Like many authors of Restoration theatre plays, the French classic theatre attracts Thomas Shadwell. Several of his plays are inspired by Molière, but for his interpretation of the story of Don Juan, he draws on the versions of Dorimon, Villiers and especially the most recent, that by Rosimond.

Under his pen, reference to a “ guest ” or to a “ feast of stone ” is no longer evoked, as in the French, Italian or Spanish titles; for the first time Shadwell breaks this tradition in calling his play The Libertine. According to him, this play is written very quickly in less than three weeks. However it wins great acclaim, not only at its debut in 1676, but lasting for several years, as performances are given until 1740. Shadwell, like many other dramatic authors of the time, has certainly been attracted by the popularity of the topic. In his preface, he underlines the indecent side of his play and hopes not to shock anybody, insofar as he says that vice is punished in the end. In fact, it is difficult to imagine a worse Don Juan and it is certainly the reason why this play was never subsequently copied. However, it belongs to its time and, although called a tragedy, it illustrates well the numerous comedies of manners of the period that portray with excess but not without humour, the very unbridled behaviour of their contemporaries, and in particular that of the nobility. The Libertine's originality first rests foremost on the intervention of musical interludes, songs and choirs written initially by William Turner, and then in 1692 recomposed by Henry Purcell. Shadwell's play takes place in Spain. Before Act 1, it includes a preface and a prologue that today can appear as much confused as obscure. Their content addressed a knowledgeable public and it is necessary to understand that the preface was often used as a means to settle scores between authors. Thus Shadwell and Dryden regularly cudgelled each other throughout their work. Their regular altercations became famous and Shadwell was their greatest victim. Thus when he refers to the “ infamous, coarse and vulgar censorship of a maker of verse ”, he makes a direct allusion to his archenemy: John Dryden. The first Act of The Libertine starts with a philosophical discussion between Don John and two of his lewd friends, Don Lopez and Don Antonio. Jacomo, Don John's valet intervenes to reproach the trio with a list of their various misdeeds. Then enters Leonora seduced by Don John and who comes to ask Jacomo about his master's intentions. The valet destroys all her illusions concerning Don John, takes advantage of the situation to attempt her seduction and gives her an appointment in order to prove to her how well founded are his accusations of Don John. In the meantime, Don John and his friends are recounting their latest amorous adventures, each more lewd than the other and Don John declares that he must presently carry through an intrigue. To this end, he kills the fiancé of Maria, his intended lover and enters her apartments in his place. Unmasked by Maria and her servant, he must also kill Maria's brother before making his escape. At the beginning of Act II, Leonora comes to the rendezvous arranged by Jacomo who conceals her pending his master's arrival. Don John brags to his valet about his latest exploits, Leonora emerging in the middle of the conversation, outraged by what she has just heard. She implores Don John to honour the engagement that binds them, but he dismisses her without consideration. Then enter six women who all claim to be the legitimate wife of Don John. They argue about the promises of marriage that he has made, until the arrival of Don Lopez and Don Antonio. Don John then leaves them to his friends stating that he never seduces the same woman twice and one of them kills herself to escape this collective rape. Don John forces Jacomo to remove the corpse and orders him to bring back the first woman that he meets in the street in order for him to join his friends in their debauchery. Jacomo brings back a horrible old woman. In the meantime, Maria dressed as a man and accompanied by her maid, attacks Don John whom she intends to kill to avenge the murders committed. She fails and in the confrontation her maid meets her death. Don John and his friends decide to escape by sea and Jacomo, increasingly afraid at the turn of events, implores them in vain to leave him behind. The ghost of Don John's father then appears and warns Don John, who laughs at its threats. In Act III, Don John, his valet and his two friends face a storm at sea. With their ship on fire, they escape in a boat having beaten off the sailors who tried to come aboard. The trio is stranded on the beach and a hermit comes to their aid. As a mark of their gratitude they ask him to provide them with a whore. Frightened, he tries in vain to convert them. Then they go to the home of Don Francisco, a gentleman living close by. Jacomo also rescued by the hermit takes the same direction, as well as Leonora and Maria (still dressed as a man) who have joined forces to find Don John. At Don Francisco's, his two daughters Clara and Flavia bemoan the fate that awaits them, as the following day they must marry two men chosen by their father. When Don John meets the two girls, he promises marriage to them both. Leonora and Maria also arrive. Leonora, who is still in love with Don John, tries one last time to convince him, but he poisons her as his final answer. In the mean time, Maria has fought with Don John's two acolytes. In Act IV, Maria presents herself at Don Francisco's house to accuse Don John of Leonora's murder. To the confusion produced by this declaration is added the arrival of the two daughters Clara and Flavia who announce their imminent marriage to Don John. A fight starts between the lewd trio, the two future husbands, Don Francisco and Maria. The latter two are killed, the two fiancés are wounded and the two girls run away, deciding to retire to a convent to expiate their sins. Still accompanied by Jacomo the valet, Don John and his friends also escape and kidnap some shepherdesses after battling with the shepherds. On their way they find the statue of the Commander murdered by Don John. The latter forces his valet to invite it to dine. The statue accepts, attends the dinner as a ghost and returns the invitation to the foursome. In Act V, the three associates decide to set fire to a convent to force the nuns to leave the building and thus attempt their rape. In passing Don John tries to abduct Clara and Flavia who in the meantime had taken refuge in religious life. Several shepherds and guards attempt to intervene and are killed. They finally go to the Commander's tomb, where he awaits them with the assembled ghosts of all the people that they murdered. Confronted by the trio's refusal to repent, the Commander sends them all to Hell. Jacomo remains alone on stage to address the public. Rarely has a version of Don Juan portrayed so much crime, rape and debauchery. As such, it reached a paroxysm that remains unequalled, yet this extreme vision is not without interest for the evolution of the myth as underlined by Claude Schumacher in the magazine Oblique dedicated to Don Juan: With Don John, Shadwell created a decidedly modern character. His revolt is by necessity taken to extremes. He rejected all moral or social constraints associated to a hated past. His endless exploration of instinctive passions opened a breach that no divine machinery could once again close.