poder es un bien en

^Ramiro de Maeztu, Authority, Liberty and Function in the Light of the War.•.(London: Allen and tJnwin, I9X6 ), Uh-U£. 6Ibid., I4.8 .

?Ramiro de Maeztu, La crisis del humanismo...(Buenos Aires: Editorial Sudamericana, 195T7* 9. si raismo, en aquella misraa forma en que lo son la verdad, la justicia y el amor.°

It Is true that Maeztu modifies this sweeping statement by combin­ ing those elements which he considers goods in and of themselves s El verdadero bien es la uni dad del poder, la verdad, la justicia y el amor. A esta unidad llamamos Dios.^ but: ..•el hombre no puede perseguir al mismo tiempo la realizacion de todos los valores supremos. Su ideal en la tierra no puede ser la unidad de todos los bienes, sino que ha de contentarse con irlos realizando uno tras otro, inspirado en cada momento por un criterio de armonla.^ Our author bases his affirmation on a firm belief in God.

There is, now, no longer any room for doubt concerning his own con­ victions on the ideal of caprice represented by Don Juan. (MSi no hay un Dios en los cielos, Don Juan tiene razon.'*) The so-called positive aspect of Don Juan— his representation of pure power and energy— is now completely incorporated In Maeztu*s thought*

The course that the use of this power must take is to be found in the work which shows Maeztu*s definitive move toward the acceptance of certain principles of Fascist philosophy. It is the historical duty of Spain to restore the glory of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries:

8 Ibid., 7 6 .

^Ibxd., p . 77• IQlbid., p. 77. 75 Y hay, por ultimo la posicion ecumenica de los pueblos hispanicos, que dice a la humanidad entera que todos los hombres pueden ser buenos y que no necesitan para ello sino creer en el b ien y realizarlo. Esta fue la idea espaffola del siglo XVI* A1 tiempo que la proclamabamos en Trento y que peleabamos por ella en toda Europa, las naves espanolas daban por primera vez la vuelta al mundo, para poder anunciar la buena nueva a los hombres del Asia, del Africa y de America. Y asi puede decirse que la mision historica de los pueblos hispanicos consiste en ensenar a todos los hombresde la tierra que si quieren pueden salvarse, £ que su elevacion no depende sino de su fe j su voluntad.^l

Referring to a world in chaos, t o m with every type of war, Maeztu sees in Spain the hope of mankind: Y como la Espana del siglo XVI, frente a este caos, representaba, con su Monarquia catolica, el principio de unidad— la unidad de la Cristiandad, . la unidad del genero humano, la unidad de los prin­ cipio s fundamentales del derecho natural y del derecho de gentes y aun la unidad f£sica del mundo y de la civilizacion frente a la barbarie--, los ojos angus- tiados por la actual incoherencia de los pueblos tienen que volverse a la epopeya hispanica y a los principios de la Hispanidad, por razones analogas a las que movieron a la Iglesia durante la Edad Media, a resucitar en lo posible, el Imperio romano, con lo que fue creado eLSacro Romano Imperio, en la esperanza .siera a las arbitrariedades de pueblos

Our author sees in the example of the past the basis for a new Spain:

A los hombres normales el porvenir es un misterio impenetrable. Por eso nos orientamos en la Historia. Y es que no nos movemos meramente por impulsos ciegos, sino por deseos, que llamamos ideales, porque para

^Ramiro de Maeztu, Defensa de la hispanidad (Madrid: 1935)* 73. 12Ibid., 195-196. 76 desear hay que tener idea de lo deseado y aun de lo deseable. Como el porvenir no nos la da, habremos de buscarla en los ejeraplos del pasado. ^

In the following quotation we are presented with an ex­

tremely brief but reasonably accurate summation of the evolution

of Maeztu1s thoughts

In 193k Ramiro de Maeztu, an able newspaper man who had worked his way through intellectual an­ archism, English-model liberalism, Nietzschian doc­ trines of the superman and Guild Socialism before ending up as a fervent Catholic, published an important book, Defensa de Hispanidad, exalting the contribution of the Spanish empire to Catholic civilization...Hispanidad is a coined word which only been admitted to the Spanish language since Franco took Madrid..* Maeztu’s teachings were taken up immediately by the Phalanx.-*-^

It is evident that at the time of the writing of the section on Don Juan, Maeztu was under the influence of Nietzschian philosophy.

Let us again note Maeztu’s plea for power and force and compare those sentiments with Nietzsche's own words:

•••idanos fuerza para que podamos malgastar para el mal, para otros bienes, para perdemos, para seguir tus pasos; idanos, Sefior, la fuerza, la vida, el poder, la victoria J -*-5

Even the organisation...must itself, if it be a living and not a dying organisation, do all that towards other bodies, which the individuals within it refrain from doing to each others it will have to be the incarnated Will to Power, it will endeavor

•*■3 ibid. , 196. ^Thomas J. Hamilton, Appeasement's Child; The Franco Regime in Spain (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, l9i+3), S’?. •^Don Quixote, Don Juan £ la Celestina, 9 6 . 77 to grow, to gain ground, attract to itself and ac­ quire ascendancy— *not owing to any morality or im­ morality, but because it lives, and because life is precisely Will to Power,16 Although it cannot be inplied that Maeztu did not recognize a

system of values of right and wrong, his statement clearly indi­

cates that morality is placed second to the possession of power.

In his later fervent espousal of Roman Catholic doctrine, the

author's emphasis on strength and power falls within the confines

of militant Catholicism. Hie new Spain must be patterned after the traditions of Espafia conquistadora. Without relinquishing the

ideal of power, Maeztu has rejected one of the basic tenets of Nietzschian thought: the complete denial of the validity of estab­ lished moral doctrines.

In an effort to understand the direction of our author's thought and its appeal to the Phalanx,-*-7 let us compare Mussolini's

views on Fascism with those ideas which we have already seen express­

ed by Maeztu. Faced with the weakness and lack of will of Spain and its people, Maeztu idealizes power and energy.

II fascismo vuole l'uomo attivo e impegnato nell'azione con tute le sue energies lo vuole vir- ilmente consapevole delle difficolta che si sono, e pronto ad affrontarle

■^Friedrich Nietzsche, The Philosophy of Nietzsche...(New York: Modern Library, n.d.), 199-200*.

1 7 Cf. %$.

^Benito Mussolini, "II Fascismo," in Enciclopedia ital-iana de scienze, lettere ed arti...(Treves: Edizioni Istituto G. freccani, 1 929-39), T R f T W l . Maeztu would have this power find expression in a renewal of the traditions of sixteenth century Spain and the Holy Homan Bnpire* Mussolini sees Fascism as a spiritual and moral movement* Nella dottrina del fascismo 1 •impero non 8 soltanto un espressione territoriale o militare o mercantile, ma spirituale o m o r a l e . ^-9

We cannot doubt the sincerity of Maeztu's moral and reli­ gious expression. It is evident, however, that in the examination of the plight of his country, he sees in the renewal of the past power of Spain its only hope of salvation. In Don Juan, putting aside the element of caprice, he perceives the symbol, the Ideal of inexhaustible power which Spain must look to in its period of weakness.

x9lbid., 851 CHAPTER III

ANTONIO AND MANUEL MACHADO1

Antonio and Manuel Machado, as evidenced in the title of their drama, Juan de Manara, have fused the legendary and histori­

cal : Don Juan Tenorio and Miguel de Manara* By evoking the name

of Manara, it was possible to work out a conversion for Don Juan based on historical data and legendary material deriving from the actual life of Miguel de Manara. The few facts about the latter*s

existence which can be stated with any certainty have been summar­ ized by Professor Gabriel Pradal in his part of the study of the life and work of Antonio Machado:

Los Machado han recordado sin duda la leyenda de don Miguel de Manara, nacido en Sevilla en 1626, que llevo una vida libertina, y se caso a los treinta anos. Cuando su esposa murio, creyo enloquecer de dolor, y huyo por los montes con el cuerpo de ella* Cuando volvio a Sevilla, su dolor tomo una forma alucinante, y a veces crexa ver su propio entierro* Por fin se consagro al ascetismo y la caridad, ejemplo de humildad y humillacian. Dedicose a lavar y amor- tajar a los muertos, y pidio ser enterrado en la

The works of the Machado brothers dealt with in this chapter are: Juan de Maftara (1927)5 La Lola se va a los puertos (1927). The works of Antonio Machado discussed here-are: Abel Martin.. . (I9i4.3)$ Juan de Mairena. . » (1936) .

^This composite title had already been used by Alexandre Dumas pdre in his Don Juan de Marafia (sic) which was, however, a combination of many elements, among than Faust, Don Alvaro and various renditions of the Don Juan legend*

79 80

puerta de la iglesia, para que todos pasaran sobre su cuerpo, y que sobre su lapida se escribieran palabras infamantes.3

Although the story of Don Miguel is sufficiently nebulous to allow a variety of dramatic variations, the Machados have eli­ minated all but the three clearly defined phases in his life: libertinism, confusion and reappraisal, and piety. It is the turn­ ing-point and reevaluation of his life which make Juan de Manara markedly different from any other presentation of the legend which we encounter in the course of this study.

Since Zorrilla's drama made its appearance, there has been a tendency to experiment with the various ways of reforming Don Juan.

Like Zorrilla's protagonist, Juan de Manara is lifted out of his li­ centious life by the contact with one woman. Here the similarity ceases. Elvira is almost the complete opposite of Dona Ines. Where­ as in Zorrilla's drama Juan was changed by the purity and grace of

Dona Ines, Don Juan de Manara is awakened by witnessing the cor­ ruption of a girl whom he has seduced. The Machados do not resort to the almost miraculous influence of an ideal woman or supernatural phenomena to convince their protagonist and their audience. The two best known and most widely accepted Don Juans, those of Tirso and

Zorrilla, derive a large part of their character from the fact that they do not repeat their relations with the aame woman. We have noted in another section of this study how Tirso*s Don Juan finds his

3Antonio Machado (1875-1939)•••(New York: Hispanic Institute, 1951)> 651 81 greatest pleasure in tricking and leaving the woman. Zorrilla*s pro­ tagonist, by his own statement, conquers and abandons his victim in the period of two days. It is through the chance of seeing the result of one of his seductions that Juan de Manara changes hie ways. This particular aspect of the drama is a credible, if individual, answer to the question of what must transpire in the character of the liber­ tine if he confronts a woman whose life he has previously ruined.

Esteban and Juan consider the results of such a meeting, presenting in brief the climax of the drama.

Esteban. Don Juan dos veces no se contempla en el mismo espejo. Juan. X eso le salvaj mas jsi lo intental... Hoy cerca de Elvira, siento que hasta la llama se hiela de mi juventud.h

The roles of the two women, Elvira and Beatriz, are of para­ mount importance in the control of Manara*s life. This is a fine touch of irony in the treatment of an individual whose legendary counterpart is traditionally known for his ability to lure and out­ wit women. Although this literary approach to the subject of Don

Juan is not new, it is executed here with perfect consistency...The protagonist possesses the essential traits of the traditional Don

Juan in his rebellion against and skepticism toward religious matters,

^Manuel y Antonio Machado, Juan de Manara,. in the collection i La Duquesa de Benamejx, La Prima Fernanda, Juan ^le Maflara. (Buenos Aires i Espasa-Calpe Argentina,''19h2), 22$. Future page references to this work in this chapter will appear in the body of the text. his high living, good fortune and generally disolute life. He pos­ sesses a mysterious attraction for women, which is not to be explained by a handsome appearance alone. This phenomenon is quickly apparent in the immediate reaction of Beatriz to Don Juan. Don Gonzalo. Beatriz, hija mia, mira a quien tienes aqul (Por Juan.) hace rato y todavxa no ha preguntado por ti. Beatriz. iJuanI... Juan. Primita... Don Gil. Dios te guarde, Beatriz• Dona Casilda. Sobrina... (Senalando a don Gil.) Beatriz. — Senor Dean... Esteban. (.ftparte.) El jardln, la tarde, la monja y el cazador... Juan. (A Beatriz) lTe~acuerdas de ml? £He cambiado mucho? Beatriz. Mucho, no...algo, slj (Enocionada, se le cae el rosario £ Juan lo recoge y se lo daTJ (199-200)

The immediate attraction which Beatriz feels toward Juan is again noted as she contemplates his gun and later when he, himself, appears.

Esteban. |Ayi iQuien te hiciera brillar as! los ojos, BeatrizI Beatriz. Calla y pinta, que ya esta... Esteban. (Aparte.) iY es ellai... Beatriz. Yendose el dla. Esteban. Hoy al verte se dirxa que viene, no que se va. Beatriz. iQuien? Esteban. Nadie. Un momento quieta Mira a donde antes. Asl. (Pintando.) iQue mirabas? Beatriz. La escopeta que Juan se ha dejado ahl. 83 Esteban. &Juan? Beatriz• Mi primo. Esteban. Si; ya, ya... (202)

(Aparece Juan en la puerta de la casa haciendo senas a Beatriz de que guarde silencio.l

Beatriz. To... Esteban. Por favor, quieta un instante, no mas. Asx. No te vi jamas tan hermosaj el resplandor de tus ojos icomo brillal ( 203- 2014.)

In spite of the existence of the traits usually assigned to

the Don Juan type, the power of women in his life is clearly indi­

cated. Even the blame for Juan's embarcation upon a course of licentious activity is attributed to the female rather than the male. Esteban, who serves throughout the play as the one who per­ ceives the underlying truths, defines the role of the woman thus:

Beatriz. £Pero el la rapto? Esteban. Raptar... o ser raptado, igual es. Fue aquella...la iniciadora del camino que el destino le raareo...Paso su hora y se quedo'en el camino. (203)

The two women whom we see in this drama also exert effective control over the protagonist. The influence of Beatriz is less marked and turns Juan to contemplation rather than positive action. It seems at first that she will change Juan in much the same way that Dona

Ines did in Zorrilla1 s drama. Her qualities of body and spirit closely approximate those of the pious girl in Don Juan Tenorio. Beatriz, however, though possessing similar spiritual qualities to

those of Dona Ines, lacks the essential humility and naivete demon­

strated by the latter* The expression of love by Juan de Manara is converted into a fast-moving debate in which Beatriz expresses sar­ casm, pride, nostalgia, self-righteousness, fear and finally sub­

mission and love. We may contrast this to the simple speech of Dona Ines which indicates nothing more than confusion, fear and love.

Despite these differences, there are enough similarities to warrant

a brief comparison of their expressions. Although Beatriz faces Don Juan with apparent courage and fortitude, we know from her previous

reactions that she is already enamored of her cousin. This strange

fascination which Don Juan exercises is despribed in Juan de Manara in action and extensive dialogue. In Zorrilla's play it appears in

the conversation between Brigida and Ines and is nicely synthesized

in her single important speech— in life— to Don Juan: Dona Ines. Tail vez poseeis, don Juan, un misterioso amuleto, que a vos me atrae en secreto como irresistible iman. (1.2235-2238) Tu presencia me enajena, tus palabras me alucinan, y tus ojos me fascinan, y tu aliento me envenena. (1.2251-225U) Although this entirely different type of presentation tends to lessen

the outward similarity of the processes through which the two to men pass, there is a marked likeness of feeling and expression. Both women deny the love which they already feel: Don Juan Tenorio Juan de Maflara

DONA INES. iAmor has dicho?

BRIGIDA. BEATRIZ. s£, amor. ...ni se de otro amor mejor que el de Dios. DONA INES. No, de ninguna manera. (I63I4.-I636) (205)

Perhaps these denials are motivated by the fact that neither is sufficiently familiar with the emotion of love to fully understand it. Even in their incomprehension, they are alike in that they at­ tribute this feeling to the devils

Don Juan Tenorio Juan de Manara

BEATRIZ. DONA INES. £Es el amor? Tal vez Satan puso en vos su vista fascinadora, JUAN. su palabra seductora Si...iValorX y el amor que nego a Dios. BEATRIZ. Es un poder infernal. (2239-22U2) (208)

Although Beatriz and Doffa Ines are both unusually pious, they ex­ perience an inability to devote themselves properly to their prayers after Don Juan has entered their minds:

Don Juan Tenorio Juan de Manara

DONA INES. BEATRIZ. ...y aqu£, y en el oratorio, A1 pensar en ti no se y en todas partes advierto ya rezar. Mi alma se altera que el pensamiento divierto y se oscurece mi fe. con la imagen de Tenorio. (1627-1630) (208) 86

Finally, once they have yielded themselves completely, they demand what no other woman lias been able to elicit from the libertine. If

Don Juan cannot or will not love them, they wish only death*

Don Juan Tenorio Juan de Manara

DONA INES. jDon Juan, don Juan! Yo lo imploro BEATRIZ. de tu hidalga compasion: Mira que yo o arrancame el corazon, me muero si no me quieres. o amarae, porque te adoro. (22£5-22£8 ) (208)

The similarity of these two women is relatively unimportant

to the business of the play. It is, however, extremely important when considered in the light of audience reaction. In the compo­

sition of this work, the Machados, are constantly aware of their

audience reaction. The audience, completely familiar with Zorrilla* s

drama, must recognize in Beatriz the qualities of Dona Ines. The

Machados, as practical men of the theatre, take advantage of the

audience expectancy of a development similar to that in Don Juan

Tenorio and profit by the element of surprise as this possibility is eliminated. The first evidence that Beatriz will not be Juan's sal­ vation is contained in his soliloquy following their love scene.

Se me esfumo la monjita jtan bonital Mas hermosa es que el rosario la rosa. Pero...icorao lo dejo olvidadoi Ni penso en pedlrmelo.. • &Es pecado Tin beso? Claro que no. Pero iadonde vamos? Yo 87 no se adonde,..Por supuesto, prenda amada, a la gloria, Pero esto ino era nada?, Ino era nada? (211) There is no doubt that Juan has been moved, but we note nothing of the profound change which Zorrilla*s protagonist undergoes:

yo idolatro a doSa Ines, persuadido de que el cielo me la quiso conceder para enderezar mis pasos por el sendero del bien. No ame la hexmosura en ella, ni sus gracias adores lo que adoro es la virtud, don Gonzalo, en dona Ines, (2h9k-2$02)

The particular aspect of the role of Beatriz which we have just discussed is purely incidental to her part. She, together with

Elvira, form a combination which was common to other plays by the

Machado brothers. We will examine further the particular roles of the two women in this play, but it must be remembered that they serve roughly the same dramatic ends as Juana and Leonor or Rosario and

Lola, who appear respectively in Desdichas de la fortuna.. .and La Lola se va a los puertos. To describe their parts in the simplest possible terms, one (Beatriz, Juana and Rosario) loves the protago­ nist and must suffer the fact that he is drawn by a deeper emotion to i the other (Elvira, Leonor, and Lola) who also loves him. In each of these dramas, the former ultimately marries the man she loves, in part through the self-sacrifice of her rival* However, the man in­ volved never loses his emotional afinity for the lost loved one. 88

Even though this is a set dramatic technique of the Machados, it is

an effective way to bring out the nature of Don Juan, both before and

after his conversion.

Within the basic framework mentioned above, we have already seen how the Machados have used Beatriz as a prototype of Dona Ines, who, however, does not succeed in converting the rake. Throughout

the play she exemplifies the unswerving and egocentric love of a woman who has experienced the full power of Don Juan's influence, won him as her husband, only to find him completely changed and herself

of secondary importance in his life. Beatriz is the feminine type who loves the libertine as he is. The love which she offers to Don

Juan is an emotion which he no longer recognizes as valid. She, in

fact, has undergone as radical and deep-seated change as the protago­ nist and for her there can be no return, as she has already indicated early in the drama.

