How Did Juan Manage to Flee from Julia’s Bed Chamber in “Don Juan Canto I”?
"Don Juan Canto-I" is a notable literary work by Lord Byron. A complete discussion of this literary work is given, which will help you enhance your literary skills and prepare for the exam. Read the Main texts, Key info, Summary, Themes, Characters, Literary devices, Quotations, Notes, and various study materials of "Don Juan Canto-I".
Answer
How did Juan manage to flee from Julia’s bed chamber in “Don Juan Canto I”?
Don Juan’s escape from Donna Julia’s bedchamber is an exciting and humorous moment in Lord Byron’s (1788-1824) “Don Juan, Canto I” (1819).
Juan in Julia’s Bed: One night, Juan is secretly with Donna Julia in her bedroom. A loud noise wakes her up. Her maid, Antonia, warns her that Don Alfonso, Julia’s jealous husband, is coming up the stairs with a group of men—because Alfonso is suspicious of her. Julia quickly hides Don Juan under a pile of bedclothes.
Angry Alfonso: When Don Alfonso enters, he angrily accuses Julia of being unfaithful. Julia pretends to be innocent and invites him to search the room. While he searches, she provides a long list of the men she has refused. She also criticizes her husband for not trusting her. She even breaks down in tears. Don Alfonso and his men look everywhere but fail to find Juan. Alfonso leaves the room ashamed.
Fight and Escape: As soon as the door is locked, Juan jumps out from the heap of bedcloths. However, just as Don Alfonso returns to beg for Julia’s forgiveness, she hides Juan in the closet. As Alfonso prepares to leave, he stumbles upon a pair of men’s shoes. He realizes that some man is inside and goes to fetch his “relinquish’d sword.”
Julia helps Juan to escape through the garden door. She tells him how to escape the garden and gives him a key to the gate. However, on his way out, Juan accidentally runs into Don Alfonso. A fight breaks out. Juan gives a blow to Alfonso’s nose. The narrator says:
“Alfonso grappled to detain the foe,
And Juan throttled him to get away.”
In the scuffle, Juan loses his “only garment.” Completely naked, he flees into the night, successfully escaping.
Finally, we can say that Don Juan’s farcical escape scene is a perfect example of Lord Byron’s humor and social satire. With this escaping scene, he makes fun of jealousy, marriage, and society’s moral hypocrisy. This is a wonderful example of the poet’s satirical writing style.