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Gender and the Monstrous
in El burlador de Sevilla
Elizabeth Rhodes
1
F o l l o w i n g e s t a b l i s h e d p r a c t i c e , I use W o m a n ( F e m a l e , F e m i n i n e ) a n d M a n ( M a l e ,
Masculine) to refer to the cultural constructs o f g e n d e r e d behaviors, i n contrast to
w o m e n a n d m e n , i n d i v i d u a l s w h o m a y o r m a y n o t c o n f o r m t o t h o s e c o n s t r u c t s . Butler
makes refined distinctions between anatomical sex, gender identity, a n d gender
p e r f o r m a n c e , as d o e s V a n c e . S i m i l a r l y , I use O r d e r i n r e f e r e n c e to the hegemonic
construct o f socio-political correctness.
MLN117 ( 2 0 0 2 ) : 2 6 7 - 2 8 5 © 2 0 0 2 b y T h e J o h n s H o p k i n s U n i v e r s i t y Press
268 E L I Z A B E T H RHODES
- H e i s e , c i t i n g L a q u e u r a n d G r e e n b l a t t , reviews e a r l y m o d e r n c a t e g o r i e s o f sex,
w h i c h w e r e n o t g r o u n d e d i n a n a t o m i c a l d i s t i n c t i o n s , versus t h o s e o f g e n d e r , c o n s i d -
e r e d a p r o d u c t o f socialization ( 3 7 0 - 7 1 ) . T h e p e r c e i v e d sameness o f f e m a l e a n d m a l e
a n a t o m y , d e r i v e d f r o m a one-sex m o d e l w h i c h f a c i l i t a t e d t h e d e f i n i t i o n o f f e m a l e s as
i n c o m p l e t e l y d e v e l o p e d m a l e s , d o e s n o t b e a r d i r e c t l y o n t h e a r g u m e n t at h a n d b u t
u n d e r p i n s t h e n o t i o n o f g e n d e r ; see T u a n a , " T h e M i s b e g o t t e n M a n " ( 1 8 - 5 2 ) .
M L N
MORALIZADAS. 88
jMerctricumfallacia.
E l engano cn la nuger*
' W a r d r o p p e r ( 1 9 6 7 ) m a k e s t h e v e r y u s e f u l d i s t i n c t i o n b e t w e e n t h e necessary
o u t c o m e o f plays w h o s e p r o t a g o n i s t s are m a r r i e d a n d t h o s e w h o s e m a i n c h a r a c t e r s a r e
s i n g l e . I n t h e f o r m e r , w h e n a n i n d i v i d u a l ' s h o n o r is s t a i n e d i n fact o r i n p e r c e p t i o n , t h e
play ends tragically; i n the latter, tragedy can be a v o i d e d d u e to the absence o f e t e r n a l l y
b i n d i n g vows.
M L N 271
m o d i f i c a t i o n s o f a character's g e n d e r m u s t be resolved by a r e t u r n t o
"normalcy," o r the e n t i r e poetics of r e s o l u t i o n r e n d e r e d i r o n i c , by t h e
t i m e the c u r t a i n falls. I n c u r s i o n s i n t o t h e g e n e r i c o t h e r t h a t are n o t
i r o n i c are resolved by the e r r a n t character's r e t u r n to p r o p e r c l o t h i n g
a n d / o r behavior, o r p u n i s h m e n t . I n El burlador, D o n J u a n ' s u n c o r -
r e c t e d p e r f o r m a n c e o f t h e F e m i n i n e results i n his f i n a l condemna-
t i o n , i n accordance w i t h the g e n d e r r e c t i t u d e i m p l i c i t i n d r a m a t i c
closure.
W i t h i n t h e a l l o t t e d t e x t u a l o p e n i n g s available f o r p l a y i n g w i t h
O r d e r , dramatists h a d at t h e i r d i s p o s i t i o n a w i d e r a n g e o f d r a m a t i c
cues whose p u r p o s e was t o suspend, e x p a n d , o r a l t e r a character's
g e n d e r a f f i l i a t i o n , the m o s t typical b e i n g a c h a n g e i n c o s t u m e . M o r e
subtle possibilities also p r o v i d e d access to t h e g e n d e r o f t h e other,
such as codes o f speech a n d gesture ( w o m e n swearing, m e n swoon-
i n g ) , social a n d m a t e r i a l possessions (a w o m a n b e a r i n g a s w o r d , a
m a n h o l d i n g a distaff), a n d spatial l o c a t i o n s ( w o m e n d o m i n a t i n g
e x t e r i o r o r b o r d e r spaces, m e n enclosed i n d o m e s t i c i n t e r i o r s ) . D o n
J u a n ' s g e n d e r p e r f o r m a n c e is a h i g h l y s o p h i s t i c a t e d b l e n d o f negative
traits associated w i t h W o m a n (such as instability, i r r a t i o n a l i t y , a n d
sexual excess) a n d the positive characteristics o f M a n ( f o r e x a m p l e ,
courage, ingenio, a n d v i r i l i t y ) .