Tu, hecho a veneer, a conseguir y a olvidar, mira lo que vas a hacer, que yo no puedo volver al que acabo de dejar. (209) Deserted by Juan, Beatriz, in a reversal of their roles, becomes the pursuer and puts forth every effort to regain her lost love. In spite of the fact that she becomes Juan's wife, she is completely disillusioned and becomes jealous of the life that he is leading.

Finally, the realization comes that apparent victory was in reality the complete defeat of her aims. 89 Elvira de tu alma es duena; yo tengo lo que aLla quiso que tu, piadoso me dieras. *«•••» Me siento vencida; se que su odio tuvo mas fuerza que mi amor; ella ha triunfado, porque fue la mas perversa de las dos. (257)

■ JH B H B B fr

Elvira ha matado al hombre que odiaba, al que yo quisiera resucitar en mis brazos. Su venganza fue completa* (258) Aware of her defeat, in which she finds herself "celosa sin esper- anza," Beatriz does not give up the struggle. After the death of

Juan, and in the closing lines of the drama, she shows that she has not become reconciled to the acceptance of the fact that Elvira has irrevocably destroyed the man of carnal love.

It must not be presumed from the foregoing that Elvira has been carrying on a constant, calculated rivalry with Beatriz, or that she had come to Juan with any motives other than those which she specifically states. If she had been desirous of vengeance or pay­ ment, if she had come with the thought of reforming him, certainly she would have returned long before. Juan is not recognized as a debtor nor is he even blamed for her hectic life.

Elvira. Nada me debes. (212)

Xo he pedido dinero, que es lo que puedo devolverte. El sacrificio de lo que no he de pagar ni lo espero ni lo admito. (215) 90 Juan. iQuien hizo de ti esta mujer que no conozco 7 me aterra? Dilo. £He sido yo? Elvira. No, la vida; tu me pusiste en camino. (2lU)

Elvira is completely lacking in any long range plans, hopes or de­ sires. Emotionally she is as nearly neutral as possible. The past, beyond the simple fact of her downfall, has no meaning j the future, none at all. She fills her empty life with meaningless activity, consuming herself in an existence which she sees as "este duelo de mi vida con la vida." (228) The one thing which she cherishes is her freedoms beyond that she accepts her lot with complete fatalism.

Juan. Has dicho que vas a Paris. Elvira. Si llego. Juan. iQue haras alii? Elvira. iOhi, el destino dirat ventura, aventura y libertad. (216)

Elvira shows the first signs of emotion in her apparently genuine pity for Beatriz. There is a marked contrast between her original feelings of indifference and her later show of sensitivity as she becomes convinced of the change in Juan.

Elvira. Por esa verja os he visto. Don Juan y la monja. El cuadro era bello, pero antiguo. Gana me dio de gritarle quien eres. Pero es lo misraoj que pague como otras muchas su pasion o su capricho. Juan. £La odias tambien? Elvira. No me importa. (215) 91 Elvira. |PobrecillaJ Pero casate con tu prima. Es lo derecho y lo justo; no estas ya para afanes y escarceosj Juan, es inaudito lo que has cambiado eh poco tiempo* (230)

This first display of human emotions is followed shortly by an ex­ clamation of apparent anger and hatred: Juan. Elvira, un beso... Elvira. Ahora, no; ahora, no. ilmposiblej Juan. jPor que? Elvira. Porque.,.1 te aborrezcol (231)

This outburst, however, must be interpreted either as pretense or anger at her own weakness* The soliloquy which follows gives evi­ dence of her confusion as some semblance of love is reborn within her:

Elvira. jQue es estol jLagrimas? jNoi Pero su voz encontraba tal eco en mi, que el que hablaba me parecia ser yo. X cuando Juan me decia: "Elvira, un beso," crex que era yo quien le pedla el beso que no le di. (231-232)

It is in her conversation with Beatriz that Elvira resolves her con­ fusion and embarks upon a course of action. Immediately before

Beatriz' entrance, Elvira attempts to steel herself to continue her course which can have no other object but to eliminate the new emo­ tional afinity for Juan which she has felt.

Elvira. Ahora ella...iT se lo Uevarai... Pero que inporta, si es firme mi resolucion. Si, irme, iimej pero, idonde? (232) 92 The weakness is there and through her conversation with Beatriz, she

resolves her confusion and turns to effective action* The words

which they use hold a different meaning for each one*

Elvira* De cualquier modo siempre se cumple el destino. Beatriz* No es mal consuelo al que no puede ir a un sitio cualquiera*** Elvira* iComo? Beatriz. Por si all! le espera la cuenta que no pago* Elvira, Pero, pagando... Beatriz* No esta el pagar en cierta gente, sino huir. Elvira. £Piensa usted? Beatriz* jBahi y, £no es verdad? Elvira. Evidente. Beatriz* Pero la estoy deteniendo y, si ha de marchar, es llano que el rato que esta perdiendo conmigo... Elvira* Al reves, lo gano* (23U)

In Beatriz* denunciation of Juan, Elvira sees her own failing in fleeing from herself and the influence which she might exercise upon

her seducer* Now she will leave him, but it will not be flight.

The announcement that she has given herself up to the police clearly explains the significance of Elvira's words in this exchange*

Elvira. Usted lo tiene que ver, y yo tengo que partir. Beatriz* Pero... Elvira, Para no volver. Beatriz, £Donde? • . .Perdone, que yo estoy sospechando que no va donde dice. Elvira. No; pero, ique le iraporta a usted? (235)

Elvira sacrifices herself for Juan, an act which brings ultimate spiritual salvation to both, Beatriz, the tragic figure of the story, goes from Jealousy to despair. Her very strength was, in the end, her weakness. Elvira was capable of altering the course of her life with an act of will. Beatriz, on the other hand, could not turn back. In the two phases in which we see her, her every thought and action is predicEfced upon a basis of satisfying her own personal aims and desires. In her approach to spiritual and worldly love she is basically selfish, although this term must not be interpreted in its most perjorative meaning, i. e. seeking personal satisfaction at the expense of others. It is the inflexibility of her nature which renders inadequate her search for happiness. This tragedy is in contrast to the salvation of the lives of Juan and Elvira who in their metamor­ phosis turn outward from themselves and find satisfaction first in the service of each other and later in the service of mankind.

Considering the influence of both women upon Don Juan, we see that Beatriz has had no direct part in the change effected in him.

She attracts him briefly and nearly lures him back to his former life. Both of these attempts are foiled by Elvira’s actions. As an indirect influence, a catalyst so to speak, Beatriz’ influence is of some importance. She inadvertently pushes both Juan and Elvira to­ ward their ultimate salvation. Through her pursuit of Juan and her consequent conversation with Elvira, she unwittingly convinces the latter to take positive action. In this encounter and in her stabbing of Juan, it must be noted that the effective influence by Beatriz is purely incidental and stems from otherwise selfish motives. Elvira, on the other hand, exerts both unconscious and conscious control over 9k Juan’s destiny. Her motives, even after her crucial interchange with

Beatriz, are never completely clear, but there can be no doubt of the truth of the statement by Beatriz concerning the result of Elvira’s actions r Elvira ha matado al hombre que odiaba... Su venganza fue complete. (2^8) As penetrating as this statement may be, it is unlikely that Elvira would have been motivated by a desire for vengeance. Following her complete emotional indifference, Elvira shows feelings of pity and love. The reasons for her actions seem best exemplified in the speech in which she asks Beatriz how much she would do for Juan. Following various suggestions of self sacrifice, she finishes with these words: Fues yo hago mas: yo lo dejo, yo,— como usted dice— huyo. (22£)

The fact that this investigation requires such a protracted study of the two women involved should not be construed as evidence that Bon Juan occupies a lesser role. Considering the vital function of Elvira, at least one reader of this drama has fallen into this fallacy:

No deja de ser interesante anotar que, el autentico protagonists no es don Juan, sino la mujer que lo ama no por lo que el es, sino por lo que ella puede llegar a serlo. Esta es la razon por la cual seraa mas exacto intitular al drama: "DofSa Juana” o ”Dona Elvira”— nwtbre de la mujer varona en los Machado

Such an assumption as this would lead one to presume that any central

£ Fernando Cuadra Pinto, "Don Juan en los Machado,” Estudios, Santiago de Chile, A$0 XVT, No. 186 (July, 19U8), 26. figure of a drama is not the protagonist if he is not the genuine force behind his own course of action. To assume that such a weakness;

of character cannot occur in the protagonist would be to eliminate

Hamlet as such in Shakespeare’s play. Neither the tragedy of Beatriz nor the prominence of Elvira changes the basic focus of the play.

Both women are important only in the degree in which their actions and presence have direct relationship to Don Juan.

An important aspect of this particular Don Juan is to be no­

ticed from the very beginning of the drama. We have already noted

Esteban's remark concerning the degree of guilt attributable to the

woman in Juan's first affair. This tendency to present extenuating

causes behind his licentious activities appears also in another manner.

The contemplated religious vocation of Beatriz and Don Juan's life of a roue do not demonstrate individual interests or characteristics* but rather family traits:

Don Gonzalo. tPor Beatriz,j De ra£ ha heredado ya que no virtud, vehemencia* temor de Dios, de mi pobre Angustias, que gloria tenga, (192) Juan es de mi casta, mi sobrino por excelencia, Su padre, mi primo, tuvo un haren en la bodega de su casa, y le dec£an: Don Enrique, in vino, veritas, (19U-195) Since Juan's father is now dead, we have only the uncle to tell us of this family tradition. This novel treatment of the protagonist is radically opposed to the presentations of Don Juan by Tirso and

Zorrilla, in whose works the reactions of the father stand out in 96 sharp contrast to those of Maftara’s uncle

El burlador de Sevilla Don Juan Tenorio DON JUAN. iQue manda vueseSorxa?

DON DIEGO. ^ DON DIEGO. Verte mas cuerdo queria ...los hijos como tu mas bueno y con mejor fama. son hi Jos de Satanas. ^Es posible que procuras todas las horas mi muerte? (1. 1U23-1U27) (1. 781-782)

The fact that the Machados place their Don Juan in a family

tradition tends to destroy his uniqueness, but, although this may be

contrary to the popular concept of the protagonist, it underscores

two important points. Don Juan represents unreasoned, animalistic

action in an individual. The Machados— particularly Antonio— are deeply concerned with the superficiality and waywardness of contem­

porary Spanish youth as a whole. Gabriel Pradal in his study on Antonio Machado has identified the antipathy which was felt toward this senoritismo as one of the poet’s basic preoccupations.

ique bien denuncia Machado, en sus versos, lo que habla que denunciarj...el seSoritismo andaluz de Guido, aficionado a los toros y alamares, a la man- zanilla y las calaveradas:

...un senor de mozo muy jaranero, muy galan algo torero; de viejo. gran rezador. °

We cannot fail to note the similarity of these lines to the descrip­ tion by Don Juan de Manara of his own life:

^ Antonio Machado (1875"!939)..., op. cit., 85, 86. 97 ...mis horas ociosas llevo de seSorito andaluz ? rico, galan y torero*.. (198) Thus Don Juan has been identified with an entire group, which Antonio

Machado despised as one element of the weakness of contemporary Spain. A second consequence of the act of equating Don Juan with a segment of Spanish society is that, although the action of this play takes place in the current century, it provides a closer approx­ imation to the early seventeenth century with its general moral laxity. This element, although not stressed, is suggested in Tirso's drama in the conversation between Mota and Don Juan in which they dis­ cuss the situation in Sevilla. It is also significant that the burlador hopes to gain pardon and help by appealing to his uncle in this manners

t £o y seSor, mozo fu£ y mozo fuistej y pues que de amor supiste, tenga dis culpa mi amor. (1. 61-6U) Don Pedro is completely concerned with the circumstances of the crime and the personage involved, and his own safety. Consideration of the

?Concern for the youth of Spain is expressed in another Machado drama, La Lola se va a los puertos: Me cargan los senoritos de muestra tierra. Son vanos, frxos de cuello...Confunden la ligereza de cascos con la gracia; la indolencia con la elegancia. Esos gansos que desprecian cuanto ignoran ~ y son elEspana en bianco— no me interesan. Manuel Machado y Ruiz and Antonio Machado y Ruiz...Teatro completo (Madrid: Renacimiento, 1930), H , 161*. act itself is almost completely lacking. These indications in Tirso

of the contemporary corruption are, however, incidental to the plot

as a whole and the unique nature of the protagonist is not endangered.*

Juan de Manara, on the other hand, is all but predestined to become a libertine. So acceptable are his actions to his uncle, that it is Don Gonzalo, himself, who voices the "Tan largo" refrain of the

burlador. Mas Juan no 3_leva camino de arrepentirse. Verdad que ann tierapo le queda. (190)

It is true that such a statement necessarily involves a religious be­

lief and the fact that Don Gonzalo can say such a thing places him more deeply in the tradition of Don Juan than the protagonist himself.

This is one of the major points of divergence between Juan de Manara

and Don Juan Tenorio* The latter in the very use of his phrase, "jTan

largo me lo fiaisl," evidences a belief in God. Such a phrase would

have been meaningless on the lips of Manara, who by his own statement was almost completely lacking in religious belief. In spite of his outward likeness to Don Juan Tenorio, he has an introspective nature— a trait common to all of the re-creations which we are studying— which causes him to analyze his licentious life and later leads to his sal­ vation. The constant need for activity, characteristic of the Don Juan of Tirso and Zorrilla, allows for no exposition of a personal philosophy even as simple as the one we find in Juan de Manara:

Viendo esta maSana el rfo entre tarayes y adelfos correr hacia el mar, cruzando dehesas y cazaderos, 99 por estos caxnpos de lujo, ancho, inutil y sereno, pense en mi vida. Hacia el mar mis horas ociosas llevo de senorito aadaluz rico, galan y torero, alegre, porque lo dicen, cazador que tira al vuelo o al paso, no maljinete, buen bebedor y maestro en el arte de pasar la vida y matar el tiempo, mimado de la for buna como estos campos me hicieron. (Pausa) No me duele ser quien soy, ni hay en m£ remordimientos como en mi padre; mi padre creia, yo apenas creo... Pero acelerar quisiera mi destino. •»••••• Mi vida, icamina a compas tan lento i Quiero arrancar las ralces que me afincan a este suelo para correr como el r£o, y mas de prisa y mas lejos..* (198-199)

Here the contrast of conscious attitude toward life between Manara and

Tenorio is apparent. Neither Tirso1s nor Zorrilla*s Don Juan voices this tedium with life. They do, however, demonstrate it in action.

Tirso*s protagonist emphasizes the long time remaining to him for

repentance, but in doing so he sees this long period as something to his advantage, an opportunity to indulge himself before the moment comes for redemption. With what we might call a time limit on his licentious activities, he is determined to use it freely and worry

about repentance later on. Juan de Manara, on the other hand, dreads

the expanse of life before him and openly seeks to shorten it through intensive activity. Since, as he says, "yo apenas creo...," he has 100 no religious limitations on his time as a libertine, there is no ul­ timate goal in his life. Thus in his boredom, he looks to the ac­ celeration of his existence. Tirso's Don Juan believes and, secure in his belief, he risks damnation by putting off his repentence.

Juan de MafEara, lacking this "crutch," plunges aimlessly through life. It is in this state that true belief and repentance may come.

Don Gonzalo, judging only the appearances of this state of mind, sees him on his way to Hell. The priest, however, is capable of greater insight and sees in Don Juan's ennui the possible instrument of his salvation.

Don Gonzalo* Don Gil: varon de mi casta (Segalando a Juan.) por el atajo al infierno se nos quiere ir. Juan. iQuien sabei Don Gil. Siempre se ha dicho que el taedium vitae es anuncio, si no sefiail de arrep entirai ehto, Don Juan... (199)

An important aspect of the salvation of Juan is the fact that one essential element of his character is unchanged, although it goes through a period of abeyance. His vehemence is an integral aspect both of his former life and saintly existence. This vehemence, charac­ teristic of the male line of his family, and of the traditional Don Juan, is in force at the beginning and end of the play. In MafEara »s donjuanesque period we see a prime example of this in his relentless wooing of Beatriz. Here vehemence and strength are equally great and these, together with that indefinible attraction which he radi­ ates, are sufficient to change the life of the spiritually dedicated girl completely. In his relations with Doria Elvira, his fervor is at first undiminished, but his strength is unequal to hers. He is weakened by the first awareness of his past evil and baffled by her resistance but still insists upon following her. This period, prior to the opening of the third act, marks the time of Juan's greatest weakness and confusion. He successfully entreats Beatriz, unsuccess­ fully pursues Elvira, is reunited with Beatriz— this time through her powers of seduction— and finally, about to rejoin Elvira, he is stabbed by Beatriz. The protagonist is capable of following his purpose only so long as some outside force is brought to bear. 'When this force is replaced by another, his purpose changes with it. Not until after this period of turmoil does Juan again portray the vehemence and fervor which he had shown in his licentious life. His strength is finally totally directed to good works, but the intensity with which he carries on his mission is essentially the same as that which he had manifested in his pursuit of women. Don Gonzalo gives us a succinct description of the similarity of his two lives:

Don Gil. El vino harto cambiado. Don Gonzalo. De terna. Ayer, loco del pecado, ahora, de la penitencia. (2h9)

Two events serve to return Juan to his former vehemence, now directed toward humanitarian and Christian ends. Elvira's surrender to the authorities is the first manifestation known to him that she has forsaken her wayward course. This act could not in itself ac­ complish the miracle of Juan's complete change. His first impulse 102 is to take precipitous, thoughtless action, and it is at this point that the second phenomenon takes place. Beatriz stabs him, and al­ though this deed like all her other actions stems from her complete

egoeentricity, it is the act which definitively establishes the final phase of his life. The exact nature of this metamorphosis, however, is still not quite clear. Since the final transition takes place between the second and third acts, we do not see it in process. Usually such entre-acte material is clearly stated at the beginning of the next act, but in this case there is only conjecture and

opinion. Don Gil, the priest, is not inclined to consider phenomenal

elements. This is natural and proper since he, having noted the pro­

found change from evil to good, must see first and foremost the hand

of God. Viewing the matter in the strictly theological sense, the physical causes are relatively unimportant and possibly irrelevant to the ways of God.

Don Gil* Sin duda, nuestro Don Juan vio la rauerte muy de cerca por la permision divina, cuando la calda aquella de Paris. • •••• X al volver a nueva vida volvio cambiado. (2ii7)

Following Esteban*s interpretation, the priest indicates polite interest, but hastens to reemphasize the importance of the ways of

God as opposed to mere physical or psychological causation.

Don Gonzalo possesses a nature more inclined to physical than mental or spiritual expression. In spite of his relatively 103 small part*he is one of the best delineated characters in the drama.

He unashamedly glories in the family tradition in the male line of excessive libido and admits his own limitations of the mind. He does not, however, show disrespect for the realm of the spirit. In­ terpretation is not a matter of action and Don Gonzalo, candid in his ignorance, and desirous of enlightenment turns to Esteban.

