# Canto V explained — Don Juan

> Chapter companion for Don Juan by Lord Byron.

## What happens

Juan and a fellow captive, an Englishman named Johnson, are sold as slaves in a Constantinople market. They discuss slavery, fortune, and love, while the narrator reflects on mortality, the slave trade, and a recent murder he witnessed.

## Themes in this chapter

### Freedom and Slavery

The chapter centers on the slave market, with Juan and Johnson discussing the nature of slavery and the hope of becoming masters.

### Illusion and Reality

Johnson reflects on how time strips illusions of their hue, and the narrator contrasts romantic notions with harsh realities.

### Mortality and Transience

The narrator's account of a murdered commandant and reflections on eating and digestion underscore human mortality.

## Character check-ins

### Don Juan

Juan is a slave in the market, youthful and handsome, mourning his lost love and recent hardships.

### John Johnson

An Englishman captured while serving with the Russian army; he befriends Juan in the slave market.

### Baba

The black eunuch who inspects the captives and bids on them in the market.

### Suwarrow

Mentioned as the Russian general under whom Johnson served.

## Key lines

> We know what slavery is, and our disasters May teach us better to behave when masters.

Johnson argues that experiencing slavery will make them better masters if they ever gain power.

_Irony about the cycle of oppression._

> Most men are slaves, none more so than the great, To their own whims and passions, and what not;

Johnson claims that even the powerful are enslaved by their own desires and societal expectations.

_Philosophical reflection on universal servitude._

> I gazed upon him, for I knew him well; and though I have seen many corpses, never Saw one, whom

The narrator recognizes the murdered commandant and reflects on the shock of seeing a familiar face dead.

_Personal encounter with violent death._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/don_juan_se/chapters/canto-v
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/don_juan_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/don_juan_se/chapters