After the premiere of Don Giovanni in Prague, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Lorenzo Da Ponte brought their opera to Vienna on May 7, 1788. One point of interest in the Viennese version of the score is the added duet “Per queste tue manine.” In this duet, the enraged Zerlina overpowers the bewildered servant Leporello with a handkerchief, a razor, and passion. She constrains the floundering fool and punishes him for his misconduct. In most modern performances, companies look no further than the Prague version of the score. Additionally, singers often portray Zerlina as either a mischievous temptress or a virginal peasant girl. Since modern opera companies often dismiss the Viennese score of Don Giovanni as insignificant and scholars often deem the role of Zerlina as simplistic, a holistic analysis of the role of Zerlina is needed. Viewing the interpretations of her character by Kristi Brown-Montesano and Wye Jamison Allanbrook through the lens of eighteenth-century gender politics and my own musical and literary interpretations results in a more complete understanding of the peasant girl. Through an analysis of the Viennese version of Zerlina’s character, I contend that Zerlina functions as a mirror-image foil to Don Giovanni. As Zerlina gains autonomy through the control of her own body, the Don loses his power over others and eventually his own life. This multi-dimensional understanding of Zerlina’s character is only possible if “Per queste tue manine” is taken into consideration.

This dissertation thesis aims to reflect on the current evolvement of public spaces and increasingly common discussions of the lay and professional public about its impact and importance for a democratic society. The main topic, "Autonomy of an artwork outside of the institutions of art", focuses on searching for the autonomy of artwork in public spaces in the context of how the artwork was placed there. The thesis describes specific artworks which were placed into the public space using different methods, such as art competition, no competition, as a gift, or in a way of temporary art. These methods are examined to find the degree of autonomy. The degree of autonomy of artworks in public spaces is determined based on the applied analysis which, among other things, focuses on how efficient the result is in comparison to the method of placement. The field research resulted in complex, subjective, sculptural and artistic opinion on the current practice of placement of artworks into public spaces. Such professional and relevant opinion was then presented to the responsible authorities which have a significant impact on the creation of public spaces. The author aims to apply the acquired knowledge in practice by offering his professional opinions for the new elaboration of the government strategic document called "Politika architektury a stavební kultury České republiky" (loosely translated as "Politics of Architecture and Building Culture of the Czech Republic"), which is created by Ministry of Regional Development of the Czech Republic. The main results of the thesis describe the efficient approaches which lead to cultivation of public spaces and the significant role of art in them. Such approaches were in the thesis demonstrated by civic influence on the government strategies or civic activism in a form of citizens' initiative called "Je to i tvoje město" (loosely translated as "The city is your too") which actively participates in the public debate in Jindřichův Hradec, town on the South of the Czech Republic.