Don Quixote

A Crazy Tale about A Crazy Knight

Don Quixote

The story was about a man named Don Quixote became so absorbed in stories about knights in shining armor that he gave up everything to become a knight, of course he was completely bonkers.

Chapters 1-5● Don Quixote is a low-ranking Spanish Noble● He spent his entire life reading about medieval knights

and chivalry● He decided to become a Knight● Then he Designated a farm girl as his lady love, and

renames he to “Dulcinea del Toboso”

Chap 1-5 (cont.)

● Don Quixote arrives at an inn (believing it to be a castle. Quixote then calls the prostitutes ladies and requests that the innkeeper knights him.

● He tries to save a young boy from being beaten, but the boy’s master continues after Don Quixote leaves.

● After getting in a fight he is knocked unconscious at the side of the road.

Destruction of Don Quixote's library (Chapters 6 and 7)

● While Don Quixote is sleeping, his housekeeper sneaks in and burns all of his Chivalric books

● The books burned and saved were entirely up to the author’s opinion. His own book, La Galatea was saved while others not of his work were burned. After Don Quixote awoke, the library was

sealed off and he was told that it was the work of a wizard.

Second Sally

● Sancho Panza is taken as Don Quixote’s squire● Don Quixote and his squire attack a bunch of windmills

believing them to be giants● As the pair run into a group of Friars and a lady in a

carriage Don Quixote attacks the friars and forces them to “free” the lady in the carriage

The Pastoral Weddings● Sancho and Don Quixote come across a group of goatherds.● Don Quixote tells the goatherds the age of golden man in which property

doesn’t exist and everyone lives in peace.● Don and Sancho get invited to Grisóstomo’s funeral, a student who left his

studies after reading pastoral novels and began seeking Marcela, a shepherdess. Marcela shows up at Grisóstomo’s funeral to defend herself, but became frustrated and left into the woods. Don and Sancho follow her but dismount at a pond. Don Quixote’s horse wanders off to mate with another pony but is beaten when he tries too by the pony’s owner. Don defends his horse much to the opposition of the other owners.

Adventures at an Inn

● The two go to an inn and mistake it for a castle (again)● Don Quixote mistakes a servant girl for a princess and

greatly frightens her by forcing her to sit on his bed● One of the men who attacked Don Quixote sees this

and proceeds to beat up Don Quixote and the squire (again)

Adventures at an Inn (cont.)

● After the knightly duo is injured they try to heal themselves with something Don Quixote calls “ The Balm of Fierbras” (which ends up making them sick)

● As they try to leave the Inn Don Quixote (trying to emulate a real Knight) refuses to pay.

● Some of the guests proceed to wrap Sancho Panza in a blanket and throw him into the air

Part Two

● Sancho tells Don Quixote (and then himself believes) that an evil enchanter turned Dulcinea into a peasant girl.

● He meets a duke and a duchess who play tricks on Don Quixote (telling him that the enchantment will be gone if Sancho whips himself 3,300 times)

● Sancho becomes governor of a (fake) island for 10 whole days! Then he is wounded in a competition and decides it is better to be a happy laborer than a sad governor

Part Two (cont.)

● After numerous other misadventures and some fourth wall breaking from the author Don Quixote returns home to his village

● He quickly falls ill, regains his sanity, declares that he no longer wants to be a knight-errant, repents, and dies.

Purpose of Don Quixote

Cervantes’ purpose by creating and publishing this novel was to mock the time period he lived in and mock knighthood. At the time, no one was a knight anymore. His novel, Don Quixote poked fun at this due to the fact that Don was behind his time period and wanted to be a knight after reading about them, as well as being a parody. It is regarded as one of the best pieces of literature ever created, as well as one of the most funny.

Cervantes’s use on meaning and tone.

Because of the blatant fact that this novel is a parody, it is only natural that Cervante’s tone in the story is mocking and sarcastic. Breaking down the novel, Don Quixote is a story about Don and his fat sidekick, Sancho who convince themselves that they are knights in the height of the medieval period. They go on to battle giant windmills and help the christian king who battles a herd of sheep. All of this mocks the medieval time period.

Word choice

● Don Quixote often uses words associated with medieval chivalry (or lack thereof) for example he calls the windmills “cowards” and “vile creatures” (indicating they have no chivalry).

● This is used to mock chivalry as windmills cannot be cowards.● Sancho often invokes religion in his speech. (IE he says he will

observe something as he would observe Sabbath day)● The reasoning behind this is probably to mock chivalry and its

religious component

Author’s craft

Miguel de Cervantes’s Novel, Don Quixote is a novel that utilizes the standard components of literature. Their is a beginning, a climax, a problem, a solution and a conclusion. Cervantes also uses a lot of humor to attract and keep the readers engaged in the plot. No flashbacks are directly used, however different periods of time are referenced, as Quixote in the novel reads about knights and wants to become one.

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