Don Quixote: Book, Summary, Meaning & Quotes | StudySmarter

Maybe your like

Learning Materials

Explanations Explanations
- Anthropology
- Archaeology
- Architecture
- Art and Design
- Bengali
- Biology
- Business Studies
- Chemistry
- Chinese
- Combined Science
- Computer Science
- Economics
- Engineering
- English
- English Literature
- Environmental Science
- French
- Geography
- German
- Greek
- History
- Hospitality and Tourism
- Human Geography
- Japanese
- Italian
- Law
- Macroeconomics
- Marketing
- Math
- Media Studies
- Medicine
- Microeconomics
- Music
- Nursing
- Nutrition and Food Science
- Physics
- Politics
- Polish
- Psychology
- Religious Studies
- Sociology
- Spanish
- Sports Sciences
- Translation

Features

Flashcards
StudySmarter AI
Notes
Study Plans
Study Sets
Exams

Discover

Find a job
Student Deals
Magazine
Mobile App

Explanations
English Literature
American Literature
Don Quixote

Don Quixote

A knight lowers his lance, charging ahead to face fearsome giants in battle—except that there are no giants, only windmills. Even if you have never read Don Quixote (1605, 1615), you probably recognize this famous scene! The crazy knight errant and his loyal squire are well-known and beloved around the world still today—more than 400 years after their story was first written! Because of its impact and longevity, many scholars consider Don Quixote to be one of the most important works of literature ever written.

Get started

Millions of flashcards designed to help you ace your studies

+ Add tag
Immunology
Cell Biology
Mo

Which of the following are major themes of Don Quixote?

Show Answer

+ Add tag
Immunology
Cell Biology
Mo

Who becomes Don Quixote's squire?

Show Answer

+ Add tag
Immunology
Cell Biology
Mo

Who brings Don Quixote home at the end of volume one?

Show Answer

+ Add tag
Immunology
Cell Biology
Mo

Who was disguised first as the Knight of the Forest and then as the Knight of the White Moon?

Show Answer

+ Add tag
Immunology
Cell Biology
Mo

Which of the following are major themes of Don Quixote?

Show Answer

+ Add tag
Immunology
Cell Biology
Mo

Who becomes Don Quixote's squire?

Show Answer

+ Add tag
Immunology
Cell Biology
Mo

Who brings Don Quixote home at the end of volume one?

Show Answer

+ Add tag
Immunology
Cell Biology
Mo

Who was disguised first as the Knight of the Forest and then as the Knight of the White Moon?

Show Answer Flashcards Icon

Generate flashcards Summarize Icon

Summarize page Flashcards Icon

Generate flashcards from highlight

Review generated flashcards

to start learning or create your own AI flashcards

Start learning or create your own AI flashcards

StudySmarter Editorial Team

Team Don Quixote Teachers

14 minutes reading time
Checked by StudySmarter Editorial Team

Save Article Save Article Sign up for free to save, edit & create flashcards. Save Article Save Article

Fact Checked Content
Last Updated: 21.07.2022
Published at: 08.07.2022
14 min reading time

