The significance of character representing don juan in relevealing the idea of superman seen in george Bernard shaw`s man and superman - USD Repository
THE SIGNIFICANCE OF CHARACTERS REPRESENTING DON JUAN
IN REVEALING THE IDEA OF SUPERMAN SEEN IN GEORGE
BERNARD SHAW’S MAN AND SUPERMAN
AN UNDERGRADUATE THESIS
Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements
for the Degree of Sarjana Sastra
in English Letters
By
LEONARDO BUDI SETIAWAN
Student Number: 024214063
ENGLISH LETTERS STUDY PROGRAMME
DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LETTERS
FACULTY OF LETTERS
SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY
YOGYAKARTA
I believe.
L.B.SETIAWAN-december 2008
This Thesis is dedicated to
My beloved Family and all my Bestfriends
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I would like to thank God due to his invisible support. I am so grateful that he is still guiding me in every single day of my life. My gratitude is also for the persons who gave me inspiration because of the dignity and determination I found from their biography.
A special thank goes to my advisor, Drs. Hirmawan Wijanarka, M.Hum., for guiding me to finish this thesis. My thanks also go to my co-advisor, Dra. Th.
Enny Anggraini, M.A. My appreciation also goes to Elisa Dwi Wardani,S.S., M.Hum. who has gave me suggestions and criticisms.
Next, I want to thank my family for their pressuring support. Without their support, I realize that I would not have a strong urge to finish my thesis. I would also thank my friends in English Letters 2002 who were so friendly during my study in English Letters; Sigit, David, Danang, Dimas, Jeff, Stef, Parjo, Ferdy, Bondhan, Septa, Mia, Ria, Ajeng, Diah Indhy, Shella, Nita, Kuncup, Wawan, Gatot, Sony, Nuke, and the others who I can not mention one by one. I would not forget to express my gratitude to my bestfriends in my several communities; MPK, B2P-PK, Saujana, Café Rendezvous, and ex-CS ‘97. You all are my second family.
Lastly, I would thank my beloved emi who always indirectly makes me reflect that I should do my best. I will always remember that you are the only one person who was accompanying me while I got dizzy with my thesis.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
TITLE PAGE ………………………………………..…………………… i APPROVAL PAGE ……………………………………………………… ii ACCEPTANCE PAGE …………………………………………………… iii MOTTO PAGE …………………………………………………………… iv DEDICATION PAGE …………………………………………………… v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ……………………………………………… vi TABLE OF CONTENTS ………………………………………………… vii ABSTRACT ……………………………………………………………… viii ABSTRAK ………………………………………………………………… ix
CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION ……………………………………… 1
A. Background of the Study ………………………………………… 1 B. Problem Formulation ……………………………………………. 6 C. Objectives of the Study ………………………………………….. 6 D. Definition of Terms ……………………………………………… 7CHAPTER II: THEORETICAL REVIEW ………………………….. 8
A. Review of Related Studies ……………………………………….. 8 B. Review of Related Theories ……………………………………… 11a. Theories of Characters and Characterization ………………….. 11
b. Theory of Superman …………………………………………... 14 C. Review of Don Juan Character …………. ……………………... 19 D.
Theoretical Framework …………………………………………… 22
CHAPTER III: METHODOLOGY …………………………………… 23
A. Object of the Study ………………………………………………. 23 B. Approach of the Study …………………………………………… 25 C. Method of the Study ……………………………………………… 26CHAPTER IV: ANALYSIS …………………………………………..... 28
A. Characters Representing Don Juan ……………………………….. 28 1. John Tanner ……………………………………………….. 28 2. Don Juan Tenorio …………………………………………. 40 B. Significance of Characters Representing Don Juanin Revealing the Idea of Superman…………..……………………. 48 1.
John Tanner ……………………………………………….. 49 2. Don Juan Tenorio …………………………………………. 64
CHAPTER V: CONCLUSION …………………………………………. 73
BIBLIOGRAPHY ……………………………………………………….. 76APPENDIX : ……………………………………………………………. 78
ABSTRACT
LEONARDO BUDI SETIAWAN (2009). The Significance of Characters
Representing Don Juan in Revealing the Idea of Superman Seen in George
Bernard Shaw’s Man and Superman. Yogyakarta: Department of English
Letters, Faculty of Letters, Sanata Dharma University George Bernard Shaw’s Man and Superman is a play which tells about
Don Juan character. Don Juan himself is a universal figure of a womanizer who has been depicted in many literary works. The play Man and Superman depicts Don Juan from the playwright’s point of view. Don Juan in the play is depicted in two characters. The play indirectly reveals the idea of Superman, the philosophical concept of Friederich Nietzsche.