Don Gonzalo. iQue piensas tu? Aqux estamos en familia, y tu formas parte de ella... Habla, pues, sin reparo y sin reserva, iQue dices? (2I4.8 ) Following Esteban's views on the subject, Don Gonzalo compliments him in a somewhat patronizing, but, nevertheless, sincere manner:

Don Gonzalo. Pintoreito, pintorcito, amigo de sutilezas, eterno comprendedor, tu reino no es de esta tierra tampoco. (2U8)

Doffa Casilda's interpretation is colored by a natural ad­ miration for the apparent devotion of Beatriz and an instinctive rejection of Elvira, a woman who has prostituted her physical gifts. She does not understand Elvira's role in Juan's salvation and sees her only as a femme fatale:

DoHa Casilda. Apenas llego, aun enfermo, ya quiso que lo prendieran como complice del crimen de aquella mujer funesta. Esteban. jFunesta? Doffa Casilda. £Pues, no? (2h9)

In her estimation, Beatriz has been the instrument of Juan's salvation. ioU

Dona Casilda* Juan se caso con Beatriz como era logico y era jus to, despues de que por salvarle se perdio ella.* (2^0)

In defense of this hypothesis, it must be pointed out that Beatriz'

love, however egocentric, is a natural and usually commendable emotion*

It is only in contrast with the selflessness of Elvira, that it seems inadequate here. Juan, himself, although completely dedicated to the

love of humanity, can understand and recognize the love which his wife

feels. Before, in the first awareness of his former evil, he had vilified worldly lover

Juan. Y la vida es mala, Beatriz, engafia, atormenta y envenena y apuSala; la vida es turbia y violenta. Huye de ella, huye de m£* (2.U0)

Now with his life established on a firm basis, he no longer feels the need to slander the source of his licentious activities*

Juan. iayl, que la vida es un rxo mas turbio cuanto mas cerca del marj pero lleva el agua de la fuente en que naciera* Malhaya quien esa fuente calumnia: la vida es buena. (260)

Esteban has, as we have noted, the role of the bystander to the action, who seems to possess the necessary insight to judge matters in their proper perspective. It is not unusual, therefore, that Don Gonzalo should question him and receive a detailed answer* 105 Esteban. ...acuciado de inquietudes mas modernas, fue la conquista de un alma quien lo aparto de la tierra. Ii£zose el milagro, s£j pero no ha sido la horrenda vision de la pobredurabre carnal la dura maestra, como en otros casos. Digna de Don Juan al fin la empresa de regenerar un alma, conquista la mas exeelsa, se le ofrecio y como no se conquistan con majezas las almas ni con desplantes y locuras donjuanescas, a una piedad infinita y a una caridad sin tregua se abrio la suya, y as£ la rara aventura nueva hizo de Don Juan.. .San Juan, con perdon. (21*8)

Here is the penetrating analysis, which seems to fit the situation with the exception of one point. Although Juan did pursue Elvira, it was not this action which assured his complete transformation. Juan would have surrendered again to an evil life to be with her.

It was the vision of his own evil mirrored in her life and finally her self-sacrifice which established him in his new existence. In reality, it was Elvira who saved Juan’s soul and her own.

As a final consideration on this matter, we must examine

Juan’s own analysis of this transformation. During the confusion which followed the first awareness of evil, Juan was unable to analyze his motivations*

Juan." £Es esto amor, otro amor distinto? £Arrepentimiento? iAsombro del mal causado? &Sed de conquista? jDespecho 106

de verte ajena y lejana de nd? iPiedad del tremendo dolor que ha secado en ti toda temura?.. .tlo puedo explicarte bien lo que para mf es tan nuevo. (227)

With the stability of mind attained in the course of his charitable work, Juan indicates the two discoveries which are the absolute basis

of his conversion.

Juan. Yo me he vis to el alma a la luz de otra conciencia., y vi que era turbia. Yo me he asomado al alma ajena, y porque luz me faltaba solo vi sombras en ella. *« •« Y hay la muertej sobre todo la muerte, que nos espera, nos sigue y nos acornpanaj solo Dios puede vencerla. Sin el milagro divino, sin Dios, la derrota es cierta. (2j?6)

These are the causes: the discovery of evil and death. Don Gil, then, showed the greatest accuracy in his theorizing as to the mo­

tivations behind Juan's change. Esteban's theory of conquest— the

conquest of the soul for good— is true in so far as it goes, but whether it be Juan's conquest of Elvira or vice-versa, the under­

lying point is his discovery of the existence of evil. Besides the intensity of the protagonist's dedication first

to evil and later to good, we must also consider his egocentrism which manifests itself in a variety of forms. We see Juan in three

distinct stages of development which we might entitle, Don Juan,

Juan and— borrowing the term from Esteban— Ban Juan. In each phase, 107 the nature of the egocentrism of the protagonist is demonstrated in a different form. To recognize the Don Juan of the first stage, we have but to note his entrance speech:

No es neeesario anuncio en jardxn abierto. Ixos, salud. Al pintor, gloria; Don Gil, mis respetos. (197)

This is the swaggering, self assured person who is completely posi­ tive of his acceptance and who, with his unheralded entrance and flippant greetings, focuses the attention of the group upon himself.

This is the Don Juan that the public sees, the Don Juan who makes sure that the public sees him. In his intimate relations with Beatriz, he demonstrates his direct, confident approach. He assures her of his love and with typical conceit presumes her love a priori.

iComo te voy a quereri y tu a mx. (207)

In his self glorification, Juan has allowed himself to fall into de­ lusion. His excessive pride has led him to believe that even his fleeting presence with women has made them happy.

Beatriz. (En tono de broma) jTellas? jOh dolorJ... Juan. Ellas felices han sido. (205>)

This assumption marks a difference between Don Juan de Maflara and the Burlador de Sevilla. In the activities of the latter, it would seem that he either nursed a hatred of women or considered them a 108 challenge to be met and conquered. Well aware of the effect of his seductions, he derives his greatest pleasure in "burlar una mujer y dejalla sin honor." (1. 1316-1317) Juan de Mafiara does not seek this objective. The seduction of women is for him a search for love and the ideal womans

Juan. No queriendo, consegui, Beatriz, que se me quisiera. Pero yo nunca he sentido amor. (2 05)

Beatriz. iDonde hay tormento mayor que en querer sin ser querido? Juan. iDonde? En no saber sentiri en no darse, en no adorar, en ver sufrir y gozar sin gozar y sin sufrir jAhi Persegul el amor en los amores; pero esa flor de las flores no me ha nacido... (205) Beatriz* iQuien va a creer al hombre que tanta quiso? Juan. Ensayar era preciso, chiquilla, para saber. •«•••• Beatriz. Ik cuantas has enganado? Juan. A ninguna. Yo he buscado la mujer en las raujeres;^ (207)

O The sentiments expressed here by Juan de MafEara indicate a marked influence of the Romantics in this work. The quest for the ultimate love— the inrpossible— is to be found specifically in the Rimas of Becquer: — 'Yo soy ardiente, yo soy morena, Yo soy el sombolo de la pasioni De ansia de goces mi alma esta llena. ik ra£ me buscas? --No es a ti: no. Mi frente es palida; mis trenzas de oroj Puedo brindarte dichas sin fin5 109

Since all these references to his motivations are made by Juan during

the course of his seduction of Beatriz, it might be thought that they

are merely lies, employed to belay her suspicions. Such is not the case. That all of these statements were essentially true is proven in the last act when Juan is able to make a completely candid analysis

of his earlier ways.

Juan. iA Beatriz.i Y si yo hubiera seguido siendo el que fu£, el que domina y desprecia a la mujerj el que busca el amor, y si lo encuentra lo aparta, porque imagina obstaculo a su carrera hacia el amor 'imposible, el pobre amor que se entregas si para ti hubiera sido, Beatriz, lo que fu£ para ella, £me hubieras tu perdonado? (2£9 )

Although Maeztu is patently mistaken when he assumes that this concept

of Don Juan is limited to Northern Europe, he aptly notes the excessive

pride in such a type: r,Quien busca la mujer ideal no es el alma

cargada de amor, sino el romantico egoista." (Don Quijote, Don Juan...,

73) In stage two of Juan's development, his pride suffers a

Yo de ternura guardo un tesoro. lA m£ lie llamas? — No; no es a ti. — Yo soy un sueno, un imposible, Vano fantasma de niebla y luz. Soy incorporea, soy intangiblej No puedo amarte. ~j0h, ven, ven tul

As cited by Edmund L. King, Gustavo Adolfo Becquerj From Painter to Poet (Mexico, Editorial Porrua, 195>3)3 175, col. 2. 110 staggering blow as he realizes the evil of his past. Not only do Elvira*s situation and attitudes impress this point, but her words belittle his previous activities and bare the superficiality of their nature «■ He caxdo, pero, ique te imports? Luego... Solo como senorito curioso conoces tu el hampa. Yo la he vivido. (213)

The realization that he might not have evoked love in the hearts of the women which he seduced is a disillusion that Juan does not easily accept.

Juan. jY en nu no ves?... Elvira. El ridlculo recuerdo de una inocencia que hoy ni siquiera concibo. Juan. iNunca me quisiste? Elvira, No es tiempo de discutirlo. Pero lo que fue y no es como si no hubiera sido. Juan. Elvira, en el fondo de ese abismo de maldad *no queda nada de aquella luz que yo he visto bajo mis ojos un dla? Elvira. Tu sofiabas, Juan. Juan. Te miro con miedo. Elvira. Sx; tu querlas contemplar tu rostro lindo en mis ojos y en mis ojos no hay nada tuyo. (21^-216)

Juan. Pero un d£a — ique hiciste con el recuerdo, Elvira?--, un dxa en mis brazos yo sent! tsmblar un pecho de amor. Ill

Elvira. £De amor? Pero icomo sabes que era amor aquello? iAmor? To no se que era lo que perdi sin tenerlo. (227) lb will be noted that Elvira, too proud to disclose her love, suc­ ceeds in deceiving him with evasive answers. Broken by her resis­ tance and convinced that she never loved him, Juan makes a last effort to elicit an admission of tenderness from ELvira. Her equivocal answer convinces him that further questioning along this line will only increase his feelings of remorse and guilt.

Juan. £No te abrumara el recuerdo de estas horas? Elvira* (Con cxnica lealtad) Si t e d i g o la verdad, vas a gritar de asombro. Juan. No* Te adivino. |Me das horrorI Vete* (216-217)

By the opening of the second act, the reality of his collapse has been firmly impressed on the protagonist. In his disillusion, he is not yet capable of comprehending the qo iritual profit which he will achieve through this period of pain and confusion. His main emotion is the sense of loss, and he looks back upon his former pride with something akin to nostalgia*

••.recuerdo el Paris de un dia en que, orgulloso y triunfante, en tus ojos me veia, iohl, espejo que yo tenia y el odio troco en diamante I (220)

In a discussion between Esteban and Juan about the latter's immediate situation, Esteban detects a new manifestation of the pride of Don 112

Juan* This is not denied and Juan, in the course of the conversation, reemphasizes his sense of loss*

Esteban* Otra fortaleza quieres rendir, con las armas de Don Juan. Juan* Con otras nuevas, porque esas armas no sirven, quiero decir no se emplean dos veces, pues la segunda fracasan, fallan, se mellan, Elvira mato el orgullo que busca en la amada bella espejo que lo retrate. Narciso en la fuente seca es mas triste que Cain errante sobre la tierra, y mas humilde. Esteban, Don Juan dos veces no se contenpla en el mismo espejo* Juan* X eso le salvaj mas Jsi lo intentaj.**(225)

There are two points of particular interest here. Note first that Juan qualifies the pride which he says that Elvira has killed. More important is the last line of the quotation. He still does not see the possibility of spiritual salvation which has been opened to him* At the time of this statement, salvation for him would be the care­ free untroubled existence of a libertine* As the bases of his tottering vainglory are destroyed, Juan is not humbled, but rather makes various abortive attempts to regain t some vestige of superiority. He tries to take charge of Elvira’s problems and assume a role of leadership.

Elvira* £Tu no comprendes que eso te complica en mi delito? Juan* iQue te inporta, soy yo ahora quien te dice? 113

Elvira. To he pedido dinero, que es lo que puedo devolverte. El sacrificio de lo que no he de pagar hi lo espero ni lo admito. (215)

Every attempt by Juan to control her or her destiny is rebuffed by

Elvira. Juan continues his insistence, but as is evident in the

following quotation, his egressions are tending to emphasize more

strongly his own purely personal needs.

Juan. ...quiero un alma que no fue rafa, es verdad, pero ha de serlo. Elvira. No existe ya* Juan. Yo he de verla brillar en tus ojos negros o he de morir... jNo coraprendes que lo di todo por eso cuando manchada de sangre tu mano en mi rnano he puesto? ...ahora quiero necesito devolverte en bien el mal que te he hecho.

Elvira. Yo no te pido nada. Te muestro que no es posible volver en bien el mal. (228)

When Elvira is not present to belie his affirmation, Juan presents

himself as her guardian and accomplice. He proudly states his as­ sumed position with the obvious intention of startling his friend*

Esteban. lY dime, el crimen de Elvira? Juan. Lo hice m£o y no me pesa. £Te asombra? (22ii)

The new manner of drawing attention to himself is evident in his

extensive admissions of guilt. Exaggerated confession is character- 111]. istic of the intermediate stage of his development*

Juan* No pens! en tu amor; am! por los dos. Cuando el incendio se apago, borro tu imagenj fu£ raalo contigo, Elvira... (228)

Mira, Beatriz, yo no soy quien tu piensas, yo he mentido aquella tarde, yo estoy atado a un crimen, unido a un triste ayer. Mi pasado un dxa me aparecio y en un espejo manchado de sangre me he visto. Yo era malo y ni sabxa, Beatriz, que el mal existiera; yo era deforme y crexa ser bello y galanj yo era viejo como el vicio, viejo como el crimen, y buscaba mi juventud en mi espejoj yo valiente me soSaba y solo al verme he tembladoj que es tanta mi cobardxa, Beatriz, que vivo asustado de mi propia companxa. (238)

These methods of expressing his egocentricity are ineffectual, lacking the consistency and coherency of the pride which he had known as a rake. Unable to cope with Elvira's adamant nature, he attempts to compromise and falls into complete disillusion.

Elvira. Es mi libertad lo unico que deseo. Juan. La tendras. Aceptare tu vida sumiso y ciego. Si el robo, el roboj si el crimen, el crimen. Sere tu perro para salvarte...o perderme eontigo, si es que te pierdo. Juan. Elvira. Un beso... Elvira. Ahora, n o 3 ahora, no. jlmposiblel Juan. £Por que? US

Elvira, Porque...jte• • • aborrezcoJ Juan* Mentira, mentira. |T llorasi iBenditas lagrimasi Elvira, Necio quien llora eras tu* jSi yo no he llorado a mi hijo muertol (230-231)

Almost hopelessly weakened, the protagonist submits to the pleas of

Beatriz* With his attempted return to Elvira, the second stage of development is closed. This has been a period of emotional tumoil in which Juan has experienced a staggering loss of pride and tried unsuccessfully to find a new basis for self esteem.

In the third and final stage of Juan’s evolution, his ego centricity is well concealed and certainly sub-conscious. The passion with which he has devoted himself to charitable works is apparently mo­ tivated by unadulterated altruism. However, both Don Gil and DoSa

Casilda are disturbed by his ardor. Juan’s aunt has been inclined to favor her niece, Beatriz, and is disturbed by his neglect of family and property. The priest, necessarily conservative in his views and aware of the dangers involved in excesses of any kind, tends to criti­ cize the conduct of his work rather than the individual.

Don Gil. Tal vez fuera mejor fijar una hora.,* Las sociedades beneficas... (2ij$) Dona Casilda. No, si yo no aseguro que no sea rauy bueno, pero el pretende ejercer a su manera la caridad, y yo veo algo en eso de soberbia. Don Gil. Poco a poco, mi senora Dofia Casilda; no sea que por pedir demasiado se enoje Dios. En conciencia, 116

no nos poderaos quejar de Don Juan* Yo, si, qulslera que su celo obrase con..* con menos independencia* Dona Casilda* Exacto. Don Gil* La caridad, la piedad, tienen sus regias, en efecto, que el aun desconoce; el saber llega siempre al final; contentemonos con una voluntad buena y santa. (2h7)

The concern expressed in the foregoing quotation seems well founded if we consider the description of his activities related by one of his most profound admirers,

Pedro* ...lo veo salir rodeado de un enjambre de hombres, mujeres y nirtos, bendiciendole y besandole las manos. Hasta los hombres lloraban como chavales, y se querxan echar a sus pies, acompafiarle despues; pero el dijo: "no,11 y tuvieron que quedarse. Beatriz. ^Tuvieron? Pedro* iPues claro estal Cuando el manda, £chista nadie? (252-253)

Juan no longer controls or presumes to win the love of isolated women. The poor of an entire city look to him in obedience and de­ votion.

There is one other important aspect to Juan’s new state of ego. As the agnostic rake, he had wished to intensify his living ex­ perience and accelerate his existence. Now the recognition of re­ ligious principles brings with it the fear of death. Superceding all else in his new life is the awareness of death* 117 Juan# X hay la muerte; sobre todo la rauerte, que nos espera, nos sigue y nos acompaSa; solo Dios puede vencerla#.* (2f>6)

In this respect, he shows one of the most common and pressing forms of egocentrism. In a sense his charitable work is his way of coining to terms with death itself.

Juan. Desde el nacer al morir, lo que llamamos vivir es ir perdiendo la vida. Solo un modo hay de ganarla, y es jugarla sin temor y sin esperanza; darla entera por el amor# (2 6 2)

At the moment of death, Juan comes to the full realization of the need in the world for both types of love which he had experienced. In each case his nature had led him to extremes. Now, on the point of death, the truth of Don Gil's words is clears "el saber llega siempre al final." (2it7) It is at this point that Juan is finally in a state of complete humility, aware of his wrongs and anxious to right them by the example of his death#

Juan. Aunque apenas late mi pecho, aun deciros puedo: quiero que mi muerte mate por siempre a morir el miedo. Vivir es santo deber; pero en la vida no esta lo que solo puede ser mas alia# Elvira, Beatriz, os veo juntas; las dos en la ola de esta luz sois una sola# Oidme, creedme • • • (261+) 118

There is an important problem involved in the study of Juan de which unfortunately must remain unresolved in this thesis*

It would be of great value to be able to abstract the material in this drama which we might definitely attribute to Antonio Machado, but the work and time required for such a project would be neces­ sarily beyond the scope of this investigation* There is the possi­ bility in any event that very few positive conclusions could be reached* Anything less than an exhaustive study would not be adequate and might lead to assumptions which would not do justice to the authors or the investigator himself. The article by Fernando Cuadra

Pinto, Don Juan en los Machado, is an example of such a study, carried out with insufficient documentation* Following a presentation of data on the two authors available in the histories of Spanish literature, he allows himself this dangerous generalization:

Asx es como podemos afirmar que la colaboracion de . los Machado reducese~en lo sustancial— a dos postulados esteticos: fondo y forma, Antonio impregna al drama de su filosofla pesiraista y suavemente desencantada y Manuel— dueno de un fe sentimental— reviste los conceptos con la galanura de sus versos faciles, aunque a menudo incorrectos*? If we are to avoid such sweeping statements, we must limit ourselves to a brief examination of pertinent material which we may find in the works of the two creations of Antonio Machado: Abel Martin and Juan de Mairena,*^ It must be remembered, however, that in spite of

^Fernando Cuadra Pinto, op. cit., p. 30*

•*%n the bibliography oh the Don Juan theme published by the University of West Virginia, there is this unfortunate reference: "Juan de Maflara.,,Observations, essays, sayings, etc., on his Juan their fictional status, these two men have minds of their own and Machado does not fail to disagree with them at times. When we note particular insistence by Mairena on certain theories, and further when we see these theories carried forward in the drama we are study­ ing, then we may say with some assurance that this has been the hand of Antonio Machado. It is of small importance that the drama should precede the setting down of certain principles by Mairena, for it may well have been in the composition of the dramatic works that

Antonio Machado formulated and first expressed many of his ideas.

