t for Mozart and other composers (Felton 527 9). But there are two elements of Don Giovanni that contribute to making its lead character dynamic: Don Giovanni's display of courage in the face of damnation, and the use of music to provide the lead character with stature and substance.
The courage that Don Giovanni shows occurs throughout the play. The opening scenes, in which the Don's repeated and almost frenetic seductions are introduced, also find Don Giovanni somewhat beleaguered by erstewhile lovers and victims. None of this, however, prevents him from planning new seductions. No sooner does he kill the Commendatore than Donna Anna makes Ottavio vow revenge. Meanwhile, Leporello takes an opportunity to characterize his master's behaviro as "simply scandalous" (Don Giovanni I.4). Understandably, Don Giovanni is in rather a hurry to extricate himself from complications, but in the midst of his threatening Leporello for challenging him, he "scent[s] a woman's presence" (Don Giovanni I.4). Nothing, it seems, will deter him from a new conquest. But he is delayed with Zerlina when the scorned Donna Elvira shows up looking for revenge. His reaction is in one sense reasonable insamuch as he is annoyed by intentions of others to extract vengeance as ridiculous obstacles to the important enterprise of seduction: "It seems that this is my unlucky day. All my adventures take a turn against me I don't know what to think" (Don Giovanni I.10). He would rather not be bothered by these interruptions, just as he would rather not have been bothered by the Commendatore, and indeed interruptions do not prevent him from pursuing Zerlina. His libido overrides every other consideration, and such singleness of purpose is an aspect (comic, to be sure) of consistency of character. Similarly, in the final moments of the opera, when he declares, "Whatever be my sentence, Never shall I repent" (Don Giovanni II.14), he remains faithful to his one object...