Dear Educators, Write a short analysis of the following characters, themes, and symbols from the play (one analysis for each): Dona Ana de Pantoja Brigida Captain Centellas Don Rafael de Avellaneda Pascual Lucía Hate and Love (theme) Betrayal (theme) Faith (theme) Hope and Despair (theme) Cloak (symbol) If you could think of two extra symbols or motifs, that would be great too. Thank you.

Don Juan Tenorio is the story of two men who make a bet to see who can do the most damage in a year. When that bet spawns another, Don Juan has to try to seduce Don Luis's fiancee and kidnap his own bride. These actions lead to many deaths, the prospect of Don Juan facing eternal damnation, and, finally, Don Juan finding forgiveness with God.
Dona Ana de Pantoja is the fiancee of Don Luis. She is loyal and promises him that she will not sleep with Don Juan. Unfortunately, she is tricked into thinking that Don Juan is Don Luis and thus is unable to marry Luis. She is very wealthy. After she is tricked and cannot marry Don Luis, she is left abandoned and bereft.
Brigida is the servant of Dona Ines, Don Juan's promised bride. She is sneaky and motivated by money. When Ciutti approaches her with the plan to turn Ines's mind toward Don Juan, she takes the money and agrees to do it. She manipulates Ines into thinking that Don Juan is wonderful and desirous of her. She says, "I have convinced her in such a clever way she'll follow you, any day, like a little lamb." Brigida seems to pity Ines's isolation somewhat and calls her a "poor little bird in a cage."
Captain Centellas believes that Don Juan is more evil than Don Luis. He says that he is wagering everything he has on Don Luis. He is perceptive enough to recognize Don Juan even when he wears a mask. He is a God-fearing man who warns him to fear those who are of God.
Don Rafael de Avellaneda bets on Don Luis to win the wager. He is an impulsive man who says that even though he does not know anything about Don Juan, he believes he knows enough of Don Luis's deeds to wager blindly.
Pascual is a servant of Don Luis who agrees to help him with the second bet between Don Luis and Don Juan. He says he will serve him until death. He is loyal and also grounded. He tells Don Luis to forget the bet.
Lucía works for Dona Ana and is selfish and driven by money. Even though she knows Dona Ana is engaged, she agrees to let Don Juan in for 200 gold pieces. At first, he offers 100, but he then doubles it when she hesitates.
The theme of hate and love is prevalent in the play. Everyone is doomed by hate, and Don Juan is redeemed by the love of Ines. When Don Luis and Don Gonzalo refuse to stop their persecution of Don Juan, who says that he loves Ines and is a changed man, he chooses to kill them instead. He says Don Gonzalo is taking his salvation. In the end, Ines loves Don Juan enough that she gives her soul to save his own and literally pulls him from the cusp of Hell.
The theme of betrayal is best shown between Don Luis and Don Juan. By the terms of their second bet, Don Juan has to try to sleep with Don Luis's fiancee, Ana. Because he does not yet know how much he loves her, Don Luis agrees to this bet, betraying Ana. Ultimately, Don Juan betrays Don Luis by both sleeping with his fiancee and pretending to be Don Luis to do so.
Faith is an important theme in the play. Don Juan does not have faith in God and tries to find his salvation in worldly pleasures. He is only redeemed at the end when Ines—who is pure and faithful—agrees to bind her soul to his and either be saved or damned with him. At the last moment of his life, he finds faith and calls to God for forgiveness. They both go to Heaven.
Hope and despair also play an important role in the play. When Don Juan is in despair because he cannot find forgiveness with Don Gonzalo or Don Luis, he acts out in rage and kills them. This sends him deeper into despair and forces him to be away from Spain for five years. Only the hope Ines had that Don Juan could find God and ask for forgiveness saved him from Hell at the end of the play.
Cloaks and masks are major symbols in the play. They prevent people from being seen as they are. They allow the characters to hide things and to lie to each other. They show people refusing to be their true, authentic selves. For example, when Don Luis comes to get revenge on Don Juan, he comes wrapped in a cloak. Don Juan's servant is not able to identify him to his master.
Other important symbols in the play are snakes and ashes. They appear instead of food at the ghostly banquet hosted by Don Gonzalo. They represent Don Juan's eternal reward if he does not choose to repent and find forgiveness with God.