It is of major interest to us that both plays by Juan de

Mairena--Padre jr Verdugo and El gran climaterico, both of which exist only in the mind of Antonio Machado— should have as protagonists, men of an extremely erotic nature. In the comments which are based on these two non-existent works, particularly, El. gran climaterico, we find the expression of certain theories whieh. are faithfully adhered to in Juan de Maffara. The description of the protagonist of El gran climaterico—

,fun personaje que simbolizaba lo 'inconsciente libidinoso *" (I 93)— is equally applicable to Don Juan. The current tendency to psycho-

de Manara, among other things. Interesting partly because of the curiously reminiscent title.'* (8f?3T) Those who have read this work will realize that there is no direct reference here to Juan de Manara nor does the name, Juan de Mairena, bear even a remote connection to that of the protagonist of the play. In references to the writings of Abel Martin and Juan de Mairena, the titles will be abbreviated in the following manners AM— Antonio Machado, Abel Martin (Buenos Aires, Editorial Losada,19U3) I— Antonio Machado, Juan de Mairena (Buenos Aires, Editorial Losada, 19h9)» vol. lj II— Antonio Machado, Juan de Mairena, Vol. II. 120 analyze such types and provide them with motivations based on compli­ cated psychological theories is well known. Mairena, ridiculing this type of work, describes his drama thus: No habxa en los veintiun actos de esta obra la mas leve anticipacion de las teorxas de Freud y de otros eminentes psiquiatras de nuestros dxas... (I 9 3 )

This is not an isolated expression of antipathy toward modem psych­

ology. There is conveyed the general idea that psychologists have done nothing but obscure and confuse the subjects with which they have dealt.

...el amor es tema escabrosxsimo para tratarlo en clase, y muy cornplicado desde que la ciencia lo ha hecho suyo y los psiquiatras nos han descubierto muchas cosas desagradables que de el ignorabamos y han inventado tantos nombres para mentarlas y definir- las...las mujeres, y aun los hombres, no solo se con- fiesan ya con los sacerdotes, sino tambien con los medicos, y han duplicado asx, por un lado, el secreto del amor, y por otro, su malicia; antique por otro lado— un tercer lado— hayan enriquecido el tesoro docu­ mental del erotismo* (I 139) Los psiquiatras.*.pensaran algun d£a que ellos podran saber de nuestras almas mas que las viejas religiones aniquiladoras del amor propio^ invxtando- nos a recordar unas cuantas anecdotas, mas o menos traumaticas, de nuestra vida. jBahl (II I4.0 ) The essential anodyne for the modern theatre, as suggested by Mairena is restoration rather than innovation. In the course of this restoration, the most important factor is seen in the return of the monologue and aside.

Restablecxa Juan de Mairena en su obra— y esto era lo mas original de su tecnica— los monologos y los apartes, ya en desuso, y con mayor extension que se habxan empleado nunca. (I 93)

This is the basis for the revision of modem drama. Using the solil­ oquy, the theatre will return to its three dimensional form— "comedia 121 cubica"— and do away with the despised techniques of modem psychol­ ogy. Desaparecen del teatro el drama y la comedia embo- tellados, de barato psicologismo, cuyo interes "folletinesco" proviene de la ocultaeion arbitraria de los propositos consdentes mas triviales, que hemos de adivinar a traves de conversaciones sin sustancia o de reticencias y frases incompletas, pausas, gestos, etc.j de dificil interpretacion escenica. (I 9k) As a substitute for this the monologue permits us to see the mind of the character without the veil of psychological interpretations.

Recordad a Hamlet, a Macbeth, a tantos otrqs gigantes inraortales de ese portentoso creador de conciencias— ique otra cosa mas grande puede ser un poeta?— , los cuales nos dicen todo cuanto saben de s£ misrnos y aun nos invitan a adivinar mucho de lo que ignoran. (I 9 6 ) We have but to note the wealth of monologues, frequent expressions of inner feelings and the total absence of any pretense of psycholo­ gical inquiry to see how these ideas were carried out in practice in Juan de Manara. Recalling the discussion at the beginning of the third act and the ultimate clarification of the process of Juan's conversion, we may see the practical application of Mairena's theory: Agotado ya, por el dialogo, el monologo y el aparte, cuanto ei personaje dramatico sabe de si mismo, el total contenido de su conciencia clara, comienza lo que pudieramos llamar "tactica oblicua" del comediografo, para sugerir cuanto carece de expresion directa, algo realmente profundo y original, el fondo inconsciente o subconciente de donde surgen los impulsos creadores de la conciencia y de la aecion, la fuerza cosmica que, en ultima instancia, es el motor dramatico.•• (I 97)

In regard to some of the ideas expressed in Juan de Manara, we may again draw upon the philosophy of Mairena to indicate iso­ lated examples of theories which have found expression in the drama. 122

We have noted elsewhere the apparent paradox: that Juan de Manara in his disbelief is closer to genuine belief and salvation than Tir- so's Don Juan, who as a believer endangers his soul by a too literal acceptance of this belief* Clarifying this concept, we find this

theme stated by Juan de Mairena* Aprende a dudar, hi jo, y acabaras dudando de tu propia duda. De este modo premia Dios al esceptico y confunde al creyente. (II 62) Two outstanding characteristics of Juan de MaHara in the

first stage in which we see him are his lack of belief and his ex­

cessive pride* These two traits are not explicitly related to each other in the course of the play, but considering the following quo­

tation from Juan de Mairena, we may see the logical development from pride to disbelief* Es muy probable que el amor de nosotros mismos nos aparte de amar a Dios. Es casi seguro que nos impide conocernos a fondo. En la frontera del odio a nosotros mismos, sin traspasarla, porque pasion quita conocimiento, se nos revelan muchas verdades* Algunas, verdaderaraente interesantes. (II UO) The aforementioned theory of doubt and belief marks a close spiritual alliance between Antonio Machado and UnamunoThe emo­ tional conflict which Don Juan de Manara undergoes in his search for

God is characteristic of one of Antonio Machado's deepest preoccu­ pations. His quest of God, and through God, immortality, bears

% e may note the blaming of a woman in Don Juan's downfall (see page 139 ) as still another example of similarity to the thought of Unamuno* 123 more than a coincidental relationship to the thought of Unamuno.

A la base misma de esta "angustia" Machado cita el tema manriqueno: Nuestras vidas son los rios que van a dar en la mar que es el morir. y a el viene a unirse ese que Unamuno llamo "sen- timiento tragico," fundado en ese "hambre de inmor- talidad," que es corno una inercia del ser que quiere seguir siendo. Nunca tan bien expresado por Machado como en aquellos versos angustiados:

&Los yunques jr crisoles de tu alma trabajan para el polvo % para el viento* Ante el, Machado, como Unamuno, no encuentra sino la solucion de la incertidumbre,^^

It would appear that the preoccupation with death and the eternal which we find in Juan de Manara (see p. 106 of this study) was born largely in the mind of Antonio Machado rather than in that of his brother.

Mientras que su hermano Manuel escribe coplas, en todo iguales a los del pueblo, Antonio trata de hablar en ellas con su voz de siempre. Expresa en ellas su angustia unamuniana, su fe esceptica, su participacion etica en el mundo.^-3

Manuel possessed a strong Christian faith which did not falter at any time during his life.

iManuel Machado j cree que la piedad cristiana sera ''el fermento Intimo y poderoso que unira in-

•^Antonio Machado (1875-1939) * op. cit., 79, 80 1 3lbid., 53. 12k

disolublemente a todos los espanoles dignos de tal norabre." De su poesla del momento actual, mas honda en calidas raxces de emocion religiosa, aparecen otros sonetos, agrupados bajo el tltulo, significativo* '‘Domine, ut videam..., " emocionados, profundos, plenos de fe y confianza en Dios...

In the light of the dissimilar religious beliefs of the two brothers,

it is not difficult to see in Don Juan’s tortured search for God the

hand of Antonio. However, the serene Christian death of the protago­

nist could not have been conceivable in his mind.

Finally, we may note the diatribe by Don Gonzalo against the ways of modern youth and its similarity to statements by both Martin

and Mairena.

Don Gonzalo. Dios me libre de calumniar a esta nueva generacion, pero creo que a mi nina no le inquietan esos pisaverdes que tozudame&te acocean el peloton, o que danzan al son de esas murgas negras que hoy se gastan. No es galante la juventud: es atletica, gimnastica, deportiva. Ya no es la raujer su tema, como en mis tieropos. En cambio, los viejos aun galantean, y as£, el amor es ya cosa de viejos, sosa o perversa. (193-19U)

...algunos pedagogos...mas perversos, acaso, y mas errados, sin duda, que los frailes y las beatas, pre- tenden haeer del joven un niSo estupido que juegue, no como el nifio, para quien el juego es la vida misma, sino con la seriedad de quien cumple un rito solemne. Se

Angel Valbuena Prat, Historia de la literatura espanola (Barcelona: Editorial Gustavo Gili, 19^5J, lit, 391-392. 125

quiere hacer de la fatiga muscular beleno adormecedor del sexo. Se aparta al joven de la galanterla, a que es naturalmente inclinado, y se le lleva al deporte, al juego extemporaneo. Esto es perverso. Y no olvi- demos— anade— que la pederastia, actividad erotica desviada y superflua, es la companera inseparable de la gimnastica. (AM 15) Para crear habitos saludables*..que nos acompanen toda la vida, no hay peor caxnino que el de la giranasia y los deportes, que son ejercicios mecanizados, en cierto sentido abstractos, desintegrados tanto de la vida animal como de la ciudadana. ...Todo deporte...es trabajo esteri'l, cuando no juego estupido. Y esto se vera mas claramente cuando una ola de noiiez y de americanismo invada a nuestra vieja Europa. (I 6 6 )

In regard to the inclusion of the aforementioned ideas in Juan de

Maflaraj it may be assumed that all of them were b o m in the mind of

Antonio Machado. The important point remains, however, that it is unlikely that either brother would have permitted the insertion of any material which would have seriously compromised his own views.

The subject of Don Juan evidently fascinated Antonio Machado. It appears several times in the works of Juan de Mairena and once in those of Abel Martin. The fact that Abel Martin was "t’unj hombre er6tico en extremo" does not necessarily place him as a Don Juan type. He is largely devoted to lengthy philosophical discourses on things of an erotic nature and we are given no comprehensive treat­ ment of his life or deeds, but rather description of his attitudes and theories including quotations from books which he presumably had written. The single direct reference to Don Juan in this collection is a fragment of poetry which would suggest that the eroticism of

Abel Martin was more complex than that of the literary Don Juan, 126

.. .Aunque a veces sabe Onan mucho que ignora Don Juan, (AM 12) Aside from a reference to certain Baroque qualities in Tirso's

Burlador de Sevilla ( H 7-8), the other four citations of Don Juan are of help in determining Machado's concept of this all important

figure of Spanish letters. In the longest treatment of the subject,

the question of Don Juan's erotic motivations is discussed. Any sug­ gestion of sexual perversion is summarily dismissed:

EL mas leve conato de desviacion sexual destruye lo esencial donjuanesco: su orientacion constante hacia la mujer. (I 51)

Mairena quotes his master, Abel Martin, in rejecting the attempts to

analyze the purpose of Don Juan in society:

£ Respond© este Don Juan, como el onanista y el homosexual, a una corriente maltusiana? fiEs, por el contrario, Don Juan un avivador erotico...? jQuien sabei Preguntas son estas que no atanen a la esencia de Don Juan, sino a su utilidad. No deben interesarnos. (I 52)

In M s observations on Espronceda, Mairena touches upon what he must consider the essence o f the Spanish Don Juan. Espronceda is described in this manner:

iel quej logro acercar mas el romanticismo a la entrafla espanola, hasta pulsar con dedos romanticos, mas o menos exangiies, nuestra vena cinica, no la es- toica, y hasta conmover el fondo demoniaco de este gran pueblo— el espanol— , donde como sabemos los folkloristas, tanto y tan bien se blasfema. (I 129)

The work cited as the master work of his "inspiracion cinica" is El 127 estudiante de Salamanca. As we have noted above, Mairena recognizes two major veins in the Spanish civilization: the cynical and the stoic. The former is represented by Felix de Montemar, "la sxntesis, o, mejor, la almendra espanolxsxma de todos los Don Juanes." (I 130) The foregoing may be of some aid in explaining the admiration for Don Juan expressed in two other meditations. Mairena describes the sculptor in Zorrilla * s play as "un horabre raagnxfico." (I 35) It was Don Juan above all whom he would have wished to depict... "segur- amente era esa la estatua que el hubiera esculpido de balde." (I 35)

In a further reference to Don Juan, there is a discussion of two lines from Zorrilla's play:

— Ven^o a mataros, Don Juan. — Segun eso, sois Don Luis. (I 189)

The point under discussion is the logic of Don Juan's answer. Im­ portant for us, however, is the description of the reply*

Y dif£cilmente encontrareis una respuesta ni mas c£nica, ni mas serena, ni mas representative de aquel magnxfico rey de los granujas que fue Don Juan Tenorio. (I 189)

Again, the mention of the cynicism of Don Juan. Machado has rejected the psychological and social studies of this figure. These do not touch the essence of Don Juan, his cynicism, which according to

Mairena is one of the essential Spanish traits. Despicable he may be— although Mairena does not say this— but he is to be respected as the symbol of Spanish cynicism.

Still bearing in mind that the ideas expressed by Mairena 128 and Martin are not necessarily those of Machado, we may see in their

expressions the author's own way of "playing” with ideas. As Unamuno experimented with his thoughts and theories through manipulating his literary characters, so Machado worked with his own thoughts through the medium of fictional creation. In what we have seen, there is no specific moral judgment, but there is the view of Don Juan as the

very essence of an important aspect of the Spanish character, viz. cynicism. It may be conjectured then, that Machado saw in this literary figure an undesirable characteristic in the spirit of his country but nevertheless the perfect synthesis of its nature. Thus, although in the words of Mairena, he can call him "aquel magnlfico rey de los granujas" and remark on the appeal which he holds for the sculptor, in the literary treatment on which he collaborated and in the versions to which he refers, the nature of Don Juan is completely changed and his forces directed to constructive acts of good. CHAPTER IV

MIGUEL DE UNAMUNO1

O Miguel de Unamuno’s play, El hermano Juan, is essentially

the dramatization of a problem with which the author himself was faced in actual life. This problem is based on the conflict of ap­ pearance and reality, more specifically of legend and fact. The

general tenor of the entire drama which we are about to examine is

suggested in the first lines of the prologue: Este prologo es, en realidad de apariencia, un epilogo. (9 ) With this relatively simple statement Unamuno draws us into the

problem of appearance and reality and proceeds to explain how he

selected Don Juan to illustrate this conflict. As a consequence of

a discussion of the staging of one of his works and the suggested

staging of another, Unamuno arrives at this conclusion: ...me di cuenta de que la verdadera escenificacion, realizacion historica, del personaje de ficcion estriba en que el actor, el que representa al personaje, afirme que el y con el el teatro todo es ficcion y es ficcion todo, todo teatro, y lo son los espectadores raismos. (10 )

1The works of Unamuno to be discussed in this chapter are: El hermano Juan (193U)J Sobre Don Juan Tenorio (1908); Como se hace una novela Cl92'7 ). 2 Miguel de Unamuno, El hermano Juan; o el raundo es teatro; vieja comedia nueva (Madrid :“Hspasa-Calpe, 193UT7 “fhis edition will be used throughout the chapter. Quotations from the play or prologue will not be footnoted but the page reference to this edition will be given in the text immediately following the quotation. 129

i 130 In this way Unamuno has already prepared us for his play* He has banished the confines of the stage and has put actors, audience and personages on an equal plane of existence. Reality and fiction are

one, and it is at this moment that Unamuno thinks of Don Juan Tenorio

and his legend* Porque toda la grandeza ideal, toda la realidad universal etema, esto est historica, de Don Juan Tenorio consiste en que es el personage mas eminen- temente teatral, representative, historicoj en

Unamuno's personal dilemma, for he, too, was confronted with the same problem. The enigma of existence was a constant preoccupation to

this man and the authenticity of his role in life was of particular concern to him during the period of his exile in Prance* By this time Unamuno's name had become famous5 for many he represented the essence of Spain. As a desterrado, he became the very symbol of the forces opposed to the regime of Prirno de Rivera. This legend build­ ing up around him disturbed Unamuno profoundly. As Carlos Blanco has indicated in his work, "Interioridad y exterioridad en Unamuno," the period of exile marks a crisis in the thought of Unamuno* Prior to this time, although there were moments of doubt, he had insisted on this point which he considered fundamental: "Todo lo interior es 131 autentico y todo lo exterior es falso. Now with the undeniable

reality of his banishment and the legend growing up about him, Unamuno was forced to accept, at least in part, the authenticity of outside

appearances* In his moving self appraisal, Como se hace una no vela, written

daring this period, the author attests to analyze his role as an exile* Is the position he has taken a false one? Algunos, al explicarles mi situacion, se sonrxen y dicen: "Ah, sx, una cuestion de dignidadl" y leo bajo su sonrisa que se dicen: “se cuida de su papel..."h

This is a distressing matter for a man of Unamuno’s sincerity, but because of this sincerity he must admit the possible truth of the as­

sumption: jNo estare acaso a punto de saerificar mi yo Intimo, divino, el cjue soy en Dios, el que debo ser, al otro, al yo historico, al que se mueve en su his- toria y con su historia??

Unamuno freely admits his own complicity in the formation of the

legend, but that only makes the problem more complex, more personal*

If he is but an actor playing a role, then he is worse— a hypocrite. Porque yo, que soy, de profesion, un ganapan helenista, se que hipocrita signifies actor*® He immediately tries to exonerate himself:

^Carlos Blanco Aguinaga, "Interioridad y exterior!dad en Unamuno," NRFH, VII (1953), 692. ^Unamuno y Jugo, Miguel de, Como se hace una novela (Buenos Aires: Editorial "Alba," 1927), 9557

% b i d . , 95 5 . 6Ibid., 956. 132

iHipocrita? jNol Mi papel es mi verdad y debo vivir mi verdad, que es mi vida. * The doubt, however, has been emplanted, now more forcefully than ever

before, and Unamuno, as in so many of his problems, is never able to

resolve it completely. We may say that this author, perhaps more than any other, in­

serts his own personality into the works which he composes. Unamuno,

by making Don Juan aware of the legend which surrounds him, provides him with a problem similar to his own. We have already noted the line of thought which the author follows to place the protagonist beyond

the confines of the stage. In the theater reality and the appearance of reality come into close contact, often so blending as to become in­ distinguishable one from the other. If, then, the whole world is a

theater, the boundaries between fact and fiction are completely erased and everyone is playing a role in a. vast drama or a series of dramas which end only with the death of the protagonist.