T h e burlador 's i n c u r s i o n s i n t o t h e F e m i n i n e are s t a r t l i n g , n o t o n l y
because he appears o n t h e surface to be t h e a r c h e t y p i c a l M a l e , b u t
4
D o n J u a n ' s final w o r d s c l e a r l y s i t u a t e h i m b e n e a t h t h e e m p o w e r e d L e o n o r . W h i l e a
p u r e l y s y m b o l i c p o s i t i o n i n g o f m e n b e l o w w o m e n was p r e s c r i b e d d u r i n g c o u r t s h i p ,
those p o s i t i o n s w e r e e x p e c t e d to be exactly i n v e r t e d u p o n e x e c u t i o n o f a m a t r i m o n i a l
a g r e e m e n t . I n t h e t r a d i t i o n a l p l o t , f e m a l e e x e r c i s e o f p o w e r , s i m i l a r l y , was a p p r o p r i a t e
o n l y w h e n a m a n was n o t p e r f o r m i n g his M a l e f u n c t i o n s , a n d is a c c e p t a b l e b e h a v i o r f o r
a w o m a n t r y i n g to w i n back a w a n d e r i n g m a n . I n the e n d , however, e x e m p l a r ) ' female
characters were expected to revert to their n o r m a t i v e position, silent a n d obedient,
o n c e t h e i r m a r r i a g e s h a v e b e e n a r r a n g e d , as d o e s C a l d e r o n ' s b o l d R o s a u r a i n t h e final
s c e n e o f La vida es sueno.
272 E L I Z A B E T H RHODES
5
Zayas i n t h e " D e s e n g a n o s e x t o " o f h e r Desenganos amoroso; ( 2 9 3 - 3 3 6 ) , S o r J u a n a i n
" L o s e m p e h o s d e u n a casa" (Obras 6 2 7 - 7 0 4 ) .
.'7-1 E L I Z A B E T H RHODES
T o the e x t e n t t h a t D o n J u a n f u n c t i o n s as a m e r e r e f l e c t i o n o f
others, he is p r o f o u n d l y F e m i n i n e . As Z e i t l i n p o i n t s o u t , "functionally
w o m e n are never a n e n d i n themselves, a n d n o t h i n g changes f o r
t h e m once they have lived o u t t h e i r d r a m a o n stage. T h e y play t h e
roles o f catalysts, agents, i n s t r u m e n t s , blockers, spoiler, destroyers,
a n d sometimes helpers o r saviors f o r the male characters" ( 6 9 ) . D o n
J u a n , l i k e t h e t r a d i t i o n a l female t h e a t r i c a l character, shows a r e m a r k -
able lack o f i m a g i n a t i o n a n d is m o r e reactive t h a n active. I n p u e r i l e
fashion, he plows t h r o u g h the b l o c k towers b u i l t by his f a m i l y a n d
friends, casually a n d thoughtlessly k n o c k i n g t h e m d o w n w i t h o u t ever
b u i l d i n g his o w n . Such lack o f p e r s o n a l identity and individual
i n i t i a t i v e signals social i m p o t e n c e . I t is a feature o f W o m a n .
T h e reactive n a t u r e o f the burlador's t h r e a t t o O r d e r suggests t h a t
g e n d e r may be key to r e s o l v i n g t h e play's otherwise v e x i n g p l o t .
Gender analysis offers a n alternative to t h e m a t r i x o f sin and
as t h e i n n o c e n t sacrifice t o D o n Juan's i m p e r f e c t i o n , t h e n by u n v e i l -
i n g the y o u t h ' s p r o f o u n d a l l i a n c e w i t h t h e F e m i n i n e , a n a l l i a n c e t h a t
takes h i m straight to h e l l . As Ter H o r s t has said i n a n o t h e r c o n t e x t ,
" I n t h e course o f El burlador de Sevilla D o n J u a n T e n o r i o grows t o
g i g a n t i c p r o p o r t i o n s , a n d t h a t is w h y he m u s t be e l i m i n a t e d . H e has
become too powerful" ( 2 6 3 ) . T h e s i g n i f i c a n t e x t e n t to w h i c h his
p o w e r results f r o m his p e r f o r m a n c e o f t h e F e m i n i n e makes his
e l i m i n a t i o n even m o r e u r g e n t .
