Summary of Don Quixote

8/11/2019 Summary of Don Quixote

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SUMMARRY OF DON QUIXOTE

Don Quixote Book I Summary

Alonso Quixana is an older gentleman who lives in La Mancha, in the Spanish

countryside. He has read many of the books of chivalry and as a result, he has lost hiswits, and he decides to roam the country as a knight-errant named Don Quixote de LaMancha. Neither his niece nor his housekeeper can stop him from riding his old horse,Rocinante, out into the country. Quixote's first sally ends quickly. He insists on havingan innkeeper knight him into the chivalric order. Quixote believes that the inn is a castle.Returning home for clothes and money, Quixote is beaten and left for dead. Acommoner rescues Quixote and brings him home.

The niece and housekeeper deliberate with two of Quixote's friends, the priest andbarber, and they decide to destroy Quixote's library, burning many of the books ofchivalry. These books are the culprit. When Quixote recovers, he asks for his books and

his niece tells him that the sageMuatonhas taken them. Quixote believes it was thesageFriston,his mortal foe. Having found a squire, a common peasant named SanchoPanza, Quixote leaves yet again. This second sally provides the story for the rest ofBook I. Panza quickly realizes that his master is mad, but the squire hopes that Quixotewill make good on his promise to name Sancho as the Governor of an island. Quixoteattacks a windmill, believing it to be a giant, destroying his lance in the process. Indeed,Quixote gets involved in several altercations and violent disputes while traveling on theroad.

There is a peaceful and pastoral interlude when Quixote joins the goatherds who mournthe death of their friend Chrysostom,a poet who died of a broken heart. Continuing on

the road with Sancho, Quixote has a run in with some horse-breeders and he is beatenso badly that Sancho has to quickly get the knight to an inn. Quixote perceives the innto be a castle, yet again. Quixote believes the innkeeper's daughter to be a beautifulprincess who has promised to come to his bed during the knight. Later that night,Quixote ends up caressing Maritornes: the half-blind, hunchbacked servant girl. Herlover, a mule carrier, is enraged and the carrier beats Quixote when he realizes that hislover, Maritornes, is struggling to get away from Quixote. In the darkness a brawlensues, including Sancho, Maritornes, the innkeeper, the mule carrier andQuixote who quickly passes out. An officer of the Holy Brotherhood enters the room,having heard the commotion, and he fears that Quixote is dead.

Quixote is not dead. When he revives, he asks for the ingredients so that he mightprepare for himself the "true balsam of Fierabras." He prepares the balsam, vomits,passes out, and wakes up feeling better. Sancho drinks the balsam and nearly dies.The next day, knight and squire leave the inn without paying. Quixote believes it to bean enchanted castle and he is offended by the suggestion that he should pay. Sanchodoes not escape as easily as Quixote does. Indeed, the squire is tossed in a blanketand his bags are stolen. In an arc of violence, Quixote murders some sheep, loses
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some teeth, steals a barber's basin (believing it to be Mambrino's helmet) and sets freea chain of galley-slaves who repay the knight's kindness with bruises.

Quixote befriends Cardenio, The Ragged Knight of the Sorry Countenance, whomourns the fact that his true love, Lucinda,has married another man: Don Fernando.

Cardenio has gone mad with grief, running half-naked through the hills of SierraMorena. Quixote imitates Cardenio, pining for his beloved lady, Dulcinea del Toboso.Quixote sends Sancho with a letter to deliver to Dulcinea but instead Sancho finds thebarber and priest and leads them to Quixote.

With the help of Dorotea, a woman who has been deceived by Don Fernando, the priestand barber make plans to trick Don Quixote into coming home. Dorotea pretends to bethe Princess Micomicona, desperately in need of Quixote's assistance. The finalchapters of the novel combine romantic intrigue with the comedy of errors surroundingDon Quixote. Dorotea is reunited with Don Fernando and Cardenio is reunited withLucinda. This takes place at the same inn which Quixote visited earlier (where was

boxed by Maritornes' lover). Numerous guests arrive at the inn, as long-lost brothers arereunited, two other pairs of lovers are blessed and Don Quixote is almost arrested. TheHoly Brotherhood has an arrest for Quixote's arrest on account of his "setting at liberty"a "group of galley-slaves." The priest begs for the officer to have mercy on Quixotebecause the knight is insane. The officer assents; Quixote is locked in a cage andcarted home. Quixote believes the cage to be an enchantment, but when it is clear thathe is going home he does not fight back. Of course, in Book II, Quixote goes out on histhird and final sally, so Book I is not resolved.