American Drama
American Literary Movements
American Literature

1Q84
A Journal of the Plague Year
A Map Of The World
A Tale of Two Cities
Alan Paton
Albert Camus
Alexandre Dumas
Alias Grace
All Quiet on the Western Front
Amy Tan
An American Childhood
Angie Thomas
Anita Desai
Anna Karenina
Annie Dillard
Antelope Wife
As I Lay Dying
Asian Literature
Babylon Revisited
Bernard Malamud
Billy Budd
Blood Meridian
Bobbie Ann Mason
Book of Daniel
Brideshead Revisited
Brothers and Keepers
Candide
Cane
Captain Corellis Mandolin
Carson McCullers
Cat's Cradle
Catch-22
Cathedral by Raymond Carver
Ceremony
Charles Bukowski
Charles Chesnutt
Clear Light of Day
Cormac McCarthy
Crime and Punishment
Cry the Beloved Country
Daniel Defoe
David Foster Wallace
Death Comes For The Archbishop
Don DeLillo
Don Quixote
Dubliners
EL Doctorow
Edith Wharton
England England
Erich Maria Remarque
Ethan Frome
European Literature
Evelyn Waugh
Fahrenheit 451
Fathers and Sons
Flaubert's Parrot
Ford Madox Ford
Frances Harper
Franz Kafka
Fyodor Dostoevsky
Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Gertrude and Claudius
Go Tell It on the Mountain
Going After Cacciato
Gravitys Rainbow
Great Expectations
Gulliver's Travels
Gustave Flaubert
Ha Jin
Harper Lee
Haruki Murakami
Henry Fielding
Herman Melville
Hermann Hesse
Iain Pears
In Cold Blood
In Country
In the Lake of the Woods
In the Time of the Butterflies
Infinite Jest
Invisible Cities
Invisible Man
Iola Leroy
Islands in the Stream
Italo Calvino
Ivan Sergeyevich Turgenev
JD Salinger
Jack Kerouac
James Baldwin
James Fenimore Cooper
Jane Hamilton
Jazz (1992) Toni Morrison
Jean Toomer
Jill Ker Conway
John Cheever
John Edgar Wideman
John Fowles
John Updike
Jonathan Swift
Joseph Heller
Joy Kogawa
Joyce Carol Oates
Julia Alvarez
Julian Barnes
Kafka on the shore
Katherine Anne Porter
Katherine Mansfield
Kindred
Kingsley Amis
Kurt Vonnegut
Leo Tolstoy
Libra
Light in August
Lolita
Louis de Bernieres
Louise Erdrich
Love in the Time of Cholera
Lucky Jim
Madame Bovary
Maggie A Girl of the Streets
Mansfield Park
Mao II
Margaret Laurence
Mark Twain
Markus Zusak
Martin Amis
Maxine Hong Kingston
Miguel de Cervantes
Milan Kundera
Moby Dick
Moll Flanders
Mrs. Dalloway
Naked Lunch
Nathaniel Hawthorne
Native Son
Nineteen Eighty-Four
Northanger Abbey
Norwegian Wood
Notes From Underground
O Pioneers!
Obasan
Oceanian Literature
Octavia Butler
Of Mice and Men
Of Mice and Men Chapter 1
Of Mice and Men Chapter 2
Of Mice and Men Chapter 3
Of Mice and Men Chapter 4
Of Mice and Men Chapter 5
Of Mice and Men Chapter 6
On the Road
One Hundred Years of Solitude
Passing by Nella Larsen
Philip K. Dick
Philip Roth
Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man
Pulp
Quicksand
Rabbit, Run
Ragtime Novel
Ralph Ellison
Ray Bradbury
Raymond Carver
Richard Wright
Robinson Crusoe
Rudolfo Anaya
Sandra Cisneros
Saul Bellow
Scarlet Letter
Sent for You Yesterday
Serafinas Stories
Ship of Fools
Siddhartha
Sister Carrie
Slaughterhouse Five
Song Of Solomon
Sons and Lovers
Stephen Crane
Surfacing
Tess of the D'Ubervilles
The Adventures of Augie March
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
The Age of Innocence
The American
The Aspern Papers
The Baron in the Trees
The Book Thief
The Book of Ruth
The Catcher in the Rye
The Conjure Woman
The Crying of Lot 49
The Fixer
The French Lieutenants Woman
The Garden Party and Other Stories
The Good Soldier
The Heart is a Lonely Hunter
The Heart of The Matter
The House of Mirth
The House of the Seven Gables
The House on Mango Street
The Idiot
The Joy Luck Club
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow
The Loved One
The Magus
The Making of Americans
The Man in the High Castle
The Mayor of Casterbridge
The Member of the Wedding
The Metamorphosis
The Natural
The Plague
The Plot Against America
The Portrait of a Lady
The Power of Sympathy
The Red Badge of Courage
The Road
The Road From Coorain
The Sound and the Fury
The Stone Angel
The Stranger
The Sun Also Rises
The Temple of My Familiar
The Three Musketeers
The Unbearable Lightness Of Being
The Wapshot Chronicle
The Woman Warrior
Their Eyes Were Watching God
Theodore Dreiser
Thomas Pynchon
Tim O'Brien
Time's Arrow
To Kill a Mockingbird
To the Lighthouse
Tom Jones
Uncle Tom's Cabin
Virginia Woolf
Vladimir Nabokov
Voyage in the Dark
Waiting
Washington Irving
We Were the Mulvaneys
What We Talk About When We Talk About Love
White Noise
Wide Sargasso Sea
Willa Cather
William Faulkner
William Hill Brown
William S. Burroughs
Wise Blood

