Don Quixote

“They marveled at so strange a form of madness and went to watch him from a distance.”

Quixote’s behavior has an innate magic all its own. Whenever he embraces his absurdity and acts in a strange manner, crowds gather. He enraptures them, as they are not used to someone who acts in such an unusual manner. Later in the novel, Quixote blames magicians for anything that goes wrong. At the same time, his own brand of magic allows him to escape dangerous situations by bewitching people with his strange "form of madness" (46) that people cannot help but watch.

“This is the best book in the world: in it knights eat, and sleep, and die in their beds, and make a will before they die, and do everything else that all the other books of this sort leave out.”

The description of the book is a foreshadowing of what will happen in the rest of Don Quixote. Throughout the story, Quixote’s narrative will mirror the description of one of his books, to the extent that he makes a will before he dies and leaves his friends inspired by the fascinating nature of chivalry. The novel communicates its own structure ahead of time, telling the audience the unfolding of the narrative will happen in such a way that the novel’s own characters would appreciate it. In doing so, the novel lays out how it will lead its audience along a narrative and lead to a conclusion that the characters themselves would enjoy.

“Then I have been deceived all along.”

The first time Quixote admits he may be in the wrong, he has an ulterior motive. He does not want to pay the bill for his night at the inn, so he tells the innkeeper he is the victim of an enchantment. Quixote’s admission is not necessarily sincere. He uses his admission of failure as an excuse not to pay a bill, suggesting he has a cynical reason to paint himself as a victim. Quixote’s arrogance remains, he simply wishes to keep his money in his pocket.

“I have always heard, Sancho, that doing good to the lowborn is throwing water into the sea.”

Quixote’s interpretation of social class is complicated. He claims to be a friend to peasants and insists he is a protector of anyone who is the victim of injustice. At the same time, however, he regrets dealing with “lowborn” (145) people and must convince himself that Dulcinea is actually a princess in disguise. Quixote likes plenty of working-class people, but he struggles to resolve his own cowardice and cynicism with a truly egalitarian view of the world.

“I am the enemy of any kind of flattery, and even if this is not flattery, such talk offends my chaste ears.”

Quixote insists he is immune to any kind of flattery despite this statement being patently untrue. His so-called “chaste ears” (199) are frequently filled with praise from his friends and those who have heard about his reputation. This flattery appeals directly to his ego, and he feels obliged to put on a performance to anyone who flatters him. His insistence that he is the “enemy of any kind of flattery” (199) is another element of this performance, part of the complicated theatrical show of chivalry that makes up Quixote’s public persona.

“For the love of God, Señor Knight Errant, if you ever run into me again, even if you see them chopping me to pieces, don’t help me and don’t come to my aid.”

The conversation with Andres brings Quixote face-to-face with the consequences of his actions for the first time. Until this point, he has avoided any outcomes from his encounters by riding away from the situation. He has harmed people, annoyed people, and tricked people, then left them behind on the road so he can preserve his ego and insist to himself that he helped those people. The meeting with Andres forces him to confront the reality that his interaction with the young man did more harm than good. Andres’s request that Quixote leave him alone is more painful than a physical blow as it damages Quixote’s swollen ego.

“You are, forgive me, a dolt, and let us say no more.”

Quixote knows when to finish an argument. The more time he spends with Panza, the more he comes to realize the squire is actually quite intelligent, even if he lacks the vocabulary needed to express this intelligence. As such, he becomes more cautious about arguing with Panza. When he knows the squire to be in the right, for example, he quickly insults Panza’s intelligence and then insists they move on to another subject. For all of Panza’s hidden intelligence, he frequently falls victim to his master’s overbearing personality as a way to win arguments, even when Quixote is in the wrong.

“Don Quixote was very attentive, not saying a word, pondering these strange events and attributing them all to the chimeras of knight errantry.”

Quixote has delusions, but he is also an opportunist. He believes in the importance of chivalry but knows other people regard knights errant as absurd relics of the past. As such, his fantastical view that he is bringing chivalry back into the world is met with his opportunistic tendency to attribute every twist of fate to the beliefs he wishes to spread. He attributes every success to chivalry and knights while blaming all failures on evil magicians. In this fashion, he hopes to spread the propaganda of chivalry across the world.

