Abstract
Tirso de Molina’s philandering Don Juan finds his downfall in the Stone Guest. This reanimated tomb effigy of Don Gonzalo pulls Don Juan to hell in the final act of El burlador de Sevilla y convidado de piedra. Don Juan’s life of transgressions has upset both societal and divine order, so his punishment must be enacted in both spheres. In this paper, I consider the Stone Guest, who returns to the world of the living to mete out Don Juan’s punishment, to be a ghostly figure. As an undead apparition, the Stone Guest occupies a space between life and death, which positions him as the only character capable of enacting complete justice. I further examine the ways in which Don Gonzalo’s execution of justice, both human and divine, contributes to the 16th century’s de auxiliis debates regarding the influence of free will and divine control in man’s life.
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