A Tale of Chivalry

Don Quixote is a tale of chivalry. His first real adventure in the novel is a failure. The fact that Cervantes never mentions DQ's town leaves us that more room for imagination. It also leaves us with the question- Is Don Quixote fact or fiction? Perhaps it is both or perhaps it is whatever you make it.

Don Quixote is such a romantic. What man isn't a romantic that recites peotry adn chivalric verses?! He is determined in his quests and finds peace in laying under the stars. I am actually a bit surprised that Don Quixote did not come up with some sort of extreme poem for this romantic moment shared with Sancho. Sancho is such a follower, Don Quixote's insanity really rubs off on Sancho. I cannot help but feel bad for Sancho though because he is just a poor, illiterate little squire, yet he is also like the annoying little brother.

Don Quixote is perceived as being insane, perhaps dangerous. He actually just wants to do well for others. He is a complex, tragic character in the sense that his actions usually do more bad than good. Most of all he is a character full of imagination, seeing windmills as giants, making every realistic circumstance into a fantasy or enchanted quest. This mythical sense in the novel is very powerful and overtakes the characters involved.

There is also a lot of irony in the novel. For example, Don Quixote seems insane to most everyone around him. While this is true, they ust blame themselves partly. The priest and Quixote's niece destroy the books they think make him crazy, but then add to his imagination and feed into his insanity by informing him that an enchanter carried the library off.

I have found that I relate to both Sancho and Don Quixote because like Sancho I take pleasure in the small things in life, I indulge in food and wine and very much enjoy them to the fullest. Yet, I also am able to see a little Don Quixote in me, but only when looking at his romantic side. I must say though I am also nothing like either of these characters because I am not living in parody of chivalry, just Bozeman, MT!