American Poetry
American Regionalism Literature
American Short Fiction
Dramatists
Essayists
Literary Criticism and Theory
Literary Devices
Literary Elements
Literary Movements
Literary Studies
Non-Fiction Authors
Novelists
Poets

Contents

American Drama
American Literary Movements
American Literature

1Q84
A Journal of the Plague Year
A Map Of The World
A Tale of Two Cities
Alan Paton
Albert Camus
Alexandre Dumas
Alias Grace
All Quiet on the Western Front
Amy Tan
An American Childhood
Angie Thomas
Anita Desai
Anna Karenina
Annie Dillard
Antelope Wife
As I Lay Dying
Asian Literature
Babylon Revisited
Bernard Malamud
Billy Budd
Blood Meridian
Bobbie Ann Mason
Book of Daniel
Brideshead Revisited
Brothers and Keepers
Candide
Cane
Captain Corellis Mandolin
Carson McCullers
Cat's Cradle
Catch-22
Cathedral by Raymond Carver
Ceremony
Charles Bukowski
Charles Chesnutt
Clear Light of Day
Cormac McCarthy
Crime and Punishment
Cry the Beloved Country
Daniel Defoe
David Foster Wallace
Death Comes For The Archbishop
Don DeLillo
Don Quixote
Dubliners
EL Doctorow
Edith Wharton
England England
Erich Maria Remarque
Ethan Frome
European Literature
Evelyn Waugh
Fahrenheit 451
Fathers and Sons
Flaubert's Parrot
Ford Madox Ford
Frances Harper
Franz Kafka
Fyodor Dostoevsky
Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Gertrude and Claudius
Go Tell It on the Mountain
Going After Cacciato
Gravitys Rainbow
Great Expectations
Gulliver's Travels
Gustave Flaubert
Ha Jin
Harper Lee
Haruki Murakami
Henry Fielding
Herman Melville
Hermann Hesse
Iain Pears
In Cold Blood
In Country
In the Lake of the Woods
In the Time of the Butterflies
Infinite Jest
Invisible Cities
Invisible Man
Iola Leroy
Islands in the Stream
Italo Calvino
Ivan Sergeyevich Turgenev
JD Salinger
Jack Kerouac
James Baldwin
James Fenimore Cooper
Jane Hamilton
Jazz (1992) Toni Morrison
Jean Toomer
Jill Ker Conway
John Cheever
John Edgar Wideman
John Fowles
John Updike
Jonathan Swift
Joseph Heller
Joy Kogawa
Joyce Carol Oates
Julia Alvarez
Julian Barnes
Kafka on the shore
Katherine Anne Porter
Katherine Mansfield
Kindred
Kingsley Amis
Kurt Vonnegut
Leo Tolstoy
Libra
Light in August
Lolita
Louis de Bernieres
Louise Erdrich
Love in the Time of Cholera
Lucky Jim
Madame Bovary
Maggie A Girl of the Streets
Mansfield Park
Mao II
Margaret Laurence
Mark Twain
Markus Zusak
Martin Amis
Maxine Hong Kingston
Miguel de Cervantes
Milan Kundera
Moby Dick
Moll Flanders
Mrs. Dalloway
Naked Lunch
Nathaniel Hawthorne
Native Son
Nineteen Eighty-Four
Northanger Abbey
Norwegian Wood
Notes From Underground
O Pioneers!
Obasan
Oceanian Literature
Octavia Butler
Of Mice and Men
Of Mice and Men Chapter 1
Of Mice and Men Chapter 2
Of Mice and Men Chapter 3
Of Mice and Men Chapter 4
Of Mice and Men Chapter 5
Of Mice and Men Chapter 6
On the Road
One Hundred Years of Solitude
Passing by Nella Larsen
Philip K. Dick
Philip Roth
Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man
Pulp
Quicksand
Rabbit, Run
Ragtime Novel
Ralph Ellison
Ray Bradbury
Raymond Carver
Richard Wright
Robinson Crusoe
Rudolfo Anaya
Sandra Cisneros
Saul Bellow
Scarlet Letter
Sent for You Yesterday
Serafinas Stories
Ship of Fools
Siddhartha
Sister Carrie
Slaughterhouse Five
Song Of Solomon
Sons and Lovers
Stephen Crane
Surfacing
Tess of the D'Ubervilles
The Adventures of Augie March
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
The Age of Innocence
The American
The Aspern Papers
The Baron in the Trees
The Book Thief
The Book of Ruth
The Catcher in the Rye
The Conjure Woman
The Crying of Lot 49
The Fixer
The French Lieutenants Woman
The Garden Party and Other Stories
The Good Soldier
The Heart is a Lonely Hunter
The Heart of The Matter
The House of Mirth
The House of the Seven Gables
The House on Mango Street
The Idiot
The Joy Luck Club
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow
The Loved One
The Magus
The Making of Americans
The Man in the High Castle
The Mayor of Casterbridge
The Member of the Wedding
The Metamorphosis
The Natural
The Plague
The Plot Against America
The Portrait of a Lady
The Power of Sympathy
The Red Badge of Courage
The Road
The Road From Coorain
The Sound and the Fury
The Stone Angel
The Stranger
The Sun Also Rises
The Temple of My Familiar
The Three Musketeers
The Unbearable Lightness Of Being
The Wapshot Chronicle
The Woman Warrior
Their Eyes Were Watching God
Theodore Dreiser
Thomas Pynchon
Tim O'Brien
Time's Arrow
To Kill a Mockingbird
To the Lighthouse
Tom Jones
Uncle Tom's Cabin
Virginia Woolf
Vladimir Nabokov
Voyage in the Dark
Waiting
Washington Irving
We Were the Mulvaneys
What We Talk About When We Talk About Love
White Noise
Wide Sargasso Sea
Willa Cather
William Faulkner
William Hill Brown
William S. Burroughs
Wise Blood

