Was the intent of Don Quixote’s author, Miguel de Cervantes, to make fun of chivalry or use chivalry as one of many tools to explore man’s ability to recreate himself? Being that his actions were delusional and often seen by those around him as out of touch with reality, the author showed us that the main character in Don Quixote was completely enamored by all the books he read and wanted to recreate himself. The Age of Chivalry gave way to the Inquisition in Spain when this book was written. Don Quixote yearned for this earlier age, but in reality the behaviors associated with that age were passé and seen by his contemporaries as old fashioned.
It can be said that more often than not, Don Quixote is trying to recreate himself but tends to end up with him making a fool of himself when interacting with others. One example was his attempt to slay the windmill when he reimagined it as a giant. This initiated a conversation to which his squire, Sancho, replies, “What giants?” His master replies, “Those thou seest there,” answered his master, “with the long arms, and some have them nearly two leagues long.” “Look, your Worship,” said Sancho; “What we see there are not giants but windmills, and what seem to be their arms are the sails that turned by the wind make the millstone go.”(Cervantes 2702) His squire sees it for what it is, a windmill, not a giant that his master thinks it is, and he is corrected by his master that he just does not understand what he sees. When he finally sees that they are windmills, he blames a Wizard on it. His faithful, though coaxed with land and title, squire allows his disillusions to continue. Do we laugh at this, or feel saddened by the actions of his master? In this fantasy, facilitated by all the novels that he read, Don Quixote felt that he was doing a great service fighting the giants and evils of the world. …show more content…
He was the great and noble knight that would save a maiden, bed in a castle and save the weak. A line from the book, “So many were the wrongs that we to be righted….” (Cervantes 2684) expressed this ideal. So devoted he was to his cause that even after numerous attacks on his person throughout the book, he was not dissuaded from his travels and adventures. His misadventures would illicit laughter or pity from the reader depending on their view. No wonder the initial story of his exploits were often seen as parody, later to be only romanticized by others.
Another instance is how determined to recreate himself in a chivalrous persona is the time when Don Quixote proclaims his love for the lady Dulcinea del Toboso. He needs a lady to apply the chivalric code and go out and make a name for one self. The problem was that he never spoke to her at all during his travels. This is another example of delusional thinking on the part of our main character. The author had to keep the charade going, because every knight needs a lady. In conclusion, it can be said that Don Quixote’s author used the ideals of chivalry as a tool to recreate himself. In the lines, “He was anxious to get one for himself, and he was eight days more pondering over this point, till at
It can be said that more often than not, Don Quixote is trying to recreate himself but tends to end up with him making a fool of himself when interacting with others. One example was his attempt to slay the windmill when he reimagined it as a giant. This initiated a conversation to which his squire, Sancho, replies, “What giants?” His master replies, “Those thou seest there,” answered his master, “with the long arms, and some have them nearly two leagues long.” “Look, your Worship,” said Sancho; “What we see there are not giants but windmills, and what seem to be their arms are the sails that turned by the wind make the millstone go.”(Cervantes 2702) His squire sees it for what it is, a windmill, not a giant that his master thinks it is, and he is corrected by his master that he just does not understand what he sees. When he finally sees that they are windmills, he blames a Wizard on it. His faithful, though coaxed with land and title, squire allows his disillusions to continue. Do we laugh at this, or feel saddened by the actions of his master? In this fantasy, facilitated by all the novels that he read, Don Quixote felt that he was doing a great service fighting the giants and evils of the world. …show more content…
He was the great and noble knight that would save a maiden, bed in a castle and save the weak. A line from the book, “So many were the wrongs that we to be righted….” (Cervantes 2684) expressed this ideal. So devoted he was to his cause that even after numerous attacks on his person throughout the book, he was not dissuaded from his travels and adventures. His misadventures would illicit laughter or pity from the reader depending on their view. No wonder the initial story of his exploits were often seen as parody, later to be only romanticized by others.
Another instance is how determined to recreate himself in a chivalrous persona is the time when Don Quixote proclaims his love for the lady Dulcinea del Toboso. He needs a lady to apply the chivalric code and go out and make a name for one self. The problem was that he never spoke to her at all during his travels. This is another example of delusional thinking on the part of our main character. The author had to keep the charade going, because every knight needs a lady. In conclusion, it can be said that Don Quixote’s author used the ideals of chivalry as a tool to recreate himself. In the lines, “He was anxious to get one for himself, and he was eight days more pondering over this point, till at