This study tries to find out the significance of the characters representing Don Juan in revealing the idea of Superman. The analysis will be elaborated based on two questions from Problems Formulation. There are two objectives to guide the analysis. The first objective is to understand the Characters Representing Don Juan. The second objective is to find out the significance of the Characters Representing Don Juan in revealing the idea of Superman.
In order to accomplish the analysis, the library research method is used. Many data and theories are collected from related books. The philosophical approach is applied in this study. It is used to discuss the philosophical concept of Superman.
The analysis shows that John Tanner and Don Juan Tenorio are two personalities in one figure. Each personality represents the idea of Superman from different point of views. The character of John Tanner reveals the idea of Superman seen from his progressiveness in his daily life. John Tanner is a materialization of the idea of Superman. He is a personalised idea. Meanwhile, the character of Don Juan Tennorio is the spokesman of the idea of Superman. He represents Nietzsche’s philosophical concept of Superman. Through his long speeches in hell scene, he explains the idea of Superman. In brief, John Tanner represents what the Superman does and Don Juan Tennorio represents what the Superman thinks.
ABSTRAK
LEONARDO BUDI SETIAWAN (2009). The Significance of Characters
representing Don Juan in Revealing the Idea of Superman Seen in George
Bernard Shaw’s Man and Superman. Yogyakarta: Department of English
Letters, Faculty of Letters, Sanata Dharma University
Man and Superman karya George Bernard Shaw adalah sebuah drama
tentang tokoh Don Juan. Don Juan sendiri adalah seorang figur terkenal penggoda wanita yang muncul di banyak karya sastra. Drama Man and Superman menampilkan Don Juan dari sudut pandang sang pengarang. Don Juan dalam drama ini ditampilkan dalam bentuk dua tokoh. Drama ini secara tidak langsung memunculkan sebuah gagasan tentang Superman, konsep filosofis dari Friederich Nietzsche.
Studi ini dibuat untuk mengetahui arti penting dari tokoh-tokoh yang merepresentasikan Don Juan dalam memunculkan gagasan tentang Superman. Analisa akan dijelaskan berdasar pada dua pertanyaan dalam Rumusan Masalah. Ada dua tujuan dalam analisa. Tujuan pertama adalah mendalami tokoh-tokoh yang merepresentasikan Don Juan. Tujuan kedua yaitu mencari arti penting dari tokoh-tokoh yang merepresentasikan Don Juan dalam memunculkan gagasan tentang Superman.
Dalam rangka menyelesaikan analisa, dilakukan metode studi pustaka. Data dan teori dirangkum dari buku-buku yang relevan. Pendekatan filsafat diterapkan dalam studi ini. Pendekatan ini digunakan untuk membahas konsep filosofis dari gagasan tentang Superman.
Analisa menunjukkan bahwa tokoh John Tanner dan Don Juan Tenorio adalah dua kepribadian dalam satu figur. Setiap kepribadian merepresentasikan gagasan tentang Superman dari sudut pandang yang berbeda. Tokoh John Tanner memunculkan gagasan tentang Superman dilihat dari kepiawaiannya dalam kehidupan sehari-hari. John Tanner adalah pengejawantahan gagasan tentang
Superman . Dia adalah sebuah gagasan yang terpersonalisasi. Sedangkan tokoh
Don Juan Tenorio adalah juru bicara dari gagasan tentang Superman. Dengan ucapan-ucapannya dalam adegan di neraka, dia menjelaskan gagasan tentang
Superman . Dapat dikatakan bahwa John Tanner merepresentasikan apa yang Sang
Superman lakukan dan Don Juan Tenorio merepresentasikan apa yang Sang
Superman pikirkan.CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION A. Background of the Study Literature is not the same with other kinds of writings. Literature means
much more than it says. In literature, there are many representations that are used by the author, playwright, or poet, in order to reveal some ideas. As stated by Colwell, Literature presents life. It shows some ideas using words. Analyzing literature means getting ideas beyond the surface written in the text (1968:3).