American Poetry
American Regionalism Literature
American Short Fiction
Dramatists
Essayists
Literary Criticism and Theory
Literary Devices
Literary Elements
Literary Movements
Literary Studies
Non-Fiction Authors
Novelists
Poets

Contents

Fact Checked Content
Last Updated: 21.07.2022
14 min reading time

Content creation process designed by Lily Hulatt
Content sources cross-checked by Gabriel Freitas
Content quality checked by Gabriel Freitas

Jump to a key chapter

Don Quixote: Author

Miguel de Cervantes (1547-1616) is often celebrated as the most influential Spanish writer in history and one of the most significant European authors in history. Cervantes wrote several novels as well as plays, poems, and short stories. The work that he is remembered for is The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha, which was published in two parts in 1605 and 1615.

Miguel de Cervantes claims that he wrote Don Quixote to push back against chivalric novels. Cervantes accomplished this by poking fun at the delusional actions that Don Quixote takes in his attempts to mimic the chivalric novels that he loves. Cervantes satirizes the fantastical events of chivalric novels, highlighting the silliness of the plots and the shallow characters they typically followed.

Chivalric novels: a kind of story that was popular in the High Medieval (1000-1300s) and Early Modern eras (late 15th c.-late 18th c.). They often depicted knights performing noble acts and adhered to the moral beliefs of the medieval era.

Cervantes also pointed out flaws in the social structure of Spain at the time. Members of the lower classes had gained much greater access to education, and yet ideas of social class had not changed much. It was still assumed that a person's morals and worth could be associated with their social rank. It was also still uncommon for someone of a lower class to be able to rise in the social ranks. Throughout Don Quixote, Cervantes illustrates the possibility that someone of any class could be good or bad, and he even shows Don Quixote himself rise into the rank of knight simply by deciding that he would.