Before he can go into his own treatment of Don Juan, Unamuno feels it necessary to reject or at least set aside the various cli­ nical explanations of the unusual character of the burlador. He does

this at some length, but his attitude is essentially expressed in this statement: No se trata de biologxa, sino de biografxa; no de materia, sino de espxrituj no de f£sica, sino de metafisica. (1 1 )

The author discusses the two forces which are generally considered to

be the basic motivations for most human activity: hunger (self-

?Ibid., 95>6. 133 preservation) and sexual activity (conservation of the species). He adds, however, Mas frente a esta doble concepcion materialists de la historia...hay la concepcion historica de la materia, de la personalidad. Algun filosofo la llama vanidad. (1 2 )

To support this concept, the author cites the murder of Abel. This was motivated by vanityt "...en el fondo lucha de la personalidad, de representacion.11 (1 3 ) Thus, following Unamuno1 s theoiy, Don

Juan was largely motivated by vanity, driven onward in his legend by the all-consuming desire to be noticed and remembered: ,rser mirado, ser admirado y dejar nombre.” (1 6 ) As we turn now to the play itself, the essential point to bear in mind is that _el hermano Juan is preoccupied with and fight­ ing against his legend. The legendary figure, Don Juan Tenorio, was constantly immersed in M s role, unaware of or unwilling to ponder upon the significance of M s existence. In the present re­ incarnation he is characterized not only by awareness, but also by preoccupation with the fact and fiction of M s life.

Accepting the premise that the world is a stage upon which we, the actors, play our roles, we must realize that this stage- world in all its vastness is limited to each individual, who is the protagonist in M s own personal drama. In El hermano Juan, the stage is naturally defined by that part of the world centering around the protagoMst. Thus it is that the stage is both infiMte and finite at the same time. Unlike what we would find in almost any other drama, Juan, the central figure, is "on stage" at all 13U times with the exception of the very end of the play. This in it­ self is quite fitting since, as Unamuno is tragically aware, death,

the last scene of the human drama, is a completely personal ex­

perience which must remain a mystery until undergone by the indi­

vidual himself*

To heighten this effect of the world as a stage, Unamuno gives particular treatment to entrances and exits* This is evident

primarily in the speeches of Juan and other people "on stage,1'—

that is, those who are in direct personal contact with the protago­ nist* The unexpected entrances of various people are often puzzling to the characters present. These appearances are not to be explained

logically and there are several references to their mysterious,

magical qualities. Elvira comments in this manner on Teofilo1s ap­ pearance in the first actr

Lo gue no me explico es de que raanera vino a caer aca, al parque..,quien le trajo. ..cento*.*por que arte de birlibirloque... (76) Juan is also struck by the inexplicable way in which people walk

on and off stage, that is, into and out of his presence.

El...aqu£...£c6mo? iMlralel jNi por escotilloni jPasillo de magial (£k) Still later on he says:

...aha llega otra mujer errante...Van y vienen, entran y salen, suben y bajan como por magia. (60)

The exits are also mentioned with a particular fascination both in this passage and throughout the first act. This is not merely a dramatic convention to avoid the use of stage directions, since Unamuno makes frequent, if brief, use of them. The exits of each 135 individual or individuals are carefully noted:

the children: Juan: Ya se fueron. (52);

Benito y Ines: Juan: Ya se van...ya se han Ido* (6 8 ); Teofilo: Elvira: Mirale, ya se pierde tambien por alll. (7 7 ). This awareness of exits and entrances, particularly on the part of Juan, is but one aspect of his view of the world and himself in terms of theater. He sees his life as a drama, the appearance of new characters divides it into scenes; he criticizes his com­ panions on their acting and tries constantly to understand his own role. The entrances of both Dona Petra and the pastora are prefaced by these suggestive words: "otra escena.” (IOI4., 156) The appear­ ance of Ines in the second act is seen as part of the dramatic plots Tu aqu£ y ahora? iVenga enredoj (121)

At the end of this act, Juan is left alone and confused. He does not know where he is going or why, but the play must continue:

"basta ya de monologo.. .que aun queda comedia." (137) In the play of life, Juan alternates between attempting to reevaluate his role and helplessly rebelling against a drama too vast for his compre­ hension. The latter point is illustrated in a bitter tirade during the course of the first act:

EL Sumo Hacedor nos mueve muy al azar de su divino capricho...pero anda escaso de tecnica escenica...A pesar de sus siglos de oficio, novicio...Hasta que no entre en la Sociedad de Autores... (7 6 )

In attempting to understand his role and to play it properly Juan is sharply critical of others. True to the general theme of 136 the work, his verbal attacks are directed against their exaggerated acting rather than against their actions.

Juan: £Y dices que te armo una escena? Ines: jClarol Juan: iEscena? j Cos a de teatrol (I4.6 )

The strongest criticism is reserved for dona Petra:

i Senora, seffora, no se remonte, que eso le ha salido algo desiguall »Y raenos aspavientos y monser- gasl...Haga cuenta que estamos en los ensayos, y le digo que mal, pero muy mal... (1 0 5 )

The play is being literally held up by her "ham acting" and Juan impatiently interrupts her tirade: iA tablas, pues, sefiora, a tablasi iDejese de endilgar platicas retoricas, y al argumentoi (1 0 5 )

In this and other scenes, however, Juan himself is inconsistent in his role. This inconsistency is brought on by the protagonist’s rebellion against his part as a Don Juan Tenorio and it is in this struggle— man versus legend— that the tragedy is developed.

The donjuanesque tradition which surrounds and penetrates el hermano Juan is complex and finds varied expression throughout the drama. The protagonist in the course of the conflict with his legend varies from acceptance and nostalgia to denunciation and re­ morse. When he is alone with Elvira or Ines, he is quite capable of shedding his legendary role, but in the presence of more than one person (that is, an audience), particularly of his antagonists, he tends to resume the dramatic role of the arrogant aggressive burlador. This is the actor, representandose, and el hermano Juan is eclipsed by Don Juan* The three most noteworthy occurrences of this nature are his physical attacks on Benito and Antonio and his 137 verbal abuse of Padre Teofilo. Another example of -what we may call reversion to type occurs during an incident which is clearly evo­ cative of the appearance of the stone statue in the dramas of Tirso and Zorrilla* Juan has just resorted to a blasphemous expression when there is a knock heard at the door. With bravado character­ istic of the old Tenorioj Juan flippantly shrugs off any feelings of fear: Dona Petra: £No tiemblas, Juan? Juan: £Yo? jDe curiosidadl (110) In addition to these open demonstrations of donjuanismo there is an almost pitiful appeal on the part of the protagonist for recognition of his previous incarnations: Elvira: *..jpobre Juani Juan: i,Don Juan? Elvira: £Don Juan? j Quia I jDon Juan no J , sino... JuanitoJuanito entre ellas. Anda, vente, j nino1 (6$) In general, however, Juan sees his legend as nothing but a source of shame and remorse:

Benito: ...son las dos las que se te disputan, Juan. Juans jY que remediol... Es mi mala sombra...(63)

Juan: Fui no mas que tin grandisimo badulaque. No hice sino atracarme de espuma hasta reventar... (liUt) Questioned about the nature of his various reincarnations, Juan is pessimistic and derogatory.

Juan: jCondenado a ser siempre el mismo... a no poder ser otro...a no darse a otro...Don Juan...jun solitarioi ...iun solteroi...iy en el peor sentidoi 138 Padre Teofilo: ^Enamorado? Juan: jDe sx mismoj Fue c a m a z a mas que carne... In the eyes of the people who surround him, Juan’s legend takes on added dimensions. It is clearly brought out that the at­ traction which women feel for Don Juan is built upon an image of their own conception, not necessarily based on objective reality.

Ines, having been rejected by her lover, Benito, rebukes Juan as the cause of her trouble. Her accusations, as Juan points out, are baseless: Juan: £Y a ml que me cuentas, mujer? Ines: £A quien, pues, sino a ti? iQuien me ha traxdo a esto? £quien me ha enganado? Juan: Te enganaste tu sola, que yo bien claro te hable... (122)

This self delusion which Juan detects in the women who surround him is also evident in the admission which he forces from Elvira. Juan: ...es que has conocido a algun hombre, Elvira? Elvira: jNi faltal Juan: Al que llevas dentroj al que os fxgurais las mujeres•.• Elvira: jTe quiero, y basta! Juan: Oomo tu me haces £no es eso? Elvira: Como te hago. (102) Ines persists in seeing Juan as the seducer, the cause of her troubles. She is admittedly attracted to him, but will not accept any responsibility for her actions.

Juan: Pues, mira, sx, yo te harxa des- graciada... Ines: Me lo estas haciendo..,Y lo peor es que yo, a mi vez, desgraciado a el. £Por que te atravesaste en nuestro sendero, Juan? £Por que viniste, como un tor- bellino, a trastomar nuestra dicha? (I4.S) 139 Elvira on the other hand not only recognizes her complicity in the fascination which she feels for Juan, but glories in it. In her interpretation of the legend of the burlador, she sees the woman O In the dominant role. Finding Juan and Ines together, she domi­ nates him completely, emphasizing his weakness and self-delusion.

Elviras £Y como te arrastro ella aca, a esta celada? Juant Ful yo...fui yo...Digo... Elvira: *No, que fue ella...ellai Cuando crees ser tu, son ellas, somos no- sotras...pero yo te quitare a las demas... (6l)

Elvira's aggressive personality is in keeping with the views ex­ pressed above. However, even at the peak of her overpowering rage after finding Juan and Ines together, she attributes her bravado to Juan's example and expresses surprise at his weakness:

Elvira* Contra [Sicj mas me pisen mas me erguire...jarrecha1 i Soy yo, Elvira, yol Juan: iYai jdesafiar el mundol Elvira: jFue tu escuelal Y ahora,

O This is not an isolated instance of the use of dominant women in the works of Unamuno. Similar cases may be found, for example, in Niebla and Las dos madres. In reviewing the work of Said Armesto^ Ea leyenda de Don Juan, Unamuno had occasion to make this reference to womankind: ^Fausto trae a Margarita, a la etema Margarita, a sus brazos. 0 cae en los de ella, que es lo que mas bien sucede, a pesar de las apariencias en contrario." Miguel de Unamuno y Jugo, Mi religion y otros ensayos breves. (Buenos Aires: Espasa-Calpe, 1924.2), lliu m o

person whose supreme delight is in the sorrow of others.

Benito: £Es que sufres al ver a otros dichosos? Eres un miserable y debo desenmascararte aqu£, ante tu nueva victiraa... (££) Bested by Juan in the struggled, Benito is reduced to goading Juan

on a point which, as we shall see later, is an integral part of the

protagonist’s inner conflict. Benito: Tu, Juan, no eres hornbre, a pesar de tus manos de hierro y tu furiaj no lo has sido nunca, no puedes serloj a pesar de tus garfios, digo... Juans £Me cre£as de alfenique acaso? Sin cacarear esgrimo espolones, £viste? i Baladronadas.•.noI Benito: No, no puedes serlo. No eres sino sombra de hombre... (67) This is an emotional reaction, but coincides with Antonio’s view of

Juan's character. Antonio, the psychiatrist, takes a clinical view­

point with which he is able to delve deeply into the personality

of the protagonist.

jEl muy...botarate quiere hacer creer que se cree irresistible1 Pero el se conoce bien aunque se pasa el sueno representandose a s£ raismo...Y mire, senorita, no me sorprende lo que le ocurre, porque este desgra- ciado, este pobre hombre— jhombre?— que vive buscandose a s£ mismo, rebus cando al hombre en s£ y sin encontrarlo, se venga as£...El nunca la ha querido... (125>)

...ahora te repito, aqu£, delante de ellas: hombre, jnoi hombre, jnoi ientiendes? hombre, inoi... (1 3 2 )

Thus Don Juan is beset with varying concepts of his legend, both from within and without. In the face of this, he must seek to find his true role in life. This is his problem: n a

...me estas viendo haeerme...personaje...Hay que hacerse uno al irrundo...al teatro.*. (186)

Unamuno, as the creator of el hermano Juan, designates his role in

life. In the prologue to this work, after various suggestions as

to the true nature of Don Juan. Tenorio, the author puts forth this

hypothesis r £0 es que acaso no representara Don Juan lo...-lo, genero neutro— lo que precede a la diferenciacion de sexos?.. .No ambiguoj ni epiceno, ni comun de los dos, sino neutro. Y en ultimo caso tal vez un medianero, un tercero, un celestino, o digamoslo con su nombre castizo: uh alcahuete, de ordinario inconciente. (31-32) This is the extremely personal interpretation to which the author

subscribes and it is therefore designated as the role to which el hermano Juan must conform.

De ellos, de los alcahuetes, dijo nuestro senor Don Quijote que era el suyo "oficio de discretos y necesar- xsimo en la republica"~no dijo en el reino— rrbien ordenada, y que no le debxa ejercer sino gente muy bien nacida." Con todo lo demas que al caso puede leerse en el Libro. Y en este mi librillo de "El Hermano Juan o el mundo es teatro" podra ver el lector...esbozada esa doctrina* (33)

Opposed to the force of the legend which we have already

seen will be this role of the go-between which el. hermano Juan plays with ever increasing awareness. The burlador, who according to Unamuno had always functioned as an alcahuete, played this part in complete unawareness of his true position. In his latest in­ carnation, as el hermano Juan, the consciousness of his role has led him to do away with the pretense of force and arrogance inherent in the role as presented by Tirso and Zorrilla. Juan now plays his part openly, attesting to bring lovers together by exhortation lh2 rather than by arousing feminine instincts and inciting men to jealous acts. He urges Ines to leave him completely and return to

Benito: Ines: jNecesito un sostenj Juan: jVamos, si, pobre hiedra que buscas sol: un rodrigon...un maridoJ (UU)

Juan: Tu eres como un boton de rosa bajo el rocio del alba; aun no te has desplegado; aun no ha posado sobre ti zumbando el abejorro...eres pura...busca otro angel,.* le tienes a el, a tu Benito, que colmara tu dicha, que fraguara tu ventura... EL te sera hombre de su casa*. .casero... hacendoso...modosito... {50-^1)

Elvira with her more forceful personality presents a more difficult problem, but Juan continues to fulfil his duties:

ELvirar Del suicidio lento que es tu vida de vacio quiero redimirte.

Juan: Te enganas, Elvira. T dime, spor que le desdenas? Elvira: iDesdenar? £a quien? £A Antonio? *Bahi jno necesito de medicoi Juan: |Es tan cabalI ltan enterol I tan generosoi itan hombrei (100) In the course of performing his task as a celestino, a note of despair is to be detected in Juan's entreaties, for he is tragi­ cally aware of his physiological position described by Unamuno as

"lo, genero neutro." (3 2 ) Juan: Pues haces bien, Ines, porque el se lo merece mas que yo; es noblote, es sen- cillo, sin esquinas ni recovecos, todo un angel de Dios*.* El sabra hacerte mujer, y yo no; nacl condenado a no poder hacer mujer a mujer alguna, ni a m£ hombre... (h3) Juan: . • • icasate con ell; quierele como a marido y a m£ como a hermano— el hermano Juan— se mi hermana de la caridad; ten piedad de ml...isoy tan desventuradoi (53)

Mira, Elvira, entregate a el, que el te hara mujer cabalj el y no yo. (118)

This inability to make himself a man is to be fully understood in the light of the definition which Unamuno sets down in his prologue: ...cabe decir que el verdadero hombre, el hombre acabado, cabalmente humano, es la pareja, compuesta de padre y madre. Es la celula humana personal. Y a ese hombre acabado le hace el nombre. Pero no ciertamente el que parecla buscar ese pobre Don Juan soltero,esto es, solitario. (17) T o m by conflicting versions of his legend and vainly seeking to establish his true identity in life, Juan is hopelessly lost in the struggles which are depicted in the first two acts of this drama. Driven to anger by the accusations of Benito he voices bitter sentiments in which he seems almost proud o f his lack of manhoods Sois unos miserables conejos los hombres todos... (56) His efforts to draw the lovers closer together reach the point of self-defense as the women refuse to listen to his advice. ...imira, Antonio, defiendeme de ella y lleva- temelal |En ti esta el hacerla entrar en madrei (116)

Filled with guilt and remorse at the return to his old ways in the attack on Benito, Juan again pleads to be free of the women in his life and seeks the punishment of humiliation. This need of humility is not understood by his antagonist and Juan expresses the 1hh frustration which is to dog him throughout his life.

Juan: No, no te has de ir sin ellaj jllevatelai ilxbrale de mil |l£brame de ellai jY ahora pegame> abofeteame, cast£game, y que lo veai Benito: Pero ique nueva comedia preparas? Juanr iCast£game, he dichoj castxgameJ iNece- sito ser humilladoi Benito: ...son sus diabolicas tretas de comediaJ Juan: jQue nunca he de ser comprendido a derechasj jCastigamei (58)

It is Antonio, the self-assured doctor, who, with his pene trating insight vanquishes Juan's struggles. He voices the protago­ nist's feelings very clearly in these words:

Vive buscandose a s£ mismo, rebuscando al hombre en s£ y sin encontrarlo.•• (125) In the face of Antonio's penetrating analysis of the protagonist's feelings, Juan reverses his previous tendencies and attempts to de­ fend his actions as a naturalpart of his beingr

iVoy a andar con careta puesta? (127) Antonio abruptly destroys this defense with these words:

^Careta? jBah] no llevas otra cosa. (127)

Juan can offer no verbal rebuttal and, as happened before, eventu­ ally reverts to violence. Antonio, however, refuses to be cowed as Benito was following Juan's attack and continues to throw Juan's own realizations back to him, thus holding up to him, as Hamlet did to his mother, a mirror in which he might read his innermost thoughts. Without his legend, however, Juan is lost. Confused and angered by Antonio's perception, the protagonist resorts to defending the legend which he has attempted to reject. Antonio: Siempre tienes presente al publico*.« Juan: jDe el vivoJ Jen el vivol Antonio: Elio te quita naturalidad... Juan: Pero me da humanidad. (132-133) Antonio forces the definitive rupture between Juan and the two women, and the protagonist is left alone.

