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Why does Don Giovanni become interested in Zerlina?

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Don Giovanni; Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart — Don Giovanni Illustration (c. 1914) of a scene from Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's opera *Don Giovanni* (1787), in which Don Giovanni attempts to seduce Zerlina.

In Mozart's opera Don Giovanni, the protagonist's interest in Zerlina is driven by his habitual pursuit of women. While attending a celebration for the engagement of Zerlina and Masetto in the countryside, Don Giovanni and his servant, Leporello, admire the local women, and Giovanni becomes specifically interested in Zerlina.1

His attraction is consistent with his character as a relentless libertine who seeks to conquer women across various nations, as documented in his servant's "catalogue" of conquests. To pursue her, Giovanni attempts to isolate Zerlina from her fiancé, Masetto, by inviting the wedding party to his castle and promising to marry her himself. This pursuit is famously depicted in the duet "Là ci darem la mano," where he successfully manipulates her into agreeing to his advances.21