What makes Don Quixote important as a novel? It was revolutionary for the time it was written in. In Don Quixote, Cervantes used humor and irony to comment upon and question the society he lived in, the literature that came before him, and the ways of thinking that most people of that time accepted. Additionally, it helped to popularize stories written in prose instead of verse.

Don Quixote: Summary

Alonso Quixano is a man who loves chivalry romances so much that he goes a little insane; he renames himself Don Quixote de La Mancha and decides that he will ride off on his thin horse to be a knight. Though his armor is rusty, Don Quixote becomes a knight in a castle (actually an inn) and begins to perform chivalrous, knightly deeds. However, he is soon beaten up by some merchants and has to recover back at his home village.

Concerned for their friend, the village barber and priest burn many of Don Quixote’s chivalric romance books. The knight, however, believes that he is being targeted by evil enchanters, so he gets a squire (actually a peasant named Sancho Panza) to assist him. They set off, and the pair encounter many people with varied problems and entanglements.

They fight with windmills that Don Quixote imagines are giants. After this, they stand up against traveling friars they take to be evil enchanters holding a woman captive, only leaving the travelers alone when the lady convinces the friars to play along and let Don Quixote win. Later the knight and squire even free galley slaves. More often than not, their interventions earn them scoldings and beatings, though the knight and squire duo do help a few couples to reunite.

Eventually finding themselves in an inn full of people, misunderstandings, and apologies, the barber and priest find Don Quixote and take him home in a wooden cage, determined to put an end to his insane actions. Part one ends with Don Quixote doing poorly, both physically and emotionally.

Have you ever heard the phrase “tilting at windmills” before? It refers to fighting imaginary enemies, and it comes from Don Quixote! It is inspired by Quixote tilting his lance to joust with windmills that he imagines are giants.

Part two opens a month later; Don Quixote, now eager to ride again, finds out from a student named Carrasco that his adventures with Sancho have inspired a wildly popular chivalric romance novel. Their next mission is to find Don Quixote’s love, Dulcinea—but there is no woman named Dulcinea. Sancho solves the contradiction by telling Don Quixote that a peasant woman they come across is actually the dreamy princess Dulcinea under a curse.

Next, Don Quixote goes up against the Knight of the Forest and defeats him, though in reality it was Carrasco disguised, hoping to trick Don Quixote into returning home. The knight and squire continue to have a myriad of unlikely adventures; they eventually find themselves befriending a Duke and Duchess who are fans of the book made about them. However, they pull mean tricks on the chivalrous duo and take advantage of Don Quixote’s state of mind. They even attempt to humiliate Sancho by making him a governor; they expect him, as a peasant, to be incapable of the job. However, Sancho is very intelligent and has a natural talent for leading.

Still, it isn’t long before Sancho longs to ride again with Don Quixote, so he gives up his position as governor. More adventures ensue, and new friendships are formed—and then Don Quixote battles the Knight of the White Moon. This is another of Carrasco’s disguises; this time, he defeats Don Quixote and demands that the knight returns home.

Don Quixote, now sorrowful and ill back in his home village, takes a long nap. When he awakens, he announces that he has regained his sanity; he is not Don Quixote anymore, and he even now hates chivalric romances. He is now Alonso Quixano the Good. He dies soon after this change of heart.

Don Quixote, a statue of Don Quixote and Sancho Panza, Don Quixote summary, StudySmarter The characters Don Quixote and Sancho Panza are still well-loved todayPixabay

Don Quixote is so famous and beloved that it has been translated into over 100 different languages—including all the world's major languages, allowing people from many countries to read and enjoy Cervantes's most popular work.

Don Quixote: Characters

Don Quixote de la Mancha: In reality named Alonso Quixano, Don Quixote is the name he adopts when he decides to become a knight after reading too many chivalric novels.

Sancho Panza: Don Quixote’s loyal squire. Sancho is both down-to-earth—allowing him to step in and corral Don Quixote when necessary—and a fan of the knight’s morals.