Ahora solo, solo, solo...como me pario mi madre... iX que me queda? Prepararme a bien morir, ensayar una nueva irruerte... (135) In this closing scene of the second act, Unamuno has struck to the

heart of his own problem. jMi leyendaX jMi novela 1 Es decir, la leyenda, la novela que de mi, Miguel de Unamuno, al que llamamos asx, hemos hecho conjuntamente los otros y yo, mis amigos y mis enemigos, y mi yo amigo y mi yo enemigo. X he aqua por que no puedo mirarme tin rato al espejo, porque al punto, se me van los ojos tras de mis ojos, tras su re- trato, y desde que miro a mi mirada me siento vaciarme de iru misrao, perder mi historia, mi leyenda, mi novela, volver a la inconciencia, al pasado, a la nada.^

The soliloquy at the end of the second act marks the de­ finitive end of Juan’s struggles. Assailed by doubts of that which he has been led to believe true, he briefly contemplates a return to his active life, but his disillusion is too profound to permit this escape:

...Estas se^uro, Juanito, de ser reencamacion del otro? iQuien te ha hipnotizado para sugerirte eso? (Embozandose en la capa) jVaya, a volver a ser yo mismol {A can?) ear J TFaseandose agitado) jAccion, accion, accionl jVidai jAgitese antes deiBarlai Pero por mis vidas que esto no es vivir... (137) In an attempt to escape the world completely, Juan has re­ tired to a monastery. Without the personal contact which had 11*6 contributed to the m i s e r y of his life, he is able to assert himself in his role* Padre Teofilo: jHa cobrado ya tal renombre el hermano en la comarcaj Nadie como el para concertar a desavenidos , urdir noviazgos y arreglar reyer- tas conjugales.•. (ll|2-ll|.3) At this period, as his life draws to a close, Juan has been able to achieve the most complete self-assurance concerning his role in life* Juan: Yo fu£ Don Juan Tenorio, yo he sido entre otros Don Juan Tenorio, pues el Senor nos acuno con el mismo troquel..* Antonio: iOtro mas? Juan: Y ahora, en esta su ultima, mi ultima— hasta hoy— encarnacion, he llegado a su s ecreto... (169-170)

-SHHHHHf-

Juan: Alla, en tiempos pasados...fux Don Juan Tenorio, el famoso burlador de Sevilla... un juerguista, un badulaque y un...|celes- tinoj • • • * Ines: jPero si Don Juan Tenorio parece que no fue mas que un personaje de teatroJ Juan: iComo yo, Ines, como yo, y como tu..* y como todosi (l8h)

■SHHHHKr

Juan: Os d£ mal ejemplo. Met! entre vosotros la discordia, pero para traer la reconciliacion..• (175)

Juan: Mi destino no fue robar amores, no, no lo fue, sino que fue encenderlos y atizarlos para que se calentaran a su brasa...Sonando en mx y en palpitantes brazos de otros concibieron no pocas locas de amores imposibles. Asx se encitaron...Los antiguos, que fueron unos ninos, me llamaron Cupido, el arquero...(l87) 111? The inner conflict, however, must remain unsolved. Juan conforms to the passive acceptance of his duties as a go-between in affairs of love, but his existence is still tainted by his previous lives and activities.

Padre Teofilo: A lo que no se resigna el hermano es no a olvidar, sino a quele olviden ellas... el mujerio... Juan: IEllasJ iEllasj Padre Teofilo: Aunque hemos dejado el mundo, el mundo no nos ha dejado..• Juan: No, nos lo hemos tra£do, maltrechos, con nosotros, y el demonio y el carne, encima. Olemos aun a jara. Trasegamos aca nuestros pecados... (1U8-1U9) Juan's first speech in the drama still holds the same basic truth.

Juan: Ni yo acabo de entenderme.*.As£ me nac£... (ill) Even in the relative assurance of the fulfillment of his task, the protagonist is still beset by the problem of appearance and reality.

Juan: ...cuando conteis al amor del f ogon a vuestra prole, proletarios, mi historia, con otros cuentos y fabulas, y os pregun- ten con los ojos rauy abiertos: "£Pero esto sucedio de verdad?" £que les direis? Porque yo no lo se...Yo no se que es lo que sucede de verdad y que lo que sonaiaos que sucede en este teatro que es la vida... que es lo que se nos aparece en suenos y que es lo que sonamos que se nos aparece. (177) For Unamuno and consequently for el hermano Juan, the problems of life and death are not subject to definitive resolution. The author has already expressed himself forcefully on what he considers the inefficacy of the sciences in the investigation of the problems of existence. 1U8 jBahi No se trata de biologxa, sino de biografxa; no de materia, sino de espxritu; no de fxsica, sino de metafxsica. 0 sea de historia y la historia es meta­ fxsica. Y la filosofxa, ique es sino la historia del desarrollo del pensamiento universal humano? (11)

Antonio, in spite of M s keen perception, is incapable of a full comprehension of Juan's difficulties and the latter ridicules him for his scientific approach:

Juan: iHombre.. „noi hambre inoi £que? £me sigue estudiando la ciencia? I Gran cameloJ jSiempre a caza de consistiduras1«•• (179) The protagonist rejects the world of science as inadequate for his problems; he also turns against God. In the second act, he uses the words of Zorrilla's Don Juan to express his disillusion:

jLlame ai cielo jr no me oyo, jr pues sus puertas me clerra, de mis pasos en la tierra respondo el cielo y no yoi (1 1 3 )

Now in the final act of the drama, Juan gives vent to even more bitter sentiments when called upon to retract his blasphemies in order to obtain God's pardon:

Juan: Soy yo quien tengo que perdonarle... Ines: |Juan, por Dios J *. . Juan: Sx, soy yo quien tengo que perdonarle que me haya hecho como me esta haciendo... (189-190) This is no longer struggle but rather resignation. Juan has sur­ rendered completely. Before, he had been perplexed by life and frightened by death; now, he willingly accepts the fate w M c h awaits him. This final positive approach to death cannot, in Unamuno's philosophy, be taken without reservations even though they may be unvoiced: lb$ Despues de haberme pasado la vida diciendo: jno, noj Ahora le digo a Ella: js£, s£i Y voy a darle mi mano, a darme todo a Ella. s£, s£, pero... (168)

The mystery and terror involved in the unknown experience of death cannot be faced with assurance. "Antes: 'no, pero'... ahora: 'si, pero."' (168) The sentence cannot be completed.

Juan has succeeded in following the role for which he was destined in life: a celestino— an alcahuete. The question, how­ ever, still stands: "Fuera del teatro, ique hay?" (lH7) Since conscious existence outside the theater of life cannot be proven, there is but one real existence before and after death: awareness of one's self by others.

Y existe Don Juan y Don Quixote y Don Miguel y Segismundo y Don Alvaro, y vosotras exist£s, y hasta existo yo...es decir, lo sueno*..y existen todos los que nos estan aqu£ viendo y oyendo mientras lo esten, mientras nos suenen... (185)

The supreme irony is reached after Juan's death and in the last few seconds of the drama. Throughout the play Juan has fought with and denied his legend, but it is this very legend which will constitute his life after death. El hermano Juan has died, but the legend which was incarnate in his person lives on. Ines under­ scores this in her closing lines:

jDon Juan no muerel • • * iDon Juan es inmortali (205) This represents the core of the problem which has faced Juan and

still faces Unamuno as he writes this play. The author suspects the validity of the leyenda unamuniana but he fully realizes that, as in the case of el hermano Juan, legend is the living memory which will

constitute his immortality in the minds of men. CHAPTER V

JOSE MARTINEZ RUIZ (AZORIN)1

In the writings of Aaorxn* we are faced with the problem of two distinct views on the subject of Don Juan, His novel* Don

Juan* presents a reincarnation of the libertine* who* having passed beyond the pale of death* faces his new life with a serene counte­ nance, Freed of doubts or skepticism of the rewards of a Christian life* Juan is capable of completely renouncing a sinful existence.

This work (1922) was followed some twenty years later by a brief interview with Don Juan* which indicates an evolution in the thought of the author on this subject.

The prologue of Azorin»s Don Juan* unlike Unamuno's detailed discussion of the legend* does little more than present a quasl- historical basis for the work he is about to undertake. In this prologue* he recapitulates the story of the seventh miracle of Gon- ssalo de Berceo's Milagros de Nuestra Sefiora. Briefly* this is the account of a sinful monk who* after death* is allowed to return to life to do penance. Although he had died unrepentant* the appeals of St* Peter through the Virgin Mary achieve the miracle. This particular act of clemency is proclaimed in these words of Christs

^The works of Aaorln considered in this chapter ares Don Juan (1922)} "El Caetigo de Don Juan*" in Los Quinteros jr otraeT1, paginas (1925); "Habla Juan Tenorio" in Caprlcko C 3L9l*3) s "^rincipio y finw in dlsicos cemidos (191*7), 151 152

Tome a m al cuerpo on qui fo morador, Faga su [email protected] corao faa peccador. E puede seer salvo por manera melor.*

It is in this manner that Aaorxn provides Don Juan Tanorio with that which Tirso has denied him. Azorxn' s novel will represents so to speaks a ''second chance" for the burlador. To redeem himself in the eyes of Gods Don Juan must live a life diametrically opposed to that which he has spent in his original incarnation. This is ef­ fectively achieved in the very first line of the hovels "Don Juan es un horabre como todos los hombres." There follows the description of a modest, unassuming individual full of human love and charity.

In effect, he is a "nobody." Where Don Juan Tenorio strove to maintain his violent individuality, Azorln^s Don Juan seeks to hide his individuality in both appearance and action. "La meditacion es para el la fuerza supreme del esparitu." (IV, 200) This last point is one of the most outstanding aspects of the above transfor­ mation. Don Juan Tenorio was characterized by action and, parti­ cularly in the creation of Zorrilla, he constantly expressed his impatience with any kind of inactivity.

In the third chapter, Don Juan fades Into the background. This tendency to make the protagonist blend with his surroundings

^Gonzalo de Berceo. Mllagros de Nuestra Sefftora. Edicion y notas de A. G. Solalinde (Hadrid* &pasa-8aSpei '3L92'2"Clasicos Castellanos, no. lik), Ii5. ^Jose d© Martinez Ruiz, called Azor&u .. .Obras completas. Introduccion. • .por Angel Cruz Rueda. 8 v. (’Madrids'TgujClar, X9WJ, IV, 219. This edition has been used throughout. Future references to the works of Azoran will cite only volume and page and will be given in the body of the text. and to subordinate him to the other characters in the work is an integral part of this author's technique, Aaorln, as we shall see later, shared Unamuno's theory of Don Juan as an actor. To create this "anti-Don Juan," he removes M m from the center of the stage

and relegates him to the role of a minor character or even a mere

spectator. As such, he is instrumental in providing a pretext for

us, the readers, to be introduced to various character types. In

fact, there can be no doubt that Azorxn, whatever his original in­

tentions, makes free use of this work to study certain individuals,

people whom it is difficult to connect in any way with Don Juan him­

self. The idealistic government official, whom he portrays, for ex­ ample, is an interesting person, but seems to have no real bearing on the subject at hand. If it were not for the ubiquitous nature of Don Juan, this might well be described as the study of a small Spanish town. It may be argued that this type of presentation is intentional, to bring out the retiring nature of Don Juan, but certainly Azorln goes somewhat afield in such digressions as his fond descriptions of the Spanish countryside. (IV, 221)

It must be emphasized that Don Juan appears regularly through­ out the work, particularly in his role of a spectator, and he does demonstrate a deep interest in the people we meet here. After a description of Doctor Quijano,^ we read* "Don Juan le acompana algunos dias en sus visitas..." (IV, 23k); after the description

^It is typical of Azorxn's technique that his fascination for miniature character studies includes literary personages as 15U of the school and its pupils: "Don Juan los acompaHa algunos dias." (XV, 238) We are told briefly that Don Juan takes walks

through the woods, but this is merely a pretext to introduce us to another character,Don Leonardo. (IV, 2l|.6) Don Juan is, then, a

thread of unity running throughout the narrative which is, at best,

quite episodic. Without his presence, the sketches here would have

had to have been presented in a collection such as the author's Los

Pueblo3 or EspaSa, Hombres jr Paisajes. In spite of his apparent

role as a protagonist, Don Juan is almost the exact opposite— a non­ protagonist. Whether or not we criticize Azorxn for the inclusion

of certain extraneous material, it must be admitted that he has had complete success in presenting a penitent Don Juan who is the very

antithesis of the legendary figure. It is true that Azorxn1s Don Juan is not entirely passive. The few examples of Don Juan in a more active role are outstanding

for their very infrequency and they are all basically similar. Every exhibition of direct action on the part of Don Juan is motivated by

charity and with no thought of personal glory. He has compassion for the lonely prostitute: "Dejo caer en su falda unos papelitos

azules y se ale jo de prisa." (IV, 2£l) He gives money anonymously for the construction of a school and, during the applause at the laying of the corner-stone, "confundido entre el pueblo, Don Juan

well as conventional figures of the Spanish scene. The identi­ fication of Doctor Quijano with Don Quixote is obvious. There is also a brief mention of a celestinesque type who lived "en 3a cuesta del r£o, junto a las tenerfas." (IV, 227) 155 sonrie." (IV, 26£) His supreme act of will, although it is to no avail, is his attempt to help the prisoners who are traveling through the town. True, he is accompanied by another in his petition before the governor, but it is Don Juan who takes the initiative and pre­ sents the case. (IV, 2U5-2U6) This is an especially interesting scene, considering the fact that he has little to say in the novel.

If, as we are led to believe in the prologue of the work, this is the story of Juan's penance, then there must be some suf­ fering in this new life, in order to make the penance effective.

From what we have noted up to this point, this type of life might well be a very happy one for many people. It is, however, an exis­ tence which is not completely serene. Azorxn's Don Juan has faced perdition and must be well aware of his previous incarnation and the purpose of his rebirth. In this new-found realization of the evils of his past life and their almost inevitable consequences, he is naturally filled with great remorse. This mental suffering alone, which constitutes a large part of the penance he must undergo, is suggested in the early description of the character:

£Hay, a veces, un arrebol de melancolfa en su cara? ^Matiza sus ojos, de cuando en cuando, la tristeza? Sobre sus pesares Intimos coloca, en bien del projimo, la mascara del contento. (IV, 220)

There is suffering, but a suffering which must be all the worse, since in consideration of his new life, he cannot communicate it.

There is another aspect of this life of penance which is even more important. In spite of the remorse felt for his past deeds, Don Juan still might find this life a fairly easy one, since 156

he is only too well aware of his fate if he were to fall back again into his old ways. To prove his moral strength, he is faced with temptation, which must surely bring about his ruin, should he suc­

cumb to it. The two sources of temptation are clearly indicated to

the reader. Early in the novel, Sor Natividad is described in terms not normally used for sisters in a convent:

Bajo la tunica blanca, al moverse, se perciben las llenas y elegantes lineas del cuerpo. (IV, 227)

The reader is presented with a sensual picture of the nun as she

prepares to retire. The terminology and suggestive question are

clear indications that she is not completely unaware of her physical charms.

Se esparce por la alcoba un vago y sensual aroma ...sus manos blancas van, con suavidad, despojando el esbelto cuerpo de los habitos exteriores. Un instante se detiene Sor Natividad. £Ha contsmplado su busto solido, firme en un espejo? (IV, 228)

The significance of these lines is felt later when Don Juan, in the company of a fid.end, encounters the sister in the convent. Sor

Natividad is careful to give no sign that she has noted their presence. She bends over a flower to accentuate the lines of her body; she catches her tunic in such a manner as to reveal her legs.

Don Juan notes these actions and when his companion remarks on the beauty of the construction of the building, he agrees:

— Hermosa— ...y luego, lentamente bajando la vista y posandola en los ojos de Sor Natividad: — Verdaderamente.. .hermosa, (TV, 261)

It is important that Don Juan be attracted by feminine charms. Ibis

sole inheritance from his old life increases his sufferings, for he, 157 having experienced death and returned to life, knows beyond any doubt that to yield now to temptation must lead to damnation. Jeannette presents an even worse danger, since Don Juan is in much freer com­ munication with her, and she, unlike Sor Natividad, is not bound by

any vows of humility and chastity. Don Juan stands firm against

her advances, his refusal to speak serving as a shield against her

hints and insinuations. (IV, 259) He is not, however, unmoved by her actions. A rose, which she has presented to him, is later

found in his roam, even though it has withered and died. This is

not the only manifestation of his usually concealed weakness. Don

Juan goes with his friends to the station to say farewell to

Jeannette and her family as they leave ibr Paris. If Juan were

completely concerned with his salvation, it might seem proper that he would be, if not angry with, at least wary of Jeannette, since she has represented such a threat to the success of his new life.

This is not the case, for as the time for parting approaches, we are confronted with this scene: — iAdios, Don Juan! — ha dicho Jeannette. — iAdios, JeannetteI — ha dicho Don Juan. Han permanecido con las manos trabadas, en silencio. — iHasta la vista? — ha anadido Jeannette. — iQuien sabei — ha exclamado Don Juan. Ha habido otro corto silencioj las manos continuaban uni das. — iAdios, Don Juanl — ha dicho, al fin, Jeannette. — iAdios, Jeannette..., adios, querida Jeannette! — ha dicho Don Juan sacudiendo nerviosamente la mano de Jeannette. (IV, 273)

Temptation must be faced and conquered to make Juan worthy of salvation. There remains enough of the old Don Juan Tenorio in him to make this difficult* It might be of interest to note, how­ ever, that his moments of greatest weakness occur at times when it would be impossible to continue in a wayward path. His comment to

Sor Natividad, which she so clearly understood, could have led to no further intimacies in the presence of Don Gonzalo; and, here in the railroad station, his conduct contrasts sharply with that which he displayed when Jeannette tempted him in private. Though these are moments of weakness, Don Juan has been careful to allow them to occur under such circumstances that he may not compromise his hopes of salvation*

The epilogue serves to recapitulate that which we have al­ ready learned about the character of the reincarnated Don Juan.

We find here a series of questions posed to him concerning his past life. That the questioner is a woman would be apparent even if Juan had not addressed her as "hija mia." (IV, 275) All of his answers are somewhat evasive and show a great spiritual strength*

As he states, "mi pensamiento esta en lo futuro, y no en el pasado**.

(IV, 275) In almost every aspect, Juan, now hermano Juan, is living the life of a monk, not one who is protected by enclosure and ri­ tual, but rather a monk, who in the face of worldy temptations is able to adhere to the vows of piety, poverty, chastity and charity. His whole life is now dedicated to those spiritual exercises which must bring him ultimate salvation.

Azorin' s Don Juan might well be the Hermano Juan of Una­ muno's drama if the latter had been able to find peace of mind. 159 The Don Juan which we are now studying had to wrestle with temp­ tation, but he was not besieged by doubts of himself, his role in life or the life hereafter. Our author, not as vitally involved with the problems of existence and immortality, is easily able to bridge the gap mentally between life and death. Unamuno, unable to accept the concept of life after death and preoccupied with the purpose of being, was unwilling to compromise his own thought by providing Don Juan with a ready solution for the problems of his existence. Azorln, in an uncomplicated, philosophically superficial treatment, has pushed such problems to one side and presented a new

Don Juan, fully aware of his reason for being and confident of his salvation. Unlike Unamuno, Azor£n is not wrestling with any complex problems of being. There seems to be no particular thesis here un­ less it is the rather banal idea that salvation is wrought through leading a saintly life. Fortunately for our purposes, Azorln re­ turns to the subject of Don Juan in three other works. In two of these, we find some clarification of his feelings toward the subject as they are expressed in the novel, Don Juan. El castigo de Don

Juan is a brief article opening with a discussion of the original manuscript of the Burlador de Sevilla. It is revealed that this manuscript evidences certain emendations and deletions. In addition to this, Azorxn notes that the following lines are particularly em­ phasized, "imitando la letra de iraprenta'*:

Don Juah: Deja que llame quien me confiese y absuelva. Don Gonzalo. No hay lugar; ya recuerdas tarde. Don Juan. {Que me quemoJ jQue me abrasoi iMuerto soyi (IV, 61*0 ) With these points in mind, Azorfn constructs a fanciful little story about the writing of the play. In the course of compo­ sition, Fray Gabriel Tellez must repeatedly hear the confessions of certain "damas elegantes y hermosas'1 who have been violated by "un enamorador...tal vez el autor de esas crueles burlerlas es el mismo.

(IV, 637) The good friar treats the ladies kindly, but he is skep­ tical, and this point is underscored:

iPecarlamos por temerarios en decir que el padre Tellez es un poquito esceptico enciertas materdas de amor y de venustez? (IV, 6 3 7 ) 5i*ay Gabriel es un poco esceptico. Demasiado esceptico, acaso. Doncella jr Corte son cosas que indican contradiccion. (IV, 6 3 8 )

The friar wanders if the ladies are sincerely afflicted by their disgrace. Back in his cell, he continues work on his new drama.