Literary works have significant effects to the readers. The author indirectly reveals ideas in his works that would be able to be absorbed by the readers. As described by Warren and Wellek (1956:35), the effect of the literary work is to persuade the readers. By reading literary works, the readers are driven to accept the ideas emerged inside literary works. “That is to say, the reader is always led to believe something, and that assent is hypnotic” (1956: 35). Warren and Wellek also argued that the nature of literary works follows its use. It is clear that literature has not only its pleasurable effect but also its function.
Ideas that are revealed in literary works can be identified from the inside of the important elements, such as: plot, characterization, genre, symbol, and, point of view. They are used to draw the theme of the literary works. The roles of the elements are usually very significant in revealing the ideas inside the literary works.
One element used by the author to reveal some ideas, is character. The intended ideas of literary works are usually seen inside the characters. This element is much depicted obviously in literary works. Characters are a soul of literary works. The characters enrol actions to make the literary works tell lively.
Knickerborger and Reninger states that the essence of literature is character (1955: 6). The existence of the characters inside the literary works means there are symbolic truths. In brief, a single character in literary work is a representative truth. Every character does mean something that construct the theme.
Character in literary work is a symbol which represents theme. Knikerborger explains (1955: 8) that symbolic truth of theme can be revealed from the characters, action, and poetry but the essential symbolic truth usually comes from the characters. The author uses the characters in order to illustrate ideas. As also said by Wellek, through the characters, we can understand our nature with complex problems of personality, motivational, and desire (1962: 33).
George Bernard Shaw’s Man and Superman which is subtitled A Comedy
and A Philosophy is a drama of ideas. A. C. Ward (1950:31) describes in his book
Bernard Shaw, that, in Man and Superman, the essence idea is more emphasized
rather than the plot itself. There is the thought of George Bernard Shaw about the idea of Superman. George Bernard Shaw’s idea of Superman was adopted from Friederich Nietzsche’s philosophical concept. George Bernard Shaw himself was a socialist figure. As a socialist, it was common that he was influenced by
Friederich Nietzsche’s philosophical concept because Friederich Nietzsche was the one who developed idea of socialism.
The idea of Superman is a philosophical concept made by Friederich Nietzche, a German philosopher. It is a philosophical concept of one man or a society who is able to surpass social boundaries. A superman is supposed to be higher than common men, because he can surpass society’s morality, intelligence, and spirituality levels. The common men refer to the society. Nietzsche describes this philosophical concept in order to draw about the goal of human effort, which are finer and stronger individuals, judges of life, and the creators of values. Life Force is an important value that someone called superman has. A real superman has Life Force as an energy to live (Ward,1950:36).
As argued by Chesterton, every character in George Bernard Shaw’s story has a significant role. George Bernard Shaw’s character is not merely a plain character but a kind of representation (1909:163). Each of character in George Bernard Shaw’s literary works stands for an idea. Furthermore, Chesterton also states that George Bernard Shaw was very careful in creating their characters. He often made characters who have become universal figures such as; Methuselah, Saint Joan, and Don Juan. His stories which included those characters are his reconstructions of ideas.
The Idea of Superman becomes the theme of this play, as revealed in the title of Man and Superman, but there is an interesting value about the depiction of a unique character, Don Juan. As argued by George Bernard Shaw in the Epistle
Dedicatory of Man and Superman, the story of Don Juan in his play is intended to retell the legendary character of Don Juan. He was challenged by the critic Arthur Bingham Walkley to write a new version of Don Juan (Shaw: 1903: x).
Reviewing the title of the play, the playwright did not include the name
Don Juan , but Superman. Depend on this evidence, George Bernard Shaw wanted
to reveal the idea of Superman using the character of Don Juan, as what he said his preface of Man and Superman ,that the character of Don Juan is someone who is able to distinct the good and bad values. This means George Bernard Shaw compares the character of Don Juan to the characteristics of the Superman, as he said:
Philosophically, Don Juan is a man who, though gifted enough to be exceptionally capable of distinguishing between good and evil, follows his own instincts without regard to the common statute, or canon law; and therefore, whilst gaining the ardent sympathy of our rebellious instincts (which are flattered by the brilliancies with which Don Juan associates them) finds himself in mortal conflict with existing institutions, and defends himself by fraud and farce as unscrupulously as a farmer defends his crops by the same means against vermin (Shaw, 1903: xi) Don Juan character is usually described as a womanizer or a seducer. He is always seen in a perspective which places him as a person who sees women as his preys. He loves every woman he seduces. Then Don Juan character is known as a universal figure of womanizer. Its name is used to call someone who has characteristics related to women seduction. His seductive ability to women became his popular characteristic (Ferrand,2005: 2).