Sampson Carrasco: A student who, after learning of Don Quixote’s adventures, disguises himself as Knight of the Forest and later as the Knight of the White Moon to battle Don Quixote and make him go home.

Dulcinea del Toboso: Don Quixote’s imaginary sweetheart. Sancho convinces the knight that a peasant girl is under a spell and is really the beautiful Dulcinea.

The Duke and Duchess: A high-class couple that claim to be fans of Don Quixote but then treat the knight and his squire poorly.

The barber: One of Don Quixote's friends who try to get the knight to return home and stop acting strangely.

The priest: One of Don Quixote's friends who try to get the knight to return home and stop acting strangely.

Don Quixote: Meaning

The themes of Don Quixote help to uncover its overall meaning. Three of the novel's major themes are madness, social class, and morality.

Madness

From the very beginning of the novel, Don Quixote is depicted as a man who has lost his mind. Because he has become overly fixated on chivalric romance novels, the world of his imagination is bleeding through into his perception of reality. He believes himself a knight and views his adventures as heroic adventures and chivalric deeds. Importantly, Don Quixote is not depicted as simply insane. He does not have hallucinations of adventure; rather, he views the real world through the lens of his imagination. This allows Cervantes to humorously poke fun at the chivalric novels that had long been popular in his time by turning the concept of a heroic knight on its head.

The word quixotic, meaning overly idealistic and unrealistic, comes from Cervantes's mad hero.

Don Quixote, In one famous adventure, Don Quixote believes windmills are giants to defeat, Don Quixote summary, StudySmarter In one famous adventure, Don Quixote believes windmills are giants he must defeatPixabay

Social Class

In Miguel de Cervantes’s time, the idea of social mobility was all but unheard of, and it was commonly accepted that a person’s value came from their social rank. Don Quixote would beg to differ; he simply decides that he is no longer a poor old man but a knight. Further, he consistently tries to show that other people can also be more than their circumstances; he frees prisoners rather than assume that they are bad (though this does not go well for him) and believes in the ability of every person he meets to be virtuous.

Morality

Cervantes illustrates a war between modes of morality in Don Quixote. The heroic knight travels through a world of morals contemporary to Cervantes—a world full of realistic greed and self-interest. Despite this, Don Quixote tries to spread a return to chivalric morals, which emphasize selflessness. Ultimately, Don Quixote is not successful, and his strict adherence to chivalric morals appears to be incompatible with the world he lives in.

Don Quixote: Book

Miguel de Cervantes's most influential and famous work was originally published in two volumes, originally titled El ingenioso hidalgo Don Quixote de la Mancha (1605) and Segunda Parte del Ingenioso Cavallero Don Quixote de la Mancha (1615). It is a very early example of a modern novel—using prose rather than verse, and making social commentary rather than sticking to a morals-based tale. Cervantes makes use of humor, parody, and irony to bring the reader's attention to the aspects of society and literature that Cervantes was discussing.

Narrator

The first section of Don Quixote has a fairly straightforward narration. Cervantes uses this section in particular to satirize chivalric novels, and the narration mimics that of other tales of knights and fantastical heroic deeds. Cervantes opens the second section of Don Quixote part one with an explanation that he is translating Don Quixote's story from its earlier recording by a man named Cide Hamete Benengeli. However, this is simply a part of the story and meant to be humorous; Cide Hamete Benengeli was not a real person. Creating this narrator is another way that Cervantes pokes fun at the popular literature of his time.

In the second book of Don Quixote, the narration becomes even more complex. Cervantes the narrator becomes a character in the story, and other characters try to influence future versions of the books. By doing this, Cervantes the author creates a feeling of confusion for the reader—giving them their own taste of the madness of Don Quixote.

Point Of View

Most of the novel is written from the third-person perspective. It rarely depicts the inner thoughts of the characters, though occasionally the perspective switches to the first person; this allows Cervantes to comment upon the story or make reference to the fictional work of Cide Hamete Benengeli.