D o n Juan's e x e c u t i o n o f the a r c h e t y p a l F e m i n i n e is w h a t earns h i m
c o n d e m n a t i o n a n d marks h i m as t r u l y m o n s t r o u s : his association w i t h
t h e d i a b o l i c a l , his p e r p e t u a l excess, his v o r a c i o u s a n d u n c o n t r o l l a b l e
sexual appetite, his verbal deceits, his lack o f his o w n i d e n t i t y , his
inconstancy, a n d his i r r a t i o n a l i t y . 7
H i s a f f i l i a t i o n w i t h evil i n d e l i b l y
m a r k s h i m as female, since, as Sears observes, "where m e n are
u n d e r s t o o d as susceptible to evil, w o m e n are c o n c e i v e d as ahvays already
evil" (52). 8
U n l i k e o t h e r comedia p r o t a g o n i s t s , such as Calderon's
p r o t a g o n i s t s o f La devocion de la cruz, D o n J u a n does n o t struggle w i t h
evil, r a t h e r is evil. H e has n o p r e t e n s i o n s to goodness a n d suffers n o
i n t e r n a l struggle w i t h g u i l t . O t h e r characters repeatedly relate h i m t o
Satan, m o s t o f t e n t h r o u g h references t o a snake: D o n P e d r o r e p o r t s
t h a t he lay o n t h e g r o u n d " c o m o enroscada c u l e b r a " (140), an
association r e p e a t e d by Tisbea, w h o says o f D o n J u a n "Vfbora fue"
( 2 2 3 1 ) ; w i t h O c t a v i o , D o n P e d r o is m o r e d i r e c t , c l a i m i n g o f his
nephew, "pienso q u e e l d e m o n i o en el t o m o f o r m a h u m a n a " ( 3 0 0 -
0 1 ) ; A r m i n t a ' s h u s b a n d B a t r i c i o c o m m e n t s u p o n seeing the i n t r u d e r
at his w e d d i n g f o r t h e first t i m e , " I m a g i n o / q u e el d e m o n i o le e n v i o "
( 1 7 4 0 - 4 1 ) ; finally t h e servant C a t a l i n o n , w h o knows D o n J u a n best,
cries o u t to A r m i n t a , " j D e s d i c h a d o t u , q u e has d a d o / e n m a n o s de
L u c i f e r ! " ( 1 7 9 2 - 9 3 ) . T o t h e e x t e n t t h a t D o n J u a n is u n d e r s t o o d as
evil's n a t u r a l agent, he is u n d e r s t o o d as Female.
T h e burlador 's sexual excess, w h i c h constitutes his e n t i r e s i g n i f y i n g
field, is his m o s t t e l l i n g p e r f o r m a n c e o f t h e F e m i n i n e . D o n J u a n ' s
insatiable desire f o r w o m e n is obviously n o t t h e essence o f his burlas,
w h i c h deal w i t h effronteries m u c h m o r e i m p o r t a n t t o seventeenth-
c e n t u r y Spain t h a n m e r e w o m e n ' s bodies. B u t t h a t u n c o n t r o l l e d
a p p e t i t e is u n d e n i a b l y t h e t o o l he wields to t o p p l e t h e e d i f i c e o f
O r d e r . U n h a r n e s s e d sexual voracity is M a l e sexual prowess t a k e n t o
7
See " A r i s t o t l e : W o m a n as a N a t u r a l M o n s t r o s i t y " i n T u a n a 18-21.
8
N o d d i n g s a n d Pagels d o c u m e n t t h e l o n g - s t a n d i n g a s s o c i a t i o n b e t w e e n W o m a n a n d
evil.
2X0 E L I Z A B E T H RHODES
i r r a t i o n a l e x t r e m e s a n d p e r f o r m e d by s o m e o n e o t h e r t h a n a func-
t i o n a l m a n . D o n J u a n signifies exclusively by v i r t u e o f his exercise o f
i r r a t i o n a l c a r n a l a p p e t i t e a n d t h e r e b y falls d a n g e r o u s l y o u t o f his
proper signifying code—Male—and i n t o t h e Female, where his
d e g r a d a t i o n a n d c o n d e m n a t i o n are assured.