Furthermore, George Bernard Shaw argues that Don Juan in the play is not characterized conventionally as what people think about Don Juan typically. Don Juan in Man and Superman is ‘a Don Juan of ideas’; a figure who represents ideas. He is not ‘a womanizer Don Juan’. George Bernard Shaw emphasizes that the figure of Don Juan is not only a womanizer or seducer but a person in a philosophical manner. By stating his argument, he tries to reconstruct the common mindset that takes Don Juan as only a womanizer without ideological value (Shaw, 1903: xii). Specifically, Don Juan in Man and Superman is drawn in order to represent a man who is supposed to be the Superman.
In particular, inside Man and Superman, the depiction of the unique Don Juan is represented through some characters. George Bernard Shaw retold the legendary character of Don Juan from his point of view by splitting Don Juan into two characters. They take their roles together in revealing the main theme, the idea of Superman. This study is made to get a deep understanding about the theme by analyzing the significance of the selected characters.
B. Problem Formulation
In order to limit the study and to make it clear with its focus, the writer has made two research questions related to the topics. The questions are formulated as follows.
1.How are the characters Representing Don Juan depicted?
2.What are the significances of the characters Representing Don Juan in revealing the idea of Superman?
C. Objectives of the Study
Referring to the explanation in the Background of the Study and the Problem Formulation above, this study, firstly, is trying to understand the characters representing Don Juan in the story. Secondly, the study is to find out what are the significances of characters representing Don Juan in revealing the Idea of Superman, there will be an explanation why the selected characters, which are related each others, to reveal the idea of superman.
D. Definition of Terms
The writer wants to clarify the meaning of “Superman” that is used in this thesis by defining as follows.
Idea of Superman is Friederich Nietzsche’s philosophical concept about the goal of human effort. It is an expectation of human development. Superman is an idealization of human being. He has more values than the other men. He is the man who can surpass the old values of human being (Copleston,1954: 393-394).
The word ‘Superman’ itself is used as singular but in deeper understanding, it also means plural, as a kind of society type. Superman is a higher type of men. According to Paul Edwards the word “mensch” includes women as well as men. It refers to the higher type of men who create their own values out of their abundance (1967:509). In other words, the Superman refers to a certain high qualified society.
Copleston (1954: 396) defines that The Superman is the creative genius who will be the highest cultural product. He has some characteristics as the higher type of man. A real Superman is a person who is having the attitude of a free spirit, pragmatist view of truth, sceptical of life. He is also critical, rational, optimistic, and, relativistic.
CHAPTER II THEORETICAL REVIEW A. Review of Related Studies Well known British playwright, George Bernard Shaw is famous as the
great British writer after William Shakespeare. This British writer, who was born in Ireland, was not a playwright in his first career but after he considered that drama has a propagandist value, he turned to be a playwright. George Bernard Shaw believed that the theatre is able to fulfil an important social function by teaching, but the plays that dominated Victorian stage said nothing about the audiences lived in. Then, through his plays, he has become a pillar of modern drama. George Bernard Shaw’s golden period as a dramatist was from 1903-1925, the time when he wrote his best and most popular plays. One of George Bernard Shaw’s great plays is Man and Superman (1903). Man and Superman is a serious and intellectual play, however it is a comedy. Shaw wrote more about his opinions on the issues touched by the play than about the story of the play itself (http //:www.amrep.org/past/superman/super1.html).
The evidence that this play is an intellectual play is in the preface of the play. A characteristic of George Bernard Shaw’s play, as can be seen in Man and
Superman , is in the length preface before the acts. Every preface in his drama is
propaganda. There are social, political and religious opinions can be found there, which were collected into a single volume in 1934. In that time George Bernard
Shaw was known as the playwright but actually he was an idealist, as said by Ludovici:
It would, however, be a great mistake to suppose, as many still do, that Shaw’s gradual conquest of his Age was the struggle of an innovator whose public required to be educated up to his aesthetic forms and to his ideas before they could appreciate him. This was not the case; for, as a matter a fact, most of his ideas he advanced were already victorious or nearly so before he became their interpreter (1950: 163).
