“Don Quixote” is a novel by Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra about a deluded anti-hero who becomes a knight after reading books on chivalry. Accompanied by Sancho Panza, he imagines a world that does not exist and becomes an object of joy and pity. Despite his failures, he is likable for his persistence in maintaining the ideals of romance and chivalry. The novel is an accurate statement of the fate of things once considered romantic. It has inspired many works of art, including the American musical “The Man of La Mancha.”
El Ingenioso Hidalgo Don Quixote de la Mancha, often known only as “Don Quixote,” is a novel written in two parts by the 17th-century Spanish novelist, Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, often referred to simply as Cervantes. The title character is, in a sense, a deluded anti-hero, who after reading many books on chivalry, decides to be a knight and to practice true chivalrous purposes.
Don Quixote is almost always deluded, particularly in his love for Dulcinea, a peasant girl he believes is actually a princess. He is also accompanied by his straight man, Sancho Panza, who is a factory worker.
On the surface, Cervantes uses the main character to represent unrealistic idealism. Quixote almost always fails in searches for him, and the phrase “tilting windmills” comes from the book. He imagines a world that is not in line with the real one and becomes an object of joy and sometimes of pity.
The character also often tricks Sancho into believing in a world of knights and enchantments, but it is a sincere form of duplicity. Quixote is desperate to believe in his fantasy world, so much so that he gives up the comforts of her life to pursue an invincible quest.
The second part ends with the death of Don Quixote, and this is an interesting statement by the author. For Cervantes, even the old days of chivalrous behavior are fast dying, and only the deluded can still believe in them. In this way, Don Quixote is read as a very important work of European literature, as it makes such an accurate statement of the fate of things once considered romantic and now only the fantasies of near-idiots.
Despite his gross failures to accomplish any of his missions, and often his incredibly wrong actions, Quixote is somewhat likable. He’s a rather lovable idiot whose beliefs lead him to constant misinterpretations. His persistence in maintaining the ideals of romance and chivalry can be considered quite beautiful.
The character was further embraced in the American musical The Man of La Mancha which became a popular film in 1972. Mr. Rogers is best remembered for his television show, where he had a cute puppet named Donkey Hodie, who lived in a mill wind in “Somewhere Else.” Many other films, works of art, comics, television series and novels draw inspiration from the original novel.
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