EL autor tiene decidida la suerte de su heroe... £no serf a terrible condenar a Don Juan? Y condenarle para la eternidad. (IV, 6 3 8 ) He is again interrupted by another woman who comes for confession.

Unlike the wealthy ladies of the court who preceded her, she is poor and ragged. Her child is with her, the fruit of her encounter with a seducer who has refused to give her aid. Back in his cell, Tirso makes changes in his manuscript; he pauses in his work; "iEternidad eternidadl" (IV, 6I4O), but his mind is made up and slowly and clearly he pens the lines cited above.

From this point of view, the damnation of Don Juan was not l6l

the result of a carefully worked out theological plan, but rather an impulsive action. Tirso, filled with compassion for the victim

and anger for the seducer, condemns his protagonist. "jEternidadJ iEternidadi Eternamente Don Juan penara en el infierno." (IV, 6 ijl)

Azorln is struck by the enormity of such an act. He feels that the

victims must share the blame with Don Juan. This stand has some basis, for it is certainly true that the victims of Tirso's Don Juai

are not usually entirely blameless. Isabela invites her own dis­

honor; Tisbea errs in her scorn for love and freely admits her guilt:

Yo soy la que hacxa siempre de los honibres burla tanta; que siempre las que hacen burla vienen a quedar burladas. (1 . 1013-1 0 1 6 )

Dona Ana, like Isabela, is willing to indulge in intimate relations

before her marriage. Catalinon, in a very suggestive line, refers to his master as "el castigo de las raujeres." (l. 895) If* then, Don Juan does not bear the entire blame, does he deserve condemnation?

In an even briefer article, Principio £ fin* Azorxn further

underscores the injustice which he sees in the damnation of Don Juan.

Basing his ideas on a single episode of the Burlador de Sevilla,

the deception (it is hardly a seduction) of Isabela, he clearly

describes the guilt inherent in the compromising situation in which

she has placed herself. From here Azorxn turns his attention to the

end of the drama and notes in a few words that the protagonist was

allowed no time for confession and repentance. With remarkably little commentary, he compares two well known sinners of the seven­ teenth century Spanish stage: 162

En EL Condenado por deseonfiado, Shrico es mas pecador que Don”"7uan Tenorio• No hay comparacion.. .A Enrico se le da tierapo; Enrico se salva. (VI, lOJ+U) The terse quality of these last lines demonstrates a distinct bitter­ ness, It would be incorrect to assume that our author's decision to rewrite the life of the burlador was based on a pressing desire to undo the presumed injustice committed by Tirso, Azorxn was con­ stantly preoccupied with reliving and thus transforming the major part of Spanish literature to suit his own outlook. In the process of this task, he could not have failed to seize upon one of the best known themes of the Spanish literary tradition. Once having turned to the subject of Don Juan, however, it Is apparent from the supple­ mentary material which we have seen, that he views the condemnation of the libertine as a decision based on caprice, rather than on reasoned judgment* The fact that Azorln is interested in reforming and recreat­ ing the nature of Don Juan is some small evidence of his distaste for the character of the rake as he appears in the drama of Tirso de Molina, There is further and much stronger evidence to support this conclusion in the treatment of Don Juan to be found in

Cagricho, published in 19U3*^ This work, which is labeled novela, is essentially a series of articles presenting the author's con­ ception of the reactions of various real and literary types upon being offered access to a large sum of money. The picture given

-*Jose Martinez Ruiz, called Azorin, "Habla Juan Tenorio, ** in Capricho, Obras completas, (Madrid: Aguilar, 19U8), VI. 163 of Don Juan is in every way unlike that which we have examined in the earlier novel. The figure treated here is not a reincarnation, but rather the libertine himself grown old and disillusioned. His answer to the offer of riches reveals a character who embodies many of the views and feelings of the libertine as he appears in the works of Valle-Inclan, the Machados and Unamuno. Azorxn withholds the ’’second chance” which he had allowed Don Juan before and plunges him into an agonized awareness of the futility of his life: Ninguna vida tan fruslera como la mia. Conquistar a una mujer, dejarla y conquistar a otra. iNada mas? No; nada mas. Y ien el mundo no hay mas? No; en el mundo no hay mas. (VI, 9 7 7 )

All of the characteristics evident in one or more of the works we have already studied are present: taedium vitae: Te dire que es mi vida como si tras un punado de ceniza cogiera otro... (VI, 976) awareness of self as an actor: ...este cuarto...es a raodo de camarin de actor. Y eso es lo que yo soy. Ya te he dicho con esto, grosso modo, mi gran secreto. (VI, 97!?) realization of the falseness of his role: La vida que llevo es una para el publico y otra para mi; de las dos imagenes, la falsa es la que conterapla el publico, la verdadera es la mia. (VI, 975) s elf-deprecation: Hay un escritor modemo, tu lo sabes, Goethe, que ha manifestado por ml un profundo desprecio. Lo que no puedes saber es que yo, al conocer esos sentimientos del poeta hacia mi persona, he sentido por el admiracion y carino. Eso mismo que piensa el poeta es lo que yo pienso de mi mismo. (VI, 976) 16U disillusion: De beldad en beldad. Continuamente de beldad en beldad. Btemamente de beldad en beldad. £1 despues? Pero no. Antes de ese despues hay otra cosa. Antes de la disilusion final, existen los instantes en que me siento hundido. (71, 976)

The chief value of this work of Azorln for our study is its tendency to synthesize in a brief statement those elements which we have detected in other reworkings of the Don Juan theme. The fact that it represents a change in attitude from Azorxn's previous work, indicates a distinct possibility of his having been influenced by the other writers mentioned, particularly Unamuno. What we have here, however, is a statement of disillusion, not a problem. Azorxn again has avoided the issue which Unamuno faced. This new Don Juan of Azorln is frustrated by his past life, not by life itself. It is a question of "mi vida," not of "la vida," and as such, there is no intellectual complication involved.

He fracasado en la vida. Y lo terrible es que no puedo volver a vivirla. (VI, 977)

This would be to imply that if he had the chance to r elive his life, all of his problems would be solved. The failure of the libertine^ career is evident in the work of Unamuno as well as in that of Azorxn. The difference lies between a complex and a simple approach to the problem. In both cases, the result is frustration, but, in

Azorln, this outcome is accepted passively. This is the recognition without struggle of a problem-filled existence. Azorln has changed in his consideration of Don Juan, but not In his tendency to avoid the difficulties which must form, an integral part of Unamuno’s work. CHAPTER VI

PIO BAROJA1

It is perhaps strange that P£o Baroja did not attempt a

complete adaptation of the legend of Don Juan. His interest in the

subject of anarchism— appearing frequently throughout his works—

might well have led him to a study of the individual who represents

in a sense the very essence of this theory of thought and conduct.

Baroja's preoccupation with political philosophies, however,

centered mainly upon the doctrinal background of political thought and the application of the doctrine in the individual together with

the practical results of such activity* Don Juan showed basically

single conscious motivations and a type of anarchism which is com­

pletely personal and individual* In his nature there is no plan, no missionary zeal; he does not consider others except in the way that he may bring himself to their attention. In spite of the im­ portance of the individual in an anarchical philosophy, there is the

necessity to propagate the belief, to work toward an ideal. This is

not in the character of Don Juan. At his death the libertine could

The works of Baroja to be considered in this chapter ares El mayorazgo de Labraz (1903); Da dama errante (1908); Cesar o riada TT910); Bl arTjoi de la ciencia T^9ll)T Vaginas escogidas (l91?); La caverna del humorismo (I9 1 9 ); lia sensualidad pervertida (1920); Entretenimientos (1926); Allegro final (1931); Siluetas de mfsticos (1 9 3 1 ); El cabo~de las tormentas "(1931-1932); La formacion psicologica de un escritor (i93f>) j Qalerxa de tipos de la epoca

1 6 $ 166 not have been capable of the words of Brull, the anarchist in La dama errante.

"Antes de ml, en EsparEa no habla nada. iNadaJ De spues de mi Gran Ac to vivla ya un ideal: la Anar quia. Yo lo acababa de echar al mundo en aquel momento terrible."2

This is the outward quality, real or assumed which Don Juan lacks.

He has no ideal other than the flattery of his own ego. Despite these differences, there is in the excessive pride of Don Juan a point of contact with the anarquist which Baroja does not fail to note in his description of Brull.

En el fondo, toda su alma estaba hinchada por una vanidad monstruesaj querla llamar la atencion de la gente, sorprenderla, pero no con benevolencia ni con simpatla, sino, al reves, raortificandola. Tenia ese sentimiento especial de las mujeres coquetas, de los Tenorios, de los anarquistas y de algunos catedraticos que quieren ser amados por aquellos mismos a quienes tratan de ofender y de molestar.3

It still might have been possible for Baroja to make use of the legend of Don Juan, adapting it to suit his purposes as we have seen it done by other members of the "Generation of '98." This move is blocked primarily by a stylistic rather than a philosophical ob­ jection. Unlike others, particularly Azorln, Baroja does not tend to draw upon the literary world for the characters in his pro­ ductions. In the prologue to selected passages from his works, the author discusses certain aspects of his technique as a writer.

^Plo Baroja, La dama errante (Madrid: Editorial Caro Raeeio. 1920), 139-lUO.

3lbid., 76. 167 To, como los demas escritores, en mis novelas casi siempre invento el tipo principal y copio de la real­ idad los secundarios.^

In the strictest observance of this statement it would be impossible to employ Don Juan in a principal role. As to the place of a secon­ dary figure— and it is certainly difficult to conceive of the libertine in such a position— this is not possible, given Baroja^ views on the reality of Don Juan. -

Our author relegates the rake to the plane on which he was originally to be found in the first literary rendition of the legend, Tirso quite clearly employed the figure of Don Juan for strictly theological purposes. Baroja refuses to allow him any other value.

Realmente, don Juan es un majadero que no tiene mas valor que el que le da la teologxa.^

Whereas other authors might see in an individual the synthesis of certain eternal qualities of a race or nation, Baroja will not accept this thesis for Don Juan or any other person or personages. The individual must be considered for himself alone, without reference to anything which might be thought to transcend the simple fact of existence*

Lo individual es la unica realidad en la naturaleza y en la vida. La especie, el genero, la raza, en el fondo no existenj son abstracciones, modos de designar, artiflcios

^Pxo Baroja, Paginas escogidas (Madrids Editorial Calleja, 1918), 18. £p£o Baroja, La cavema del humorismo (Madrids Editorial Caro Raggio, 1927)> 116. 168

de la ciencia, sxntesis utiles, pero no absolutamente exactas. Con estos artificios discurrimos y cora- paramos; estos artificios constituyen una norma dentro de nosotros mismos, pero no tienen realidad exterior. Solo el individuo existe por s£ y ante s£. Soy vivo5 es lo unico que puede afirmar el hombre... En lo humano, como en toda la naturaleza, el individuo es lo unico. Solo lo individual existe en el campo de la vida y en el campo del esp£ritu... Todo lo individual se presenta siempre mixto, con absurdos de perspectiva y contradicciones pin- torescas, contradicciones y absurdos que nos chocan, porque intentamos someter los individuos a principios que no son los suyos.®

As for Don Juan in particular, the author not only rejects any pos­ sible relationship to the general character of the Spanish people, but reduces him to the sphere of pure imagination.

el joven condiez o doce duros al mes y una mujer guapa y elegante al brazo, a quien Uevaba a cenar, es un topico literario, pero no una realidad. Casi todo el don juanismo espanol es as£: pura imaginacion • ‘

We have already mentioned Baroja's insistence upon the fact that Don Juan possesses only the value which is placed upon him by

theology. Thus, the libertine becomes a mere instrument to demon­ strate certain theories of sin and evil and the consequences in­ volved in espousing a life of sin. For Baroja, the problem of good and evil is overwhelmingly complex and he does not accept the ready interpretations of Christianity. In the prologue to his novel,

Cesar o nada, the author discusses the matter of morality with the

%>£o Baroja, Cesar o nada (Madrid: Editorial Caro Raggio. 1920), 7-8.

p£o Baroja, Entretenlmientos (Madrid: Editorial Caro Raggio, 1927)a 1 6 3 . 169 protagonist and his sister, Laura.

— Yo creo que Cesar y usted— salto diciendo Laura— , a fuerza de querer ver las cosas claras, las ven mas obscuras que los demas. Yo esto lo veo sencillamente: me parece que a toda persona que obra bien se le llame moral, y, por el contrario, del que hace malas acciones se diga que es inmoral y se le castigue. — Pero tu prejuzgas la cuestion— exclamo Cesar— , la das por resuelta de antemano. Tu dicesi hay el bien y el mal. — £Y no los hay? — No lo se. — De manera que si a ti te encargaran de juzgar a los hombres, £no verlas diferencias entre Don Juan Tenorio y San Francisco de Asls? — Quiza el santo era el que gozaba mas, el mas vicioso. — iQue barbaridadi — No, porque el placer es el resultado, no la forma. A ml, lo que se llama vida de placeres me aburre. — Y a ml, en lo poco que conozco de ella, tamhLsn dije yo. — Yo veo en general la vida— siguio diciendo el— como una cosa obscura, turbia y sin atractivos. — Entonces ustedes no pondrlan el demonio en la vida, porque la vida les parece sin atractivos. iEn donde lo pondrlan? — Creo que en ningun lado— contesto Cesar— ; el demonio es una invencion estupida...

Here Baroja has been willing to sit back and allow his literary characters to develop his thoughts. Such material is not conclu­ sive, since without a comprehensive statement by the author himself, we may not presume that the opinion most forcefully expressed is necessarily his own. The needed supplement is to be found in a passage from La dama errante, which as an obvious digression, may be construed as Baroja*s own sentiments.

^Plo Baroja, La dama errante, l£-l6 . 170 La idea del pecado es una de las ideas mas absurdas y mas petulantes de las religiones. A primera vista, esta invencion, que supone al hombre libre en absoluto, parece completamente austeraj pero en el fOndo no lo es, sino todo lo contrario. El pecado es como la cascara del placer: es el antifaz negro que vela el rostro del vicio y le da mas promesas de voluptuosidad. Es, en ultimo termino, un excitante*^

With the supression of that which commonly controls the moral out­ look of men— religion and honor— Don Juan loses his significance and Baroja in his rejection of the libertine pushes the matter to an ironical extreme.

Con el fondo negro de la perversidad y del pecado, las tonterxas humanas toman grandes per- spectivas, y el hombre es, principalmente, un animal aparatoso y petulante. Sin las sombras de la perversidad, ique queda de don Juan? Con un poco de deshonor, de lagrimas y de infiemo, don Juan se destaca como un monstruoj pero se suprime todo eso, desaparece el dilettantismo de la fechoria, de la deshonra y del demonio, lo malo se convierte en anomalo, y don Juan queda reducido a un hombre de buen apetito. En una sociedad en donde reinara el amor libre, el famoso burlador serxa un benemerito de la patria, y el jefe del Estado le darxa una palmadita en el hombro y le dirxa: "Treinta afEos y cuarenta hijos. j Bravo, don Juan J, 11 y le pondrxa una corona de laurel, en premio a su civismo.-LO

Our author in maintaining Tirso's focus on the theological has almost completely eliminated the possibility of his reworking the legend of Don Juan. In his narrow definition, Baroja has confined this literal^ figure to purely theological values and thus placed him in an area of thought which is not recognized as valid by the author. This is not the anguished doubt of Unamuno, but rather a

9Ibid., 32. 10Ibid., 33. 171 complete rejection of Christianity as a doctrine for moral conduct.

In regard to the most popular rendition of the story of Don

Juan, Baroja*s appreciation is marred by a feeling of antipathy for both the protagonist and author. Describing his first contact with

Zorrillsfs drama, he indicates a certain openness of mind which is swiftly displaced by a feeling of distaste which he himself does not seem capable of explaining.

Con don Trinidad fuimos Arnegux y yo por Todos los Santos al teatro a ver Don iJuan Tenorio, al paraxso. iQue impresion me causol Se decxa que la companxa era buena. El teatro, uno de aquellos teatros antiguos, todo rojo y dorado, estaba de bote en bote; en los palcos, las familias distinguidas; el gallinero, lleno de soldados. Habxa, como en todos los teatros en aquella epoca, Tin olor de gas sofecantes las caras se veian congestionadas, los ojos inyectados. Durante imicho tiempo pense en el placer que debxa dar el representar la escena del sofa del Tenorio, o la obra en que don Juan se arrodilla ante la tumba de Dona Ines. Luego se me paso tal chifladura, y no se si con razon o sin ella, tome gran antipatxa por el Tenorio y un profundo desden por el poeta Zorrilla*1!

This impression remained unchanged in essence and eventually cry­ stallized into a feeling of scorn which Baroja states outright without attempting to elaborate on the reasons for his feelings.

Tairrpoco creo que el Don Juan Tenorio de Zorrilla, sea gran cosa.1^

A Espronceda se le sigue recordando y a Zorrilla tambien, principalmente por el Tenorio, que no es de sus obras mejores, ni mucho menos.-*-3

^ P x o Baroja, La sensualidad pervertida (Madrid: Editorial Caro Baggio, 1920), 9&7~ !2pxo Baroja, Galerxa de tipos de la epoca (Madrid: Biblioteca Nueva, 19^4-7 J, ^Ibid., 167. 172

Notwithstanding his aversion to Zorrilla and the drama, Don Juan

Tenorio, Baroja was willing to c ite the work on two occasions in his novel, El arbol de la ciencia.

Su melena blanca, su bigote engomado, su perilla puntiaguda, que le temblaba al hablar, su voz hueca y solemne le daban el aspecto de un padre severo de drama, y alguno de los estudiantes que encontro este parecido, recito en voz alta y cavernosa los versos de Don Diego Tenorio, cuando entra en la Hos- teria del Laurel en el drama de Zorrilla: Que un hombre de mi linaje descienda a tan ruin mansiohT1^ Menos el sentido religioso, la mayorxa no lo tenlan, ni les preocupaba gran cosa la religion; los estudiantes de las postrimerxas del siglo XIX venxan a la corte con el espxritu de ■un estudiante del siglo XVII, con la ilusion de imitar dentro de lo posible, a Don Juan Tenorio y de viviri

llevando a sangre y a fuego amores £ desafioslb

These references do not contain any value judgments and, concerning

Baroja1s own attitude, they are indicative of nothing more than his recognition of the great popularity of the work and its consequent value in giving to his descriptions a universally recognizable point of reference.

In the extensive bibliography of Baroja, it is neither Tin- usual nor significant that certain characters would be depicted or

^•Pxo Baroja, El arbol de la ciencia (MadridJ Editorial Caro Raggio, 1

^Ibid., 17. 173 mentioned whose lives in seme way paralleled that of Don Juan

Tenorio.^ The author mentions this relationship specifically on occasion, but the references are fleeting and in general describe personages of only a secondary order. An outstanding example of this use of Don Juan solely for descriptive value is in the depic­ tion of Juan Carratala.

