Research Paper on:
Tirso's The Trickster of Seville

Unformatted Sample Text from the Research Paper:
makes both on Spanish society of the time and the impact which the character of Don Juan has upon societal values. It has been suggested by some commentators, for example,  that Don Juan cannot be viewed as either a historical figure in his own right, or as representing a social comment on the cultural elements which were prevalent in Spain  at the time. Banks (2002), for example, notes that  one view of Don Juan is that it is impossible to allot him any credibility as a character, since he is so contradictory and therefore he cannot be considered as  having been the product of contemporary Spain: he is, effectively, a myth and Banks sees him as exemplifying a much more universal type of figure. On the other hand, critics  such as Austen assert that the opposite is true, and that the Spanish cultural and religious climate of the time was, in fact, exactly the type of background which would  have produced such a character in such a socio-psychological context.  The religious environment of Spain during the 16th and 17th centuries, for instance, can be seen as a key factor in terms of the background of the play. Not only  would the church take advantage of popular entertainment such as theatre in order to promote religious values, but many of those involved in literature and the arts, including Tirso himself,  were members of the clergy. It might reasonably be assumed, therefore, that the play is not only intended as entertainment but as a commentary on social and religious values, and