The use of disguise and deception in Mozart’s opera tells us a lot about the main character Don Giovanni and we see these different characteristics in many ways: through the music and the contribution of the orchestra; through the text and through stage direction. There are many aspects to Don Giovanni’s character, a few of which include: his exploitation of his class privileges; his open use of others around him for his own convenience and the way he indulges himself without any inhibitions or guilt. All of these characteristics and others are shown within the Acts and Scenas’ described above.
The opera centre’s around the main character of the same name Don Giovanni and the effect that he has on the characters around him. By his own admission Don Giovanni is a self proclaimed lover who finds it difficult to resist seducing women, even those who are unavailable. Two of the major themes running through the opera are those of disguise and deception of which Don Giovanni plays a big part.
Don Giovanni is the main character fuelling the theme of deception. He deceives everyone around him and has no thought to the consequences of his actions. The other important theme, as mentioned above, is that of disguise. Although in this case it isn’t only Don Giovanni who adopts disguises during the opera. In the opening scene Don Giovanni is disguised as Don Ottavio although he may just be mistaken for him, this however allows him to seduce Donna Anna. Later in the opera Elvira, Don Ottavio and Donna Anna disguise themselves in order to deceive Don Giovanni into letting them into his home so that they can confront him regarding the death of Donna Anna’s father.
The themes of disguise and deception work hand in hand when Don Giovanni and Leporello change clothes in order that Don Giovanni can seduce Elvira’s servant; Leporello on the other hand is left at the mercy of Donna Anna, Don Ottavio, Masetto and Zerlina.
Act 1 scena 1 is characteristic of opera buffa as there...