However, the relationship between Don Juan and his valet, Sganarelle, is what interested me most as I read this play. Despite the obvious moralizing tendencies of his thought, Sganarelle puts himself at the mercy of his master again and again. Don Juan addresses such cowardice when Sganarelle dresses as a doctor to avoid harm in the woods.
Obviously, it is not easy for a servant to leave his master, especially one as rich as Don Juan. Sganarelle’s reaction to his master’s death indicates the primary conviction he has to Don Juan and his family. Payment is central to the relationship between the two characters. Sganarelle cares not for the death of his master, or the moral judgement, which many think might lead to his satisfaction. However, Don Juan’s death leads only to the complaint: “I am the only unlucky one. My wages, my wages, my wages!” Sganarelle’s concern is base, caring only for his money and not for the satisfaction of the destruction of a wicked man.
It is with this action that I can say Sganarelle is equally as immoral and unjust as Don Juan. His hypocrisy is blatant, as he parades around saying “Oh what a man,” and pontificating about what a horrible master he serves, he does nothing to modify his situation. When given the opportunity to stand down his master, he quivers beneath his shadow. Additionally, Sganarelle owes his debtors just as Don Juan does.
Therefore, it is through the character Sganarelle, which Moliére portrays the equal ungodliness of lord and common man. The satire of those who disregard religion against those who would use it as a blanket to cover their own sins (i.e. Sganarelle).
