I believe that what Don Juan was doing was extremely wrong and that he did deserve to be punished. Not only was he hurting those around him but he was doing it while benefiting from it. He was given fair warning that it was wrong, and he chose to continue on the path of women and lust anyway, but hey, to each his own.
To Each His Own
Moliere’s Don Juan tells the story of Don Juan, a womanizer who feels that there is nothing wrong with tearing marriages apart and using women until he no longer feels they are satisfying him. While reading, I couldn’t help but relate Don Juan’s character to the majority of humankind. We are all sinners and frequently do things that may seem right in our own minds, but wrong to those around us. It is those individuals who expose us to a different perspective other than our own and encourage us to be less narrow-minded. In the case of Don Juan, both Sganarelle and Elvire try to make Don Juan aware of the fact that what he is doing is very wrong and that he will be punished for his deeds. Sganarelle tells him that “…an evil life brings an evil death” and that he will be punished for mocking Heaven. Elvire also tells him his “…crime shall not remain unpunished” and that Heaven will punish him. Although some people tend to change their ways after they are told they will be punished, Don Juan was set in his beliefs. He continued to do what he enjoyed and ultimately this led to his demise, and he was punished.
I agree when you say that we all do things that seem right in our own minds but may be wrong to those around us. When trying to piece together a story, including a story of our own life, it is important to try to know all the facts and learn what others’ views are on a subject before taking action. That way, we may be less likely to do something we will later regret. We will also be able to understand each other better, and society might be more peaceful.
In Psychology Today, I once read that children are all born altruistic, but things happen that make them change as they grow into adults. This makes me wonder: what could have happened to Don Juan to make him this way? He certainly isn’t helping anyone but himself. Your comment about different point of views makes me wonder what happened to make him this way.