# Baba — Don Juan character guide

> Baba in Don Juan by Lord Byron.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** old Baba, the negro Baba, CIII Baba

**First appearance:** 0010-canto-v

## Snapshot

The shrewd, sardonic eunuch who buys Juan at the Constantinople slave market and steers him, for a price, into the Sultan's harem.

## Who they are

Baba is a veteran of the slave trade whose wit and worldliness make him a useful guide through the seraglio's dangerous etiquette. He treats Juan with a mixture of commercial appraisal and grudging fondness, selling him into the harem while also coaching him on how to survive there. His cynical pragmatism exposes the machinery behind the poem's Eastern romance and keeps Juan alive long enough for the next adventure.

## Relationships

### [Gulbeyaz](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/don_juan_se/characters/gulbeyaz)

_professional_

Baba is the eunuch servant of Gulbeyaz, the Sultana, and carries out her commands regarding Don Juan.

### [Don Juan](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/don_juan_se/characters/don_juan)

_psychological_

Baba manipulates and forces Don Juan into cross-dressing to be presented to Gulbeyaz, acting as a cunning intermediary.

### [Don Juan](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/don_juan_se/characters/don_juan)

_psychological_

Baba manipulates and forces Don Juan into cross-dressing to be presented to Gulbeyaz, acting as a cunning intermediary.

### [Don Juan](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/don_juan_se/characters/don_juan)

_psychological_

Baba manipulates and forces Don Juan into cross-dressing to be presented to Gulbeyaz, acting as a cunning intermediary.

## In the story

### [Canto V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/don_juan_se/chapters/canto-v)

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

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/don_juan_se/characters/baba
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/don_juan_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/don_juan_se/characters