In 1614, an unknown author using the pen name Alonso Fernandez de Avellaneda published an unauthorized sequel to Don Quixote titled Segundo Tomo del Ingenioso Hidalgo Don Quixote de la Mancha. At this point, there had been no indication from Cervantes that he would be releasing a second part to his beloved story, and the ending of Don Quixote seemed to welcome others to try their hand at continuing the story. Whether this was the impression Cervantes intended to give, he did not approve of Avellaneda’s book. It included jabs at Cervantes and his writing and prompted Cervantes to include many humorous references to Avellaneda in the second part of Don Quixote when it was published in 1615.

Don Quixote: Quotes

The following quote from the beginning of the novel describes how Don Quixote went mad. Because he read too much and slept too little, he began to rely too much on his imagination. This sets off the rest of the story's plot, as the mad Don Quixote decides that he will be a knight and leaves his home to perform chivalrous deeds.

In short, our hidalgo was soon so absorbed in these books that his nights were spent reading from dusk till dawn, and his days from dawn till dusk, until the lack of sleep the excess of reading withered his brain, and he went mad." (ch 1)

The humorous quote below is Don Quixote explaining how anyone of any social class or circumstance can be virtuous. He explains that as soon as he decided that he was a chivalric knight, he was a very virtuous person.

Speaking for myself, I can say that ever since I became a knight errant I have been courageous, polite, generous, well-bred, magnanimous, courteous, bold, gentle, patient and long-suffering in the face of toil, imprisonment, and enchantment." (ch 50)

In the following quote, Don Quixote is speaking to the Duke and Duchess, who claim to be fans of his and then mistreat him. Here the knight defends his moral stance, explaining his adherence to chivalry.

My intentions are always directed towards worthy ends, that is to say to do good to all and harm nobody; and whether the man who believes this, puts it into practice and devotes his life to it deserves to be called a fool is something for Your Graces, most excellent Duke and Duchess, to determine." (ch 32)

Don Quixote - Key takeaways

The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha (1605-1615) is the most famous work by Miguel de Cervantes.
Don Quixote was published in two parts, originally titled El ingenioso hidalgo Don Quixote de la Mancha (1605) and Segunda Parte del Ingenioso Cavallero Don Quixote de la Mancha (1615).
Don Quixote pokes fun at the beliefs, societal norms, and popular literature of the time in which it was written.
The novel was revolutionary for its use of parody, irony, and prose instead of verse.
Some major themes of Don Quixote are madness, social class, and morality.

Flashcards in Don Quixote

4 Start learning

Which of the following are major themes of Don Quixote?

Morality

Who becomes Don Quixote's squire?

Dulcinea

Who brings Don Quixote home at the end of volume one?

The barber

Who was disguised first as the Knight of the Forest and then as the Knight of the White Moon?

The duchess

Learn faster with the 4 flashcards about Don Quixote

Already have an account? Log in

Frequently Asked Questions about Don Quixote

Why is Don Quixote so important?

Don Quixote is often considered the first modern novel as well as one of the most influential works of literature ever written. It had many revolutionary characteristics, such as humor and irony used to make social commentary.

What is the main point of Don Quixote?

The main point of Don Quixote is to poke fun at the beliefs, societal norms, and popular literature of the time in which it was written (1605-1615).

What is the story Don Quixote about?

The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha (1605-1615) is about a man that goes insane after reading too many novels and then believes that he is a knight. He and his squire go on many adventures before Don Quixote comes to his senses.

Who is Don Quixote?

Don Quixote is the main character of The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha (1605-1615). He is a man that goes insane after reading too many novels and then believes that he is a knight.

What mental illness did Don Quixote have?

Don Quixote lost his mind after reading too many chivalric novels, and he started acting delusionally.

Save Article Test your knowledge with multiple choice flashcards

Which of the following are major themes of Don Quixote?

A. Social class B. Morality C. Grief D. Madness

Who becomes Don Quixote's squire?

A. Carrasco B. Dulcinea C. Alonso Quixano D. Sancho Panza

Who brings Don Quixote home at the end of volume one?