Don Quixote Book II Summary

As Book II begins, Don Quixoteis back at home in La Mancha, under the watch of hisniece and housekeeper.The priest and barbervisit Don Quixote to see how he is doing.They don't want to remind him of his recent adventures because the old gentlemanneeds to stay at home. Sancho arrives with news that there is a book called TheIngenious Gentleman Don Quixote de la Mancha. Sancho finds a young scholar namedSampson Carrascoand Carrasco gives the two men the details of the book. Quixoteand Sancho are more energized to continue their adventures, now that their previousadventures have been chronicled and published. Quixote's niece and housekeeperinsist that he should remain at home but Quixote does not pay much attention to them.

On the road, Quixote decides that he wants to go to Toboso to see Dulcinea.Sanchotries to dissuade Quixote from doing this, but the knight persists. Quixote wants Sanchoto lead the way, but of course, as Sancho has only pretended to visit Dulcinea, thesquire does not actually know how to reach Dulcinea's home. In the end, Sancho grabsa girl from a mule and says that it is Dulcinea only she has suffered an enchantment.The ugly is very ugly and she has a horrible odor. She runs off and Quixote is saddenedthat Dulcinea's beauty has been withheld from him. The two travelers are apprehendedby "The cart of death," and the knight and squire fear for their lives. In the end, the meninside of the cart convince Quixote that they are merely actors.
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Quixote continues on the road and in the middle of the night he encounters his nextadventure: The Knight of the Woods and his squire challenge Quixote and Sancho to dobattle. That night the two squires talk to each other and each man is convinced of hismaster's madness. In the morning, Sancho refuses to battle the Squire of the Woodsbecause of his giant and hideous face. Quixote looks at the costume that the Knight of

the Woods is wearing and he renames the knight as Knight of the Looking-Glasses(mirrors). Quixote throws the knight off of his horse. The Knight and Squire turn out tobe Sampson Carrasco and Tom Cecial, a neighbor of Sancho. Sampson intended todefeat Quixote and bring him home, but alas, Sampson has lost.

Quixote believes that Sampson and Tom are enchantments.

Quixote gets into trouble in the countryside, killing seven sheep because he perceivedthem to be pagan warriors, and unsuccessfully baiting a fierce lion to fight with him.

After this adventure, the knight renames himself Knight of the Lions.

Quixote and Sancho attend a wedding where a poor man named Basilio manages tosecure the bride,Quiteria the Fair,despite the fact that Quiteria was supposed to marryCamacho the Rich.Basilio's cousin is full of stories, chivalric and otherwise. He tells thestory of the Cave of Montesinos, and Don Quixote is eager to see the cave. Basiliobrings Sancho and Quixote to the cave, which is a hole in the ground. Quixote islowered into the hole and he then falls asleep. When Quixote is dragged out, he claimsthat he has had visions about sage magicians and enchantments.

Quixote's luck turns for the worst when he becomes the amusement of a twisted dukeand duchess. Sancho and Don Quixote are their guests of honor, for several weeks.The castle staff is instructed to play a number of cruel jokes on Quixote and Sancho. All

of these jokes have the effect of deluding Quixote into believing that chivalry andenchantments are true. The duke and duchess have read The Ingenious Gentlemanand from the stories that Sancho tells her, the Duchess is able to compose new storiesand scenarios in which to entangle Quixote.

Quixote and Panza are brought on a boar hunt, and the hunt is interrupted by aprocession of devils and sages. Fierce music is played and the enchanted Dulcinea ispresented inside of a carriage. A sage proclaims that Dulcinea will only be disenchantedand returned to beauty once Sancho has voluntarily whipped himself 3300 times. Notmuch later, Countess Trifaldi and her attendants arrive at the castle, having soughtQuixote's assistance. They have been cursed with beards, but if Quixote will fly on awooden horse to battle an evil giant, Malumbruno, the ladies will be restored. Quixoteand Sancho are blindfolded when they sit upon Clavileo, the winged wooden horse.The horse is full of firecrackers that go off, lightly injuring the men and throwing them tothe ground.

Sancho is made governor of a town but he soon leaves the job. Don Quixote remains atthe castle, tortured by cats and by Altisidora, a maiden who has fallen in love with DonQuixote. Doa Rodriguez, one of the duchess' attendants, asks for Don Quixote's
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assistance, and he ends up agreeing to joust in the defense of her daughter's honor.The joust never occurs, though.

Quixote and Sancho leave the duchess' castle. They are robbed by thieves, though theringleader, Roque Guinart, restores what was stolen and escorts the two men to

Barcelona. In Barcelona, Quixote becomes the laughing-stock of the town, lodging witha nobleman Don Antonio Moreno. Moreno claims to have a talking head that can tell thefuture and Don Quixote is mesmerized by this creation. Carrasco returns as the Knightof the White Moon, and this time he battles and defeats Don Quixote. Quixote mustswear to go home for a year. Quixote decides that he might become a shepherd but heis overwhelmingly depressed.

When Quixote gets home, he takes ill with a fever almost immediately. He regains hissenses, disavows chivalry and knight-errantry, and dies.

