Specifics of Don Juan’s imagery representation in European and Eastern literary, cinematic, and musical-theatrical works. Part 1

The purpose of the study is to identify the typological characteristics of images and storylines associated with the seducer archetype in European and Eastern (Chinese, Japanese) art. The article defines the key features of the Don Juan figure as a supertemporal intermedial phenomenon (encompassing literature, cinema, and music) shaped by the sociocultural contexts of the West and the East. The scientific novelty of the research lies in the very formulation of the problem and the findings achieved: through the analysis of European, Japanese, Chinese works featuring Don Juan as an artistic archetype and their interpretations, both universal and culture-specific traits of this multifaceted persona were identified. The study reveals that, despite variations in narrative strategies, motivations, and the outcomes of the seducer’s actions, the fundamental trajectory of the works’ thematic development remains consistent: the protagonist, in his attempt to transgress the boundaries of the permissible (thereby devaluing honor, marriage, duty, and faith), is destined for isolation and an ultimate confrontation with reality – be it metaphysical, social, or moral – thus bearing the burden of atonement or facing well-merited retribution.