Man and Superman is considered to be a drama of propaganda. In fact,
when Shaw tried to perform it, no one would put it on the stage. Then, he dare to publish it himself, hoping that public would appreciate his philosophical thinking inside the story of Man and Superman. The story of Man and Superman shows a perfect balance between entertainment and intellectual manners. He was inspired by a legendary European figure of womanizer who was found in many European literary works before. It was Don Juan, one of the great legendary characters in European literature (http //:www.amrep.org/past/superman/super1.html).
Utterback in Don Juan and the Representation of Spiritual Sensuousness, defines that the character of Don Juan from Tirso de Molina’s El Burlador de
Sevilla to Mozart’s Don Giovanni has always been represented as a libertine and
seducer who is finally punished by supernatural power because of his sexual crime. In Man and Superman, George Bernard Shaw sets something different from his predecessor. Shaw is more attracted to the philosophical implication of the Don Juan story. Don Juan is described as a person who pursues his own desires, unintentionally breaks morality, canon, and law. Then, he also ignores the sexual aspect of Don Juan by transforming Don Juan into ‘Dona Juana’, the
Pierre Ferrand, in Some Metamorphoses of Don Juan, states that George Bernard Shaw, through Man and Superman, cynically reversed the conception of romantic Don Juan which was made by Tirso de Molina, Moliere, Mozart, and other popular writers. George Bernard Shaw emphasized Don Juan as a revolutionary person who has superman thinking of mankind’s future. His story of Don Juan reflects his serious ideology although it is a parody of the myth (Ferrand, 2005: 7).
Ward argues that George Bernard Shaw is a believer of Friederich Nietzsche’s philosophical concept. His belief in the Life Force stands as the main trunk of his work, Man and Superman. He was drawn to Nietzsche’s concept of the Superman (Ubermensch), and through Don Juan he dramatizes his belief about the genetic forces that drive mankind forward. So far, related to his view about Life Force, He makes his own view about marriage which is to be an interesting topic inside the story of Man and Superman. Marriage has a stern biological purpose which romantic love is no more than an enticing prelude. A. C. Ward then states that in the disposition of the Life Force, self-sacrifice may be nothing better than the sacrifice of others to one’s own self will, self indulgence, possessiveness, or spiritual pride (Ward,1950: 36).
Chesterton states in his book, George Bernard Shaw, that George Bernard Shaw has made a superstition to represent another superstition to introduce Nietzsche’s idea. In Man and Superman, the character of Don Juan represents the idea of Superman. Both of Don Juan and Superman are superstition. They are not existed. George Bernard Shaw, as the playwright, shows his own unique way in order to introduce himself to the public as a Nietzschean (1909:202-210).
The writer considers that the reviews above are very helpful. In this thesis, the writer is going to analyze deeper about the depiction of Don Juan which focuses on the Don Juan’s characteristics to reveal the idea of Superman. However, the other reviews have not analysed deeper about the certain detailed characteristics of Don Juan which represent the idea of Superman. By reviewing the characters representing Don Juan, the idea of Superman is clearly seen so that the readers will understand about the idea of Superman.
B. Review of Related Theories
a. Theories of Character and Characterization
The writer draws some theories about character and characterization because character is the object of this study. Therefore, in order to understand deeply about the characterization, there are some theories about character and characterization which were formulated from some books.
Hugh Holman (1986: 81) says that characters inside literary works are the personalised ideas. Every character has qualities which represent some values.
These values are ideas. In Holman view, a character is a brief draft that describes a personage who has definite quality. Character’s quality relates to the idea of moral construction of human personality. In brief, each character has his own value.
Meanwhile, Barranger, in his book Understanding Plays (1990:340), states that drama is the most unique representational art because it represents reality by using real human beings. Character in drama is a real fictional aspect that used by the author because it is used to be presented. Even, character in drama is more emphasizing than other literary works because he speaks directly.