A. The barber B. Dulcinea C. Sancho Panza D. The priest

Score

That was a fantastic start! You can do better! Sign up to create your own flashcards

Access over 700 million learning materials

Study more efficiently with flashcards

Get better grades with AI

Already have an account? Log in

Good job!

Keep learning, you are doing great.

Don't give up! Next Open in our app

How we ensure our content is accurate and trustworthy?

At StudySmarter, we have created a learning platform that serves millions of students. Meet the people who work hard to deliver fact based content as well as making sure it is verified.

Content Creation Process: Lily Hulatt Avatar

Lily Hulatt

Digital Content Specialist

Lily Hulatt is a Digital Content Specialist with over three years of experience in content strategy and curriculum design. She gained her PhD in English Literature from Durham University in 2022, taught in Durham University’s English Studies Department, and has contributed to a number of publications. Lily specialises in English Literature, English Language, History, and Philosophy.

Get to know Lily Content Quality Monitored by: Gabriel Freitas Avatar

Gabriel Freitas

AI Engineer

Gabriel Freitas is an AI Engineer with a solid experience in software development, machine learning algorithms, and generative AI, including large language models’ (LLMs) applications. Graduated in Electrical Engineering at the University of São Paulo, he is currently pursuing an MSc in Computer Engineering at the University of Campinas, specializing in machine learning topics. Gabriel has a strong background in software engineering and has worked on projects involving computer vision, embedded AI, and LLM applications.

Get to know Gabriel Discover learning materials with the free StudySmarter app Sign up for free

About StudySmarter

StudySmarter is a globally recognized educational technology company, offering a holistic learning platform designed for students of all ages and educational levels. Our platform provides learning support for a wide range of subjects, including STEM, Social Sciences, and Languages and also helps students to successfully master various tests and exams worldwide, such as GCSE, A Level, SAT, ACT, Abitur, and more. We offer an extensive library of learning materials, including interactive flashcards, comprehensive textbook solutions, and detailed explanations. The cutting-edge technology and tools we provide help students create their own learning materials. StudySmarter’s content is not only expert-verified but also regularly updated to ensure accuracy and relevance.

Learn more

StudySmarter Editorial Team

Team English Literature Teachers

14 minutes reading time
Checked by StudySmarter Editorial Team

Save Explanation Save Explanation Study anywhere. Anytime.Across all devices. Sign-up for free Create a free account to save this explanation.

Save explanations to your personalised space and access them anytime, anywhere!

By signing up, you agree to the Terms and Conditions and the Privacy Policy of StudySmarter.

Already have an account? Log in

Get Started Free Explore our app and discover over 50 million learning materials for free. Sign up for free 94% of StudySmarter users achieve better grades with our free platform. Download now!

Tag » Why Is Don Quixote Important

Don Quixote: Book, Summary, Meaning & Quotes | StudySmarter

Don Quixote: Author

Don Quixote: Summary

Don Quixote: Characters

Don Quixote: Meaning

Madness

Social Class

Morality

Don Quixote: Book

Narrator

Point Of View

Don Quixote: Quotes

Don Quixote - Key takeaways

Similar topics in English Literature

Related topics to American Literature

Flashcards in Don Quixote

Learn faster with the 4 flashcards about Don Quixote

Frequently Asked Questions about Don Quixote

How we ensure our content is accurate and trustworthy?

About StudySmarter

Don Quixote | History, Story, & Facts - Britannica

Why Is Don Quixote So Important? - Dictionary

Why Is Don Quixote So Important In Western Literary Tradition? - Quora

Don Quixote - Wikipedia

Purpose Of Don Quixote - Cliffs Notes

What Really Makes Don Quixote The Greatest Story Ever Told?

Guide To The Classics: Don Quixote, The World's First Modern Novel

Don Quixote De La Mancha - Spanish Literature

7 Reasons Why "Don Quixote" Should Be On Your Summer Reading ...

Don Quixote | Bibliodos

On The Significance Of Don Quijote - Jstor

Ilan Stavans Asks "Why Should You Read 'Don Quixote'?"

Why We Read 'Don Quixote' - The Paris Review

Don Quixote Is The World's Best Book Say The World's Top Authors

Contact