Don Quixote: Cervantes' Literary Analysis
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From the work of
Don Quixote of La Mancha.
Biography of Miguel de Cervantes
Spanish novelist, poet, and playwright. He is believed to have been born on September 29, 1547, in Alcalá.
from Henares and died on April 22, 1616, in Madrid, but was buried on April 23 and
This date is commonly known as the date of his death. He is considered the foremost figure of the
Spanish literature. He is universally known, especially for having written The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha.
Don Quixote of La Mancha, which many critics have described as the first modern novel and
one of the best works of universal literature. It has been given the nickname Prince of
the mills.
Miguel de Cervantes was born in Alcalá de Henares in 1547. He was the fourth of the seven children of a
modest surgeon, Rodrigo de Cervantes, and Leonor Cortinas. At eighteen, he had to flee
to Italy because he had injured a man; there he entered the service of Cardinal Acquaviva. Soon
then he enlisted as a soldier and heroically participated in the battle of Lepanto in 1571; where
he was injured in the chest and in the left hand, which was left stiff. Cervantes always
he was proud to have participated in the Battle of Lepanto. He continued for a few years as a soldier.
and, in 1575, when he was returning to the peninsula with his brother Rodrigo, they were captured and
taken captive to Algiers. He was imprisoned for five years, until he was able to be freed in 1580
thanks to the rescue provided by his family and the Trinitarian parents.
Don Quixote of La Mancha
The ingenious gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha is the
crown work of Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, and a
of the most influential works of Spanish literature
and even from universal literature. Furthermore, it is
consider the first modern novel. It consists of
two parts that were published in 1605 and 1615. It is a
parody of chivalric books in which there is an abundance
the funny events, but at the same time criticizes the
Spanish society of the time. Its significance is
what makes us reflect on the great themes
of the human condition, such as faith, justice,
reality and love. This review of Don Quixote will give you
a brief introduction to the argument, the themes
mainly, the structure and style of this great work.
The argument of the story of a hidalgo from La Mancha
about 50 years after reading many books of
cavalry, a popular genre in the 16th century, decides
dressing up as a knight-errant and embarking on a
a series of adventures with his old horse Rocinante.
It aims to 'travel around the world with its weapons.
And the horse to seek adventures and to exercise in everything he had read that the
knights errant were training, undoing all kinds of wrongs and putting themselves in
"occasions and danger where, by finishing them, he would earn eternal name and fame" (Part 1, Chap.
1). Following the chivalric tradition, Don Quixote entrusts himself to Dulcinea del Toboso, a
figure imagined by the protagonist. In the world of Quixote, nothing is what it seems to be.
mills are giants, the sales are castles, the commoners are princesses, and the puppets are Moors.
During these adventures, the paths of Don Quixote and Sancho Panza cross with other characters.
that tell their stories. But not all adventures are fun or funny -- in some,
especially in the second part-- Don Quijote and Sancho Panza become the targets of
mockery and deceit. In the end, Don Quixote is no longer the comedic and burlesque character. Defeated by the
disillusionment, our protagonist regains sanity but loses his life. Style and structure
divided into two volumes, of 52 and 74 chapters, respectively, that narrate the story of a nobleman
manchego in the chivalrous style. It can also be divided into three outputs. The first is from
chapter 1 to 8, the second is the rest of the first volume, and the third occupies the entire second part. It
It narrates in the first person, although it seems to be in the third person for most of the novel. One of
the few instances in which the first-person narration is perceived is the first (and
famous) line from the novel: "In a place in La Mancha, the name of which I do not want to remember."
(Part 1, Ch. 1). Dialogue predominates, especially between Don Quixote and Sancho Panza. It is a
Renaissance work for its humanism, but with baroque traits (disillusionment, theatrical atmosphere)
and false appearances). Although it is a parody of chivalric books in which predominates the
dialogue, the interspersed stories, that come from other characters with whom Don Quixote
they find in their wanderings, they lend themselves to the use of different styles
Narratives. The pastoral tale, the sentimental novel, the picaresque novel, and the Italian novel are
some examples. Additionally, popular tradition appears in stories and sayings ('wisdom
popular") of Sancho Panza. It also includes poetic forms, such as old romances.
Characters
Sancho Panza
Don Quixote of La Mancha
Dulcinea
Rocinante
Clavileño
Ginés de Pasamonte
Ricote
Antonia Quijada
Cardenio
Analysis
Don Quixote after reading an infinity of chivalry books discovers that he wants to have
adventures equal to those of the knights in their stories. Taking his horse and his weapons Don
Quixote prepares to fulfill his dream (although according to the plot, Don Quixote intends to find his purpose)
the answer to the question of who is or what seeks to be?
In certain parts of the plot, Don Quixote only cares about knowing whether or not Dulcinea exists in his
fantasy reality, not to mention that at certain times he acts with