CHARACTERS:

Character List

Don Quixote- The novels tragicomic hero. Don Quixotes main quest in life is to revive

knight-errantry in a world devoid of chivalric virtues and values. He believes only what

he chooses to believe and sees the world very differently from most people. Honest,

dignified, proud, and idealistic, he wants to save the world. As intelligent as he is mad,

Don Quixote starts out as an absurd and isolated figure and ends up as a pitiable and

lovable old man whose strength and wisdom have failed him.

Sancho Panza- The peasant laborergreedy but kind, faithful but cowardlywhom

Don Quixote takes as his squire. A representation of the common man, Sancho is a foil

to Don Quixote and virtually every other character in the novel. His proverb-ridden

peasants wisdom and self-sacrificing Christian behavior prove to be the novels most

insightful and honorable worldview. He has an awestruck love for Don Quixote but

grows self-confident and saucy, ending the novel by advising his master in matters of

deep personal philosophy.

Rocinante- Don Quixotes barn horse. Rocinante is slow but faithful, and he is as worn

out as Don Quixote is.

Dapple- Sanchos donkey. Dapples disappearance and reappearance is the subject of

much controversy both within the story and within the literary criticism concerning Don

Quixote.
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Cide Hamete Benengeli- The fictional writer of Moorish decent from whose

manuscripts Cervantes supposedly translates the novel. Cervantes uses the figure of

Benengeli to comment on the ideas of authorship and literature explored in the novel

and to critique historians. Benengelis opinions, bound in his so -called historical text,

show his contempt for those who write about chivalry falsely and with embellishment.

Dulcinea del Toboso- The unseen force driving all of Don Quixotes adventures.

Dulcinea, a peasant woman whom Don Quixote envisions as his ladylove, has no

knowledge of his chivalric dedication to her. Though constantly mentioned and centrally

important to the novel, she never appears as a physical character.

Cervantes- The supposed translator of Benengelis historical novel, who interjects hisopinions into the novel at key times. Cervantes intentionally creates the impression thathe did not invent the character of Don Quixote. Like Benengeli, Cervantes is notphysically present but is a character nonetheless. In his prologues, dedications, andinvention of Benengeli, Cervantes enhances the self-referential nature of the novel andforces us to think about literatures purpose and limitations.

The Duke and Duchess - The cruel and haughty contrivers of the adventures thatoccupy Don Quixote for the majority of the novels Second Part. Bored and snobby, theDuke and Duchess feign interest in Don Quixote and Sancho but continually playpranks on them for their personal entertainment. The Duke and Duchess spend somuch money and effort on their ploys that they seem as mad as Don Quixote.

Altisidora- The Duchesss bratty maid. Altisidora pretends to love Don Quixote,mocking his concept of romantic love.

Sampson Carrasco- A sarcastic student from Don Quixotes village. Sampson mocksDon Quixote at first but loses to him in combat and then dedicates himself to revenge.Self-important and stuffy, Sampson fails to grasp the often playful nature of DonQuixotes madness.

The priest- A friend of Don Quixotes. The priest disapproves of fictional books that, inhis opinion, negatively influence society. Nonetheless, he enjoys tales of chivalry somuch that he cannot throw them away. Moreover, despite his social conscience, heenjoys Don Quixotes madness at times.

The barber- Don Quixotes friend who recognizes Quixotes madness but intervenes

only to help the priest carry out his plans. The barber strenuously disapproves of DonQuixotes chivalry.

Teresa Panza- Sanchos good-hearted wife. Teresa speaks in proverbs, exhibitingmore wisdom than most other characters. Unambitious but a bit greedy, she enduresSanchos exploits and supports him with her prayers.


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Cardenio- An honorable man who is driven mad by the infidelities of his wife, Lucinda,and the treachery of a duke, Ferdinand. Cardenio is the quintessential romantic lover.

Lucinda- Cardenios wife. Silent and beautiful, Lucinda is a model of the courtlywoman. Docile and innocent, she obliges her parents and her lover.

Ferdinand- An arrogant young duke who steals Lucinda from Cardenio with noremorse.

Dorothea- Ferdinands faithful and persistent love. Dorothea flouts tradition to huntdown Ferdinand when he takes her chastity but refuses to marry her. Deceptive andcunning, smart and aggressive, Dorothea is not the typical female character of her time.

Countess Trifaldi - A fictitious maidservant in distress who is impersonated by theDukes steward. The countesss sob story sends Don Quixote and Sancho off on theirexpedition on the wooden horse. She is more ridiculous and fantastic than anyone

except Don Quixote.

Gines de Pasamonte - An ungrateful galley slave whom Don Quixote frees. Ginesappears mostly for comic relief, but his justifications for his crimes force us to be morecritical of Don Quixotes justifications for hiscrimes.

Roque Guinart - A chivalrous bandit. Inherently conflicted, Roque believes in justiceand generosity but kills an underling who challenges him for being so generous toothers.

Documents

Summary of Don Quixote