Don Juan - Alexander von Bernus

Printed

20 pages

Author(s)

Don Juan

Eine moralische Scene mit einem unmoralischen Nachspiel

Alexander von Bernus | 1907 | Munich, Germany
Genre (as defined by the author)
Moralische Scene
Characters
Don Juan, Donna Anna, Der Pfaffe, Der steinerne Gast, Der Teufel, Die Tugend, Der Narr als Moralist
Number of acts
1
Note

Alexander von Bernus has fun inventing a sequel to Mozart's Don Giovanni: the eponymous hero is carried off to hell at the opening of this 'moral scene with an immoral epilogue'. The play, composed in verse, combines formal refinement with a more bantering and even light-hearted tone in the treatment of the subject matter, with the licencious aspects and the subtle eroticism of the motif - features characteristic of the literary Jugendstil (secession or art nouveau style) that the magazine Jugend [Youth], founded in 1896 by Georg Hirth and Fritz von Ostini, had imposed in Munich at the turn of the century.

Plot summary

No one can escape from vice

Don Juan tries to seduce Donna Anna, but they are spied on by her confessor: An argument ensues, after which Don Juan is carried off to hell by the statue of the Commander. The Devil returns in the guise of Donna Anna to take away the confessor, who has set his sights on the young woman. Then the Devil takes the guise of the confessor to seduce Donna Anna. Virtue, in the guise of a hideous woman, tries to warn her off, but Donna Anna still prefers to give herself to the Devil. The Fool concludes the scene by chasing away Virtue and inviting the audience, for this evening, to enjoy the pleasures of love.

Related works
Don Giovanni, Lorenzo Da Ponte (Emanuele Conegliano), Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Composition date
1907

First performance

Munich, Germany, 1907 -

Schwabing

Publications and translations

Publication

Alexander von Bernus: Dom Juan. München, Schwabinger Schattenspiele, 1907

Conservation place

Münchner Stadtmuseum - Munich, Germany
Language
German
Literary tones
Satirical, Parodistic, Burlesque
Animations techniques
Shadow theatre
Audience
Not specified

Key-words

Theatrical techniques

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Written by

Jean Boutan