Furthermore, Barranger (1990: 341) suggests some several ways in order to approach characters in drama, as follows;
1. What playwright says about them in stage directions.
2. What characters say about one another in dialogue.
3. The moral or ethical choices that determine their destinies. Another critic, Richard Abcarian (1998: 21) also describes about characters in drama, according to his opinion, the type of characterization in plays is similar to the characterization in another types of literary works like prose. So, how are the way to analyze it is similar too. Especially, In modern plays, characterization is usually described in stage directions that establish physical characteristics: gender, age, physique, clothing, and class.
In A Student’s Guide to Literature, Colwell (1968: 13) elaborates two basic meanings of character. Every character involves two basic qualities, morality and personality. A character’s personality can be seen from his characteristics, while his morality is an idea behind his existence. A character is morality and personality blend.
Abrams in A Glossary of Literary Terms (1981: 20) says that the character can be divided based on the importance. Characters can be categorized into major and minor. Major character can be called primary character which takes central role in the story. Major character is a character that is relevant to every single event at the story. Meanwhile, minor characters are characters that appear in particular setting. They have an important value to become the background for major characters. Their roles are less important than the major characters because they are not fully developed and functioned in story to support the development of the major characters.
Reviewing about the development of the characters, Perrine in Literature:
Sound and Sense (1974: 71) defines that characters inside literary works could be
divided into static or dynamic character. A Static Character is the same type of person at the end of the story as he was at the beginning. In the other hand, A Dynamic Character is a character who undergoes permanent changes in some aspects of his character, personality, or outlook. He could be very different person at the end of the story.
Rohrberger and Woods (1971:20-21) give another similar theory about characters and characterization. So far, characters can be differentiated according to their function in the story. Characters can be divided into protagonist and antagonist. A protagonist is the most important character. He or she is the one to whom all the events in the story have relevance. Meanwhile antagonists are the other major characters of a story that oppose the protagonist. The antagonist characters are not always bad guys who oppose the protagonist character but they take a role in the main conflict inside the story.
Roberts in his book Fiction: An Introduction of Reading and Writing differentiates characters into round and flat character. A round character is complex in temperament and motivation. A round character is usually the major figure in a story and usually considered as hero or heroine and also to be a protagonist. A flat character is built around a single idea or quality. He is not strongly depicted as an individual but only a representative. A flat character is usually minor character (1987: 121).
b. Theory of Superman
One of the popular ideas of Friederich Nietzche’s philosophical concept is about Ubermensch. This term is usually translated into Superman. Walter Kaufmann translates Ubermensch into Overman. The word uber is referred to ‘over’. In some resources, Nietzche’s philosophical concept of Ubermensch is translated into Overman. In fact, the term ‘overman’ and ‘superman’ are already same. They stand for Nietzsche’s philosophical idea of Ubermensch. The term ‘over’ and ‘super’ simply define about the philosophical meaning beyond. The value of ‘super’ signifies ‘over’. The Superman is a person who is able to overpass common values. As Kaufman (1956:102) says that the human has overpassed monkey, so that the human will overpass the superman.
This philosophical concept emerges in Nietzche’s philosophical review book entitled Also Sprach Zaratusthra. In his view, Nietzsche tells about Zarathusthra, a figure of Zoroasterianism religion in ancient Persia. Then, through the character of Zarathustra inside the book, he states his popular idea about the Superman. Nietzsche introduces the idea of Superman in order to attack religion, especially Christianity. Through the character of Zarathustra, he proclaims the Superman to be the meaning of the life and warns the people to ignore those who promise other hopes (Kaufmann,1956:103-111).
According to Paul Edwards (1967:509) the word “mensch” includes women as well as men. As told by Zarathustra, Superman is used as singular but the term is not only applied to individual. It refers to the higher type of people who create their own values out of their abundance. The Superman is a newborn society that will replace the old society. Friederich Nietzsche intended to suggest the socialism as The Superman. The Superman society is socialistic society that will take over the humankind.
The Superman is a superior individual who is rising out of the mass mediocrity. Nietzsche suggests that the aim of human effort is not the happiness of the mass but solely the improvement of the type. Society is only considered as an instrument for the improvement of the superman. As stated by Durant, “Society is used to be machine to the production of a new species” (1954: 425). In addition, the superman can be procreated only by human selection and ennobling education.
So the higher individuals should marry other persons in the same level. The best should marry the best. Love does not have its main position in marriage. It is considered as a legal impediment to marriage. “The purpose of marriage is not merely reproduction, it should also be development” (Durant,1954:425).
