Within stanzas 15-16, Byron is focusing on the feelings of resentment that he may have for leaving his home of Spain to embark on a voyage with his servants and tutor Pedrillo. In the 15th stanza Byron says, “But Juan had got many things to leave, his mother, and a mistress, and no wife, So that he had much better cause to grieve than many persons more advanced in life.” These few lines raise a sort of weird question. Why would he have a better cause to grieve than someone who was actually married? You would think that since Don Juan is no longer together with Donna Julia, he should be free to go about his business and love on someone else. But since we know that Don Juan is known for his loving personality, it tears him apart to no longer be in the same place as Julia.
The 16th stanza has an interesting format. In it, the speaker of the poem actually breaks from the story and talks to the reader. Prefacing the conversation he says that Don Juan began to weep on the boat but he is unable to weep because he doesn’t have a weeping Muse. He then goes on to criticize Don Juan that Juan is overreacting to the voyage and he really shouldn’t be getting so hung up on such a little detail. The speaker thinks it is a very good thing for young men to travel in order to go out and explore the world and have fun. Switching to the speaker as a character does a few things for the reader. It personalizes the poem a lot more, reiterating to the reader that the speaker is speaking to “me” and not just telling a random story. This in turn makes the poem a bit more enjoyable and fun. It also plays on the mock epic style of this poem because Don Juan is weeping at going on an adventure. In a real epic poem the hero character is super manly and seeks the thrill from adventure and voyages. Don Juan is being a real baby by crying for his mommy and lost love.
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