“Then he exaggerated how much the world would feel his absence during the time he was under enchantment, and he had not doubt at all that he was enchanted.”

Quixote is never far from his delusions. At times, he doubles down on his own delusions. He begins by insisting to everyone that the world would palpably feel his absence, even though he has accomplished very little. He continues by attributing any potential failure to the magicians, who are also hallmarks of the tales of chivalry. Quixote’s delusion covers success and failure, meaning every situation can be used to spread his delusion, no matter the outcome.

“So we must believe, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that since, as you have said, Señor Knight, all things in this castle happen and occur through enchantment, it might be, as I say, that Sancho saw, by diabolical means, what he says he saw.”

After most of the novel has been spent with the other characters being confused in the face of Quixote’s delusions, the end of Part 1 illustrates how these delusions can be turned against him. The characters use Quixote’s delusions to manipulate him, weaponizing his delusion in the knowledge that his ego does not allow him to admit everything he has said and done is all in his head. By blaming the magicians for his issues, the other characters buy into his world and make him do what they want. The delusions that marked Quixote as unique are turned against him as the world becomes attuned to his particular interpretation of reality.

“Satire and attacks, a revenge most certainly unworthy of generous hearts.”

Occasionally, the narrator includes an ironic comment on the nature of the work itself. Don Quixote is a satire of the chivalric novels the protagonist loves so much. At the same time, the novel criticizes satire as an artform by dismissing it as “a revenge most certainly unworthy of generous hearts” (353). In doing so, the satire satirizes itself and deepens the irony of the situation by deliberately mocking itself for its audience’s pleasure.

“As long as I’ve been put in books and passed from hand to hand out in the world, I don’t care what they say about me.”

Sancho Panza began the novel as an untroubled peasant, but he begins to share his master’s awareness of the perils of fame and fortune as the narrative unfolds. He becomes aware that he has a reputation, even if the reputation is not particularly complimentary. He uses this awareness to win favor from Quixote, insisting he does not care about what people say about him. He knows this is what Quixote wants to hear. Later, Panza will become incensed about the fake histories of his life that are written. Panza cares about his fame, but he uses his awareness of his reputation to his immediate advantage with his master.

“So tell me now, who’s crazier: the man who’s crazy because he can’t help it or the man who chooses to be crazy?”

Quixote’s particular interpretation of reality is infectious and appealing. Through sheer force of will, he convinces people to buy into his delusion. In doing so, he prompts them to ask the question of whether they are as morally culpable as him, depending on whether they do or do not believe his delusions. Quixote’s personal brand of reality becomes a moral venture in which his “sanity” becomes an expression of his moral character. As a result, other characters’ reactions to his delusions become a reflection of their own morality. Quixote’s delusions may not be real, but they force others to question their own reality, their own morality, and their own identities.

“They longed to know who this man might be who was so different from other men.”

The longer Quixote spends wandering Spain, the more people are intrigued by him. His growing fame makes him a curiosity that directly appeals to people. They want to know how he can look at the world in such a romantic way because they want that romance for themselves. Quixote’s delusions offer a more romantic and more idealistic world, using nostalgia for an imagined, fictional past to suggest hope for a different future. He reminds people of something they feel is missing from the world and that they never knew they lacked.

“You are a jackass, and must be a jackass, and will end your days as a jackass, for in my opinion, your life will run its course before you accept and realize that you are an animal.”

Both Panza and Quixote emerge from numerous situations having seemingly ruined everything. Nevertheless, they argue about who is at fault. Quixote’s fragile ego means he can never blame himself for anything, so Panza must be blamed. Because of Quixote’s social class and his ego, he dismisses Panza as stupid and attributes their failure to Panza’s stupidity. However, Panza is demonstrably not stupid. Throughout the novel, he has proved his intelligence. As such, Quixote’s continued insults only show his eloquence intimidates Panza and allows him to win the arguments even when he is in the wrong.

“Sancho Panza is one of the most amusing squires who ever served a knight errant.”