Another Critic, Frederick Copleston (1954:393-394), states that the idea of Superman is used to reveal the idea of the death of God. It means the death of Christian God. God is dead means that the idea of God can no longer provide values. Even, Zarathustra said that the idea of God gives a fake hope. The Superman is the creator of new values. In this way, it appears as a solution to the problem of the death of God.
According to Nietzsche as told by Edwards, the only thing that the Superman wants is power. In brief, the human life force is the will to power. It is the urge to dominate and to master. All creatures desire this, but only a man who has achieved sufficient power, is able to turn the Life Force into a flood of creative energy. The ideal man, the "Superman," will achieve the Life Lorce in mastering his own existence. Then, he will follow the will to power that serve to set his existence (1967:511).
As added by Durant, the Life Force builds the character of Superman. In other words, all of his behaviour and attitude are affected by his Life Force which means the will to power. It will make the power of personality in which energy, intellect, and pride are harmonised into a man personality (1954:426). These characteristics are also called ‘Master Morality’, while the mass mediocrity characteristics are called ‘Slave Morality’.
As described above, the figure of Superman has will to power as his Life Force. Will to power plays a role as life force which drives every aspect in activities and attitudes. This means that the will to power is inside the Superman’s personality as a basic motive. From this point of view, Nietzche admires Julius Caesar and Napoleon Bonaparte. Even, The Superman is a person who has Caesar and Napoleon’s values in one personality. (Edwards,1967:510-511).
A Superman is a person who is able to transvaluate the old values which is still existed. Transvaluation is one factor in which the figure of Superman is created. He can create his new values. One of the old values is the idea of God in Christianity. In general, this idea is striking the transcendence because it is a cause of the existence of God. Then, the transcendence is needed to be transvaluated.
The transvaluation includes the doctrines of eternal recurrence, atheism, and nihilism (Copleston,1954:395-397).
The transvaluation can be summarized as follows. The eternal recurrence is Nietzsche’s concept the universe. According to him, the universe is cyclist. It has been recurring, and will continue to recur in a same pattern. The universe will be destroyed. Then, the same world configuration will return again eternally.
Time is viewed as cyclical. The universe has no start or end. Superman himself is someone who is able to revolute this cycle by his awareness.
The eternal recurrence is related with the idea about the death of God. From this point of view, the God does not exist. The universe is not God’s creature. There is no heaven and hell because the universe will recur in the same pattern again and again. This is also a refusal of the transcendent which is the God. It is also a radical atheism because the God has no role in the world order.
That is why Nietzsche called that the God is dead. Then, it can be stated that this is a kind of nihilism.
In the eternal recurrence, the universe is shown as something pathetic, as described by Copleston, the whole life, every moment, every suffering, every agony, and every humiliation would be repeated countless times (1954:394).The figure of Superman does not view this pathetic reality in pessimism. The real Superman would be able to face the reality with joy. Power to say ‘yes’ is his attitude of life to face the eternal recurrence. It was the yes-saying attitude of life, an inner strength of Superman to face the eternal recurrence reality.
By revaluating those values, The Superman is able to know the good and evil. He could distinct things as good and bad. This ability to analyse the reality will lead him to consider reality has good and bad aspects. Then, the Superman is an individual who could make genius decisions (Copleston, 1954: 395-397).
So far, Copleston (1954: 396) defines that The Superman is expected to be the creative genius who will be the highest cultural product. He has some characteristics as the higher type of man. A real Superman is a person who is having the attitude of a free spirit, pragmatist view of truth, sceptical observe of life. He is also critical, rational, optimistic, and, relativistic. The Superman is a synthesis of another Nietzche’s concepts. They are Appolonian versus Dyonisian.
A true Superman is a Dyonisian although he also takes some Apollonian values.
Human behaviour is devided into two contradictory valuations. Duran (1954: 407-408) elaborates these, as follows: Apollonian takes Apollo, the god of sun, as its symbol. It means peace, leisure, repose, aesthetic emotion, intellectual contemplation, philosophic calm, and logical order.
Meanwhile, Dyonisian characteristics are the opposite of Apollonian. Dyonisian is closer to the personification of The Superman than Apollonian. As its name, Dyonisian, was taken from Dyonisos, the god of wine. It symbolises revelry of ascending life, joy in action, ecstatic emotion and inspiration, instinct in adventure, dauntless suffering.