Los policies, segun las ordenes de Anido, no tenian obligacion de declarar en los procesos de terrorismo. Uno de estos policias, un tipo senalado de maton, se llamaba Juan Carratala. Carratala se sentxa Don Juan, gastaba bigote y perilla de mosque- tero, estaba casado y se habia enredado con la criada de la casa de un...oficial de Correos. [Baroja briefly cites two murders committed by Carratala. This figure immediately disappears follow­ ing this statement:j Alii quiza seguirxa, como elTenorio de Zorrilla, enriqueciendo su estadxstica de muertes.^

It is interesting to note that one of the most suggestive elements with apparent relationship to the Don Juan legend should be a matter of sheer coincidence. There is a figure who reappears with some frequency in the works of Baroja called "el hermano

16 In the Singer bibliography, El mayorazgo de Labraz is catalogued in the section bearing this heading: "Versions not re­ lated to the Don Juan theme, but merely giving evidence of a coinci­ dental similarity in name and subject matter." It is true that Don Ramiro might well be described as donjuanesque. However, as indi­ cated in the above quotation, there is no direct comparison to Don Juan, nor are there any specific parallels between the lives of the two figures. The author's scant interest in Don Ramiro and his nature is apparent in the fact that Baroja does not even mention him in the introduction to the excerpts from El mayorazgo de Labraz appearing in Paginas escogidas. 17pxo Baroja y Nessi,...EL cabo de las tormentas (Madrid: Espasa-Calpe, 1932), 117-118, 119. nh Juan." This person in his charity, kindness and selflessness is the exact opposite of Don Juan. Hie benevolent nature together with a mysterious background of sexual abnormality gives this indi­ vidual a close resemblance to the re-creations of Don Juan by other members of the "Generation of *98." We might even note the simi­ larity of name in Unamuno's protagonist and make the conjecture that Baroja*s hermano Juan was the inspiration for that of Unamuno. In spite of the inclusion of el hermano Juan in fictional creation (El arbol de la ciencia and Allegro final), he is described as an actual person in Silhuetas de mxsticos and Baroja*s inaugural address at the

Academia espanola. Therefore, since this was a matter of a living person, the material concerning him can be of little value to our study.

The closest approximation to a re-creation of Don Juan in the works of Baroja is the brief discussion of the roue in a chapter entitled "El humorismo, las mujeres jr los jud£os."

Todo cuanto se relaciona fuertemente con las mujeres es cosa seria; las mujeres rechazan la risa y, sobre todo, el humor. Asi, por ejemplo, don Juan, que es el tipo del hombre inventado, en vista de las mujeres es completamente antihumorista. Don Juan es un comediante serio, un hombre de una seriedad fundamental; hubiera podido muy bien ser el jefe de un partido conservador nacionalista y catolico. Don Juan es un hombre que busca la felicidad y tiene miedo al infiemo, ansia y temor que a un filosofo hace sonrelr. A este la felicidad y el infierno le parecen cosas triviales y sin interes. Las mujeres comprenden muy bien a don Juan, porque sienten como el... Asx como don Juan no puede ser un humorista, tampoco lo pueden ser las mujeres ni los honibres femeninos.. .1 °

■^Pxo Baroja, La cavema del humorismo, 116. Here we have both the possible projection of Don Juan and an im­ portant reason as to why Baroja would not attempt it. The con­ version of the libertine into a leader of a conservative party could only come after a complete reversal of his original nature.

That the author does not pursue this line is understandable in the light of what has been previously said. Baroja, more than any other member of his generation, possessed a destructive nature. Seldom did he show a tendency to build upon the ruins of that which he had razed. Given this role, he destroys Don Juan by seeing the major concerns of the rake's life as uninteresting and trivial. It would not be in the character of the author to build the life of Don Juan anew. CONCLUSIONS

In the material which we have studied there are four re­

creations of Don Juan. These four works demonstrate marked differ­

ences in the approach to and treatment of this legend. In form, we

encounter two dramas (Unamuno and the Machados), one novel (Azorln)

and a combination of four novels presented in the first person as the memoirs of the protagonist (Valle-Inclan). Unamuno and Azor£n present what we must accept as reincarnations of Don Juan Tenorio whose previous life as a burlador is intimated by suggestive state­ ments and the reactions of other characters to the protagonist. The Machados and Valle-Inclan introduce their Don Juan in the midst of

hia erotic existence and follow the development of the protagonist throughout his life.

Baroja and Maeztu have not provided us with literary re­

creations of Don Juan. The former, although he mentions the libertine with some frequency, has no extensive study devoted to this figure.

Maeztu comments the nature of Don Juan according to his interpre­ tations of the character portrayed by lirso and Zorrilla.

At the hands of the above mentioned writers Don Juan has manifested a wide variety of traits and qualities: ostentation and reserve, pride and humility, virtue and vice, self-assurance and vacilations, serenity and misery.

These are but a few of the many differences in the several

176 177 treatments of Don Juan. A generation, however, does not function as with a single mind. Within such a group, variety of individual pre­ sentation is not only unavoidable but essential. To submit completely to a common will would be to compromise the integrity of the indi­ vidual and that of the group as a whole. It is in the general over­ all similarities that the generational tendencies may be detected. In terms of attitude and in some aspects of their approach to the theme, these authors demonstrate a striking homogeneity.

A basic factor in the reincarnations of Don Juan which we have studied is the use of the element of time. The legend as it was treated by Tirso and Zorrilla involves swift, almost continuous action. Only in this way can the protagonist be prevented from introspection. Zorrilla’s Don Juan in particular is characterized by constant impatience, forbidding any relaxation or cessation of the chain of action which makes up his life. He seems not only bored but actually frightened by inactivity* In the four re-creations which we have discussed, this restless action is diminished and the libertine is forced to consider his present or past actions from a rational intellectual point of view. In this process the tradi­ tional Don Juan is completely transformed.

Another common factor in the works studied here is an im­ portant matter of omission which is related to the element of time.

The convidado de piedra, worked into Tirso’s drama and retained by Zorrilla, is completely passed over in the material we have exa­ mined. The apparition represents a force with which the protagonist 178

cannot cope and as such is the instrument of his physical end. The statue confronts Don Juan with the problem of immediate death,

involving the matter of repentance alone. By eliminating the

Comendador and substituting an awareness of the evil of his acti­

vities, the protagonist is immersed in the problems of life as

well as of eventual death.

The distinctive nature of the re-creations of Unamuno,

Asorin, the Machados and Valle-Inclan stems from this conscious­

ness. Don Juan, previously free to follow his instincts, is now beset by the problems of good and evil, life and death.

Unamuno, incapable of tranquility of spirit himself, forces his protagonist into intensive, endless introspection. For the

author further development would have been impossible, but in the

state of self-analysis, el hermano Juan has lost one of the basic

qualities of the burlador. The creature of instinct has become

the tortured slave of reason and self-imposed moral, judgment.

The Machados brought their Don Juan not only to this point

of introspection, but even further into a state of serenity in which he has reconciled himself with the religious and moral problems of existence. The protagonist dedicates his life com­

pletely to the service of his fellow men and dies secure in his faith. In this conversion, the earlier concept of the libertine has been completely destroyed, leaving the individual whose char­ itable life is the very antithesis of the egocentric Don Juan Tenorio.

Azorln, avoiding the difficulties involvedUn the transition 179 from evil to good, presents the miraculous resurrection of Don

Juan. Unlike the re-creation of the Machados and, more particu­ larly, of Unamuno, there are no problems here. Azorin's Don Juan has experienced death directly and by the grace of God has been granted a new life for the purpose of penance. He has an assurance of eternal life which cannot be assailed by doubts, for he has faced the prospect of perdition and has been granted a. reprieve.

In this awareness he reforms his life completely and, secure of his after-life, he is capable of overcoming the greatest temptations of the flesh. Don Juan Tenorio, the ostentatious libertine, becomes in the hands of Azorin a retiring philanthropist who shuns the center of the stage.

Three of our authors, therefore, although differing in treat­ ment and emphasis, have faced Don Juan in a remarkably similar manner.

Each has felt the need of complete change in the character of Don

Juan. In each of these versions, the protagonist has turned from instinctive consideration of the ego to a reasoned approach to life and death.

Valle-Inclan^ re-creation of the character of Don Juan is so complex that its true significance may be lost in a mere perusal of the works involved. With the intensification of evil, placing the protagonist on a demoniac plane, we might first perceive what appears to be a glorification of sin. The error of this assumption is evident, particularly in the Sonata de inviemo, where the pro­ tagonist who has based his life on a cult of love finds himself 180 bereft of his sexual powers and faced with a barren, meaningless

existence. The Marques de Bradomln, identified with a false tra­

dition of caballerosidad gives a deformed representation of the nobility he attempted to emulate. The figure of Don Juan as seen

in Bradomxn is beset by the struggle between good and evil, vainly

attempts to justify his existence and faces life with sham and pretense. He is incapable

Pxo Baroja lacks a reworking of the Don Juan theme apparently for reasons that have been explained in the pertinent chapter. Even in his brief considerations of Don Juan, however, he undermines the egocentric attitude which underlies all activities of the libertine. There is no specific attempt to re-create the nature of Don Juan, but the attitudes and interests of the protagonists of the two best known Spanish dramas on the subject are ridiculed in a most effective way. Thus it is apparent that in spite of the difference of approach, the basic concept of Don Juan is that which we have already seen. The legendary giant, although not trans­ formed, is scorned and rejected.

The work of Ramiro de Maeztu stands out in sharp contrast 181

to the other works we have examined. Whereas the five authors

previously discussed saw inner weakness and lack of subjective

will power in Don Juan, Maeztu detects in him the very strength

of Spain, the power which might again assure her of a strong po­

sition in the world. Perhaps the single point of contact which we

may perceive between this author's work and that of Unamuno, Azorln,

Baroja, Machado and Valle-Inclan is the feeling of need for a re­

appraisal of Don Juan. However, the nature of Maeztu*s material on this subject places him in an entirely different area of thought, at least as concerns the subject of Don Juan. Maeztu accepts the libertine as he appears in the plays by Tirso and Zorrilla. For

him, the protagonist of these dramas represents a vital strength:

sheer power. In the philosophy of the author, power of itself re­ presents a good. The importance lies in its possession, not neces­

sarily in its manner of use.

It might be assumed that the tendency to re-evaluate the legend of Don Juan is a common and therefore a generational aspect

of the work of these authors. This, however, is a dangerously

general statement to be used as a common denominator for this group of men. If we are willing to exclude Ramiro de Maeztu, the unanimity of sentiment may be immediately perceived. Not only did Unamuno,

Azorxn, Baroja, Machado and Valle-Inclan probe into the signifi­ cance of Don Juan, but they also arrived at basically the same con­ clusions: Don Juan as a symbol of an unhealthy characteristic of

Spain. Baroja destroyed him through direct ridicule, Valle-Inclan 182 by creating a ridiculous caricature. Unamuno, Azorin and the Machados transformed the nature of Tirso*s Don Juan by replacing the animalistic drives of the libertine with reasoned, humani­ tarian motivations. In this common view of the problem of Don Juan, we may feel justified in stating that the authors whom we have studied, with the exception of Maeztu, have demonstrated a type of intellectual kinship which may be of significance in the definitive recognition of the "Gene rati on of '98." BIBLIOGRAPHY

Baroja y Nessi, Pxo. Allegro final, in his Intermedios (Madrid: Espasa-Calpe, 1931)• ______. ...El arbol de la ciencia (Madrid: Editorial Caro Raggio, 191&).

______. ...El cabo de las tormentas (Madrid: Espasa- Calpe, 1932). . La cavema del humorismo (Madrid: Editorial Caro Raggio, 19277.™ ______. Cesar o nadaj novela (Madrid: Editorial Caro Raggio,“19 2 07.

. La dama errante (Madrid: Editorial Caro Raggio, 192o 7. . Entretenimientos (Madrid: Editorial Caro Raggio,- I927). ______• La formacion psicologica de un escritor. Discurso de ingreso en la Academia espanola [1935i In his Rapsodias (Madrid: Espasa-Calpe, 1936).

______• Galeria de tipos de la epoca (Madrid: Biblioteca nueva, "19h7) •

______. EL mayorazgo de Labraz (Madrid: Editorial Caro Raggio, 1919)• • Paginas escogidas (Madrid: Editorial Callega, 1918).

______. La sensualidad pervertida (Madrid: Editorial Caro Raggio, 19^0).

______Siluetas de misticos, in his Intermedios (Ifedrid: Espasa-Galpe, 1931).

Baudelaire, Charles. Les fleurs du mal (Paris: Gallimard, 1951). Blanco Aguinaga, Carlos. "Interioridad y exterioridad eh Unamuno,'* NRFH, VII (1953), 636-701.

183 181;

Byron, George Gordon Noel Byron, 6th Baron. Complete Poetical Works of Lord Byron, ed. Paul Elmer More (Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1933)* Casares, Julio. Crxtica profana (Buenos Aires: Espasa-Calpe, 1 9 W 0 . Cassell1s Encyclopedia of Literature, ed. S. H. Steinberg. 2v. (London: Cassell & Co., 195>3)• The Catholic Encyclopedia..., ed. Charles G. Herberman et al, 15> v. (New York: Robert Appleton Co., 1907-12). Cherix, Robert-Benoit. ...Commentaire des "Fleurs du mal"... (Geneve: Pierre Cailler7 19li9)• Cuadra Pinto, Fernando. "Don Juan en los Machado," Estudios, Santiago de Chile, XVI, no. 186 (July 19U$ 26-32. Dizionario letterario Bompiani delle opere... (Milano: Bompiani, iWJ. Enciclopedia cattolica, 12v. (Citta del Vaticano: Ente per 1'Enciclopedia cattolica e per il Libro cattolico, 19U9-19&). Enciclopedia italiana di scienze, lettere et arti... (Treves: Edizioni Instituto G, Treccani, 1932 - X).

Espronceda, Jose de. El estudiante de Salamanca..., ed. George Tyler Northrup... (Boston: Ginn and Company, 1919). Fernandez Almagro, Melchor. Vida £ literatura de Valle-Inclan (Madrid: Editora nacional, 194377

Gonzalo de Berceo. Milagros de Nuestra Senora, edicion y notas de^A. G. Solalinde (Madrid: Espasa-Calpe, 1922. Clasicos Castellanos, no. 14;)• Gosse, Edmund. French Profiles (New York: Dodd, Mead, 1901;).

Hamilton, Thomas J. Appeasement1s Child, The Franco Regime in Spain (New York: Alfred Knopf, T 9B3 ).

Lain Entralgo, Pedro. La generacion del noventa £ ocho (Buenos Aires: Espasa-Calpe, 1947• Colecci’on austral, no. 781;). 18$

Machado y Ruiz, Antonio. Abel Martin,...(Buenos Aires: Editorial Losada, 19U3.) ______• Juan de Mairena; ... 2da ed. 2v. (Buenos Aires: Editorial Losada, 19U9).

Machado y Ruiz, Antonio and Manuel Machado y Ruiz. Desdichas de la fortuna... (Buenos Aires: Espasa-Calpe, 19$lT Coleccion austral, no. 1011).

______• La Lola se va a los puertos, in their Leatro completo, II "(Madrid: Renaciraiento, 1930T7-

___ . .. .Juan de Manara (Buenos Aires: Espasa-Calpe, i'9l£2. Coleccion austral, no. 260).

Maeztu, Ramiro de. Authority, Liberty and Function in the Light of the War...' (London: Allen and Unwinj New York: Macmillan, 1916). ______. La crisis del human!smo... (Buenos Aires: Editorial sudatnericana, 19$l). ______• Defensa de la hispanidad, 2da ed. (Madrid: Grafica universal, 193$)* ______. Don Quijote, Don Juan £ la Celestina... ("Buenos Sires: Espasa-Calpe, 19)4.8 . Coleccion austral, no. 3 1 ) •

______• Espana 2 Europa (Buenos Aires: Espasa-Calpe, 19U7. Coleccion austral, no. 777).

Martinez Ruiz, Jose, called Azorin. ...Obras completas... intro- duccion...por Angel Cruz Rueda” ov. (Madrid: Aguilar, 19U8).

Milton, John. The Poetical Works of John Milton, 2v. (London: Macmillan & Co. Ltd., 1901;). Nietzsche, Friedrich. The Philosophy of Nietzsche... (New York: The Modern library, n.d.).

Ortega y Gasset, Jose. Obras completas... 2da ed. 6v. (Madrid: Revista de Occidente, 19$0-19$2).

Pradal-Rodrxguez, Gabriel. "Vida y obra'* cde Antonio Machadoj, in Antonio Machado (187$-1939)* vida 2 obra - 186

bibliografxa - antologxa - obra inedita (New York: Hispanic Institute in the United States, 1951).

Salinas, Pedro. Literatura espaffola siglo XX, 2da ed. aumentada (Mexico: Antigua libraria Robredo, 19U9. Clasicos y modemos. Creacion y critica literaria, no. 1).

Singer, Armand Edwards. A Bibliography of the Don Juan Theme; Versions and Critxcxsm (Morgantown: West Virginia University, 19$k» V/est Virginia University Bulletin, Ser. 5U, no. 10-1). Southey, Robert. Preface to the Vision of Judgment (Boston: Houghton, Osgood & Co., l88o).

Tellez, Gabriel, called Tirso de Molina, El burla dor de Sevilla, in Hill, John M,, and Mabel Margaret Harlan, ed., Cuatro comedias (New York: W. ¥. Norton & Co., 155177 Unamuno y Jugo, Miguel de. Como se hace una novela (Buenos Aires: Editorial "Alba," 192777

. Dos madres, in his Tres novelas ejem- plares y~un prologo (Buenos Aires: Espasa-Calpe, 19Eo 7“ Coleccion austral, no. 70). . El hermano Juan, £ el mundo es teatro; vieja comedia nueva"(Madrid: Espasa-Calpe, 1931+).

______• Nada menos que todo un hombre, in his frre's novelas ejemplares £ un prologo (feuenos Aires: Espasa-Calpe, 19R3. Coleccion austral, no. 70).

Niebla (Nivola) (Buenos Aires: Espasa- Calpe, 1950. Coleccion austral, no. 99)• . "Sobre Don Juan Tenorio," in his Mi religion y otros ensayos breves (Buenos Aires: Espasa-Calpe, 19^2 . Coleccion austral, no. 299). Valbuena P**at, Angel. Historia de la literatura espanola. 3v. (Barcelona: Editorial Sustavo G'fli, 1950).

Valle-Inclan, Ramon del. Luces de Bohemia (Madrid: Editorial Rua Nueva, 19Uli). ______. Sonata de estxoj memorias del Marques de Bradomin.'.'. (Madrid: 1'mprenta heleni'caV 1913*). 187 Valle-Inclan, Ramon del. Sonata de otonoj Sonata de inviem o; memorias del Marques de Bradomin (Buenos Aires: Editorial Losada, 193^7* . Sonata de primaveraj memorias del Mar- ques de Bradomin.. • (iMadrid: Imprenta helenica, 1917). Zamora Vicente, Alonso. Las "Sonatas11 de Ramon del Valle-Inclan... (Buenos Aires: 19J?1) •

Zorrilla, JoseC Don Juan Tenorio...ed. N.B, Adams (New York: F7 " S . Crofts & Co., 191*6). AUTOBIOGRAPHY

I, Stephen Hamilton Ackerman, was b o m in Port Jervis,

New York, September 16, 1927, 1 received my secondary school education in the public school of Haverstraw, New York, My under­ graduate training was obtained at the College of Wooster, Wooster,

Ohio, from which I received the degree Bachelor of Arts in 1914-9 , From The Ohio State University, I received the degree Master of

Arts in 195>1, While in residence at The Ohio State University, I acted in the capacity of Graduate Assistant in the Department of

Romance Languages, I held this position from 1950 to 1955 while completing the requirements for the degrees Master of Arts and Doctor of Philosophy,

188