I n o r d i n a t e sexual desire was u n d e r s t o o d to be a fundamental
feature o f W o m a n since t h e t i m e o f A r i s t o t l e a n d before, a n d its
h i s t o r y has b e e n s t u d i e d m e t i c u l o u s l y by historians o f sexuality a n d
gender ( T u a n a , N o d d i n g s ) . T w o lesser-known sources attest t o t h e
u n d e r s t a n d i n g o f W o m a n as a sexual monster, an understanding
w h i c h i n f o r m s m a n y early m o d e r n Spanish texts. I n t h e Compendio de
la humana salud, first translated i n t o Castilian i n 1494 a n d e x t r e m e l y
i n f l u e n t i a l o n m e d i c a l i d e o l o g y i n the f o l l o w i n g centuries, a u t h o r
J o h a n n e s de K e t h a m responds t o the q u e s t i o n o f w h y w o m e n , a n d
mares, desire i n t e r c o u r s e w i t h males even after they have c o n c e i v e d ,
r e c a l l i n g : "Responde G a l e n o : e n las mujeres, porque cuando se
d i s p o n e n para ayuntarse, n o solamente las mueve la i n c l i n a t i o n y
naturaleza de engendrar, sino t a m b i e n el d e s o r d e n a d o deleite d e l
acto l i b i d i n o s o , y, a c o r d a n d o s e de el despues d e l a y u n t a m i e n t o ,
desean volver al m i s m o deleite, p o r el r e c u e r d o q u e t i e n e n " ( 1 2 1 ; i n
mares the same excess is a t t r i b u t e d to t h e i r d i s o r d e r l y e a t i n g habits
a n d excessive d i g e s t i o n ) .
Similarly, i n 1572 D r . Francisco N u n e z de C o r i a p u b l i s h e d a b o o k
a b o u t "el b u e n manjar," Aviso de sanidad que trata de todos los generos de
alimentos y del regimiento de la sanidad, comprobado por los mas insignes y
graves doctores. T o w a r d the e n d o f his b o o k , the g o o d d o c t o r i n c l u d e d
a c h a p t e r e n t i t l e d , "Tratado d e l uso de las mujeres y c o m o sea dafioso
y c o m o provechoso, y q u e cosas se hayan de h a c e r para la t e n t a c i o n
de la c a m e y d e l suefio y banos" (ff. 2 8 9 r - 3 2 0 v ) . Dr. N u n e z specifically
describes the perils o f t o o f r e q u e n t i n t e r c o u r s e , a b e h a v i o r c o n d e m -
nable precisely because i t is w o m a n l y , saying: " p o r q u e m u c h o s no
saben en cuantos d i s c r i m i n e s y p e l i g r o s caigan los q u e a r i e n d a suelta
se d a n a esta d e l e c t a c i o n , l o cual e n t e n d e r a n si d e l t o d o leyeren este
m i tratado [...] que n o de su v e h e m e n t e d e l e c t a c i o n , a u n q u e sea de
m u y h e r m o s a mujer, la cual por aventura es insaciable, como las demds
mujeres, las cuales naturalmente son de apetito insaciable, pues c o m o dice
S a l o m o n e n el t r e i n t a y nueve de sus p r o v e r b i o s , tres cosas son q u e
n u n c a se h a r t a n , la boca d e l i n f i e r n o , la vulva, el fuego. E l c u a l
p a r e c e r fue de Aristoteles en el 4 de sus p r o b l e m a s e n e l p r o b l e m a
s
9
V a r e y p u t s i t d i f f e r e n t l y : " H a s i d o b u r l a d o a traves d e u n a m a n o , u n r e c u e r d o d e l a
m a n e r a e n q u e e l h a b i a e n g a r i a d o a t a n t a s m u j e r e s d e s p u e s d e p e d i r l e s la m a n o e n
m a t r i m o n i o " ( 1 5 4 ) . A l l a i n c o n s i d e r s t h e C o m e n d a d o r ' s g e s t u r e a burla i n itself,
a p p r o p r i a t e f o r t h e burlador.
284 E L I Z A B E T H RHODES
Boston Collegi
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M a n d r e l l , J a m e s . Don Juan and the Point of Honor: Seduction, Patriarchal Society, and
Literary Tradition. U n i v e r s i t y P a r k , PA: P e n n State U P , 1 9 9 2 .