The Superman is the goal of Nietzsche’s philosophy. He creates his new values of morality. According to his view, morality lies in strength not in kindness, so that the goal of human effort is not the elevation of the whole mankind but only the development of the finer and stronger individuals. In brief, the goal of life is not mankind but the Superman. If the Superman does not reveal, the mankind does not improve, even it does not exist. The better and finer individuals who are sensible and able to improve the humankind will be the new hope of humankind (Duran, 1954:424).
C. Review of Don Juan character
Don Juan is a legendary fictitious character. The name 'Don Juan' is used figuratively as a synonym for a 'seducer' or 'womanizer'. The term Don Juan has been used by hundreds authors, playwrights, song writers, poets etc as their character in their works. As recorded by Pierre Ferrand (2005:1), it was used by Tirso de Molina in El Burlador de Sevilla at 1630. It has also become popular fictitious characters in literature alongside the other characters of Don Quixote, Faust, and Hamlet. Most of authors and playwrights characterise Don Juan as a figure of a young libertine. Don Juan is always depicted as an unrepentant womanizer, who loves every woman he seduces, and who gets sex with every seduced woman, but later he will be punished in the hell.
Actually, the character of Don Juan is developed in hundred years. Don Juan lost much of his characteristics which were given by his early creator. The early versions of Don Juan story have depicted this character in philosophical and moral point of view. Tirso de Molina who firstly makes the character of Don Juan was a priest. He made Don Juan character in order to show a portrait of a bad guy who will be punished because of his anti religiousness. Then, the character of Don Juan was transformed into the figure of contemporary Don Juan; the profligate lover or a romantic seeker for ideal womanhood (Banks:1989). Now, the character is always seen figuratively in a perspective which places him as person who sees women as his prey.
The characterization of Don Juan can be divided into two different points of views. There are sexual manner and philosophical manner. The early versions are different from the next versions. The first recorded version, El Burlador de
Sevilla by Tirso de Mollina and the previous versions depicted Don Juan as a
negative figure in morality. Don Juan is a villain punished by dragged to the hell.So far, the purpose in using Don Juan character, as shown by Tirso, is about moral value. In deep, this character is shown by practical moralist in order to depict a character that will be punished in hell because of a libertine disregard of God and social norms. (Ferrand,1989:4). Then, in the next versions, Don Juan, has been popular as a womanizer. His description moves to a character that has less philosophical values. Don Juan seems as a passionate lover young man.
Gordon Banks in Don Juan as Psychopath says that Don Juan is an archetype. He is a universal figure or a myth of a womanizer. The name ‘Don Juan’ is a new term used to call a womanizer man. Don Juan also symbolises a patriarchal system. He is also a symbol of anti feminism because women are considered as objects of men activity . His seductions to many women places him as a picture of the superior man(http://www.gordonbanks/gordon/donjuan.html).
As told by Mozart in Don Giovanni, Don Juan is a Spanish nobleman who is always accompanied by his servant, Leporello. Don Juan is attempting to seduce Donna Anna the daughter of Don Pedro, the Commandatore of Seville. Then Don Pedro angry and challenges Don Juan to a duel, but he is killed. Donna Anna and her Fiancé, Don Ottavio, promise to revenge Don Juan because of Don Pedro’s death. At last, Don Juan is dragged into Hell by the statue of Don Pedro.
In hell, Don Juan meets the devil and makes a discussion about what he has done in his life. Then, the next versions of Don Juan depicted the similar minor characters and plot. The characterisation of Don Juan is also not changed because he is always depicted as womanizer (Ferrand,2005:3) .
The character of Don Juan in almost literary works is always depicted as a libertine young man who seduces women. Banks (1967:142) describes Don Juan as a character who lacks insight of his behaviour for himself and other people. Banks also adds that the stereotypes of Don Juan are almost same in hundred years. Don Juan is a half villain who does not feel guilt or remorse of his reputation. Gareth Cox (1998:18) also states that Don Juan has some qualities as his main characteristics; there is philanderer, libertine, women pursuer, intellectualist, and prosperous person. Don Juan is a figure which represents many values, such as: revolution, innovation, creativity, difference, rebellion, and obsession of moral hypocrisy.