Quixote’s relationship with Panza evolves over the course of the novel. In the court of the duke and duchess, for example, he defends Panza. His defense of his squire plays on the reputation that has been spread by the true and false accounts of Quixote’s life. He encourages stories about Panza’s wit and jokes because these also build the legend of Quixote. Even when Quixote is complimenting his friend, he has his own agenda. Their evolving relationship is affected by their growing reputations as Quixote seeks to adhere to the stereotypes that have been built up around them.

“I won’t climb on because I’m not brave enough and I’m not a knight.”

Panza possesses a searing but occasionally misguided honesty that contrasts with Quixote’s delusions. While the aspiring knight refuses to admit he might be afraid or intimidated, Panza is happy to confess he is not brave. He rejects the ideas of individual honor that define his master’s life because he does not want to die. Panza’s honest expression of fear cuts through the absurdity of the situation and demonstrates sincere raw emotion in a trying moment.

“Sancho, just as you want people to believe what you have seen in the sky, I want you to believe what I saw in the Cave of Montesinos.”

Quixote drops his mask for a moment and reveals his cynical approach to the truth. To him, truth is not an absolute. There is no objective reality, only the reality that the characters build for themselves. As such, he can bargain and trade in reality with Panza. An agreed upon fact becomes a bargaining chip in the quest to establish a firm truth. Quixote trades one lie for another, together building a shared reality that massages both egos.

“In short, he ordained things so good that to this day they are obeyed in that village and are called The Constitution of the Great Governor Sancho Panza.”

Much to his surprise, Panza is a competent and wise ruler. The man who has spent the entire novel as the butt of so many jokes proves himself as a fair and innovative governor, who introduces rules and laws beloved by the local people. To accomplish this, Panza uses his own sense of morality and the guidance given to him by Quixote. The result of his short-lived governorship shows that while the entire world treats these men as useless and misguided, the actual consequences of their ideas are popular and celebrated.

“I’ll jump out of the governorship and pass into the service of my master, Don Quixote.”

Panza gives up the one thing he has pursued for the entire novel. Throughout the course of Don Quixote, he has wanted to be the governor of an island. The reality of governing, however, does not suit him. He is the victim of numerous pranks but rises above these to deliver an impressive record as governor. Despite his immediate and surprising success, he gives up the role because he does not take any joy from it. He misses Quixote, thereby learning what he sought was friendship and love rather than power or wealth. Panza’s growth as a character allows him to give up what he has always wanted in favor of the real riches afforded to him by his friendship with Quixote.

“There is no mode of life more unsettling and surprising than ours.”

Roque’s comment functions as an ironic comment on Quixote’s own lifestyle. Throughout the novel, Quixote has surprised people with his “mode of life” (627). Before he set out, the life of a knight errant was an absurd relic of the past that caused most people to assume he was having delusions. Through his adventures, Quixote has proven the worth of his own lifestyle. Now, as he talks to the eloquent bandit, he and the audience are forced to reckon with the idea that Roque might be a similar kind of innovator.

“Wield your lance, knight, and take my life, for you have already taken my honor.”

After finally suffering defeat at the hands of another knight, Quixote demonstrates that his beliefs are entirely sincere. His delusions are gone. He begs for death rather than dishonor, demonstrating he would rather die than sacrifice his ideas. While Carrasco might technically win the duel and force Quixote to go home, he loses in the sense that the duel demonstrates the sincerity and value of Quixote’s beliefs. In losing, Quixote shows that he is a knight errant. He shows the world he would rather die than break the chivalric code. The irony of the moment is that Quixote is forced to give up his life as a knight right at the moment he proves the sincerity of his beliefs.

“Receive as well your son Don Quixote, who, though he returns conquered by another, returns the conqueror of himself; and, as he has told me, that is the greatest conquest anyone can desire.”

Panza’s announcement when he returns to the village with his master demonstrates how both men have grown. Quixote lost the duel but demonstrated his sincerity and commitment to the life of a knight errant while also inspiring others. Panza realized his dream of governing an island, only to realize he was not suited to the role. Both men may have lost everything they wanted, but they have become conquerors of themselves. They have learned and grown as characters. They have achieved the "greatest conquest anyone can desire" (673) by learning the value of their friendship above all else.