Two Narcissists Reveal Themselves at the Santa Fe Opera

When someone describes a man as a “Don Juan,” they are usually talking about a lothario who seduces, uses, and eventually discards women. The opera Don Giovanni, by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and librettist Lorenzo da Ponte (1787) is about such a character. He has the emotional depth of a handkerchief that his victims may cry into, once he betrays and abandons them. He feels no remorse, takes no blame, and is a prime example of a narcissist.

It took me most of my adult life to understand how otherwise intelligent and discerning people can be taken in by a narcissist. I believe it’s about the relationship between the narcissist and co-dependents. The latter may identify with a person in power who seems tough, in control, and sure of themselves. That person makes them feel that they are in the inside group, the faithful, the chosen. The person in power gives them a sense of identity, a feeling of power, and they give themselves away in order to adopt the person in power's opinions and reality. The person in power feeds on the adulation of the co-dependents. To them, he can do no wrong. The bond between the co-dependent and the narcissist is very strong because they depend on and need each other. They empathize totally with him, but he is unable to really care about or empathize with those he sucks in.

Source: Ryan Speedo Green (Don Giovanni). Photo by Curtis Brown for Santa Fe Opera.

Don Giovanni, the title character, is a shameless abuser of women, and one of them, Donna Elvira, is a co-dependent. Even after she learns she has been betrayed and abandoned by him, that he has played the same game with other women, and he has hurt others besides herself, she asks him to change his ways but still remains loyal. She professes her undying love for him and is committed to saving him even after he dies and ostensibly goes to hell. She blesses his inert body with a holy cross.

In other productions of the opera I have seen, the main character is charmingly seductive. In the current production at the Santa Fe Opera, he is cruel and charmless and yet he knows how to seduce both vulnerable and seemingly strong women. Some of them, when they see who and how he really is, become enraged or vengeful. He accepts no blame and becomes more arrogant with each new conquest.

It is easy to be charmed by the highly entertaining music and libretto, the vocal mastery of the women, Don Giovanni’s servant Leporello, and the ghost of the military commander who the narcissist killed. But in addition to applauding and laughing, you may also be reminded of one or more narcissists you have engaged with in life.

The second opera is The Righteous, a world premier by composer Gregory Spears and librettist Tracy K. Smith. David, the main character, is modeled on the biblical King David. He had an intimate relationship with the son of his predecessor King Saul. He married Saul’s daughter, but when he espied Bathsheba — the wife of his dear friend and lieutenant in his army — he sent his friend off to war to be killed, seduced his bride, and then married her.

Source: Michael Mayes, Jennifer Johnson Cano. Photo by Curtis Brown for the Santa Fe Opera.

I think it’s fascinating that to this day, the ancient Israelite Samaritans (yes, more than 800 of the “good Samaritans” of the biblical story still live today) cannot name a son David. Why? Because of the dastardly and murderous behavior of the biblical King David. If their son named David does something good and they praise him by using his name (i.e. “we are very proud of you, David”) they are inadvertently praising the ancient king.

In the opera, David starts out as a caring preacher in a small congregation. He serves God with devotion and humility. But he slowly becomes an arrogant narcissist who leaves behind his humanitarian values and concern for people and replaces them with a lust for power in politics. Initially the women — his first wife and then the woman who is an updated version of Bathsheba — are co-dependent and sacrifice their own needs to minister to him and help him advance. The Bathsheba character suffered emotional childhood abuse, which has left her vulnerable to David's promises of love. Both women define themselves by their identities as David’s wives. But by the end of the opera, they are clamoring for independence and for meaning in their lives. They become devoted to women’s causes and sisterhood. They suggest that you can break the spell of the narcissist, but it’s no easy task because his power and charm are so seductive.

At the end, David seems like a lost man, an empty shell, a narcissist who has gained power, rank, and fame, and lost his soul.

In Don Giovanni, the main character lives for freedom to do anything he desires, and claims he is fearless. In The Righteous, it is the women who discover freedom and fearlessness as they break the spell of the narcissist and leave their unholy and unhealthy bond behind.