The trickster of Seville

Trickster of Seville

Catalinon in the Trickster of Seville and the Stone Guest

The Trickster of Seville and The Stone Guest is one of the most widely read plays of Tirso de Molina. It revolves around the central character Don Juan Tenorio who manipulates everyone and meets a tragic death in the end. The play focuses on various actions of Don Juan and his behavior with women whom he seduces and then rudely abandons. In the midst of all this, Don Juan is constantly warned by his servant, Catalinon who reminds him of his death.

Catalinon plays an important role in the play 'The Trickster of Seville' for he is the voice of conscience that Don Juan Tenorio ignores so often. Though he is a mere servant and messenger of Don Juan in the play, his significance is frequently highlighted with his words of advice and caution. His words foreshadow the bleak ending for his master. Catalinon thus serves as the moral voice of the play and being an old, wise soul, he possesses the foresight to know that his master will have to pay a heavy price for his wrong actions.

Catalinon is presented as a coward who lacks enough courage to stop his master from committing immoral deeds but he is in fact the only courageous figure in the play. This is because while he may not be able to stop Don Juan, he is bold enough to warn him repeatedly and show his disapproval. This is something we rarely expect from servants most of whom are depicted as sycophants. But Catalinon despite the fact that he considers himself a coward is a man of great foresight who refuses to justify the actions of his master and often admonishes him. He tells Don Juan that he continues manipulating everyone, he will end up in a miserable state: "You who trick and deceive women in this way will pay for it in death." On one occasion when he is warning Don Juan again, the master reminds him of his exalted status in the society. To this Catalinon replies: "God usually takes vengeance on those who enjoy the protection of a magnate, if they are not punished for their crimes.... Look what you have done, and observe that until death, Sir, the longest life is short; for there is punishment, pain and death."

While Don Juan continues with his tricks, Catalinon consistently plays his role as the moral voice of the story. Catalinon also appears to be a very intelligent person for he fully understands how Don Juan and the Satan work. Though he strongly disapproves of Don Juan's actions, he is wise enough to understand that like Satan, Don Juan cannot manipulate people without their consent. In other words, he knows that all Don Juan is doing is taking advantage of people's vulnerabilities and their weaknesses. On one occasion he tells Don Juan: "I now know that you are the punisher of women." This is an important observation that he makes about Don Juan's behavior and the behavior of those he manipulates. Catalinon understand that no one can be tricked into doing something against his will if somewhere deep down, he is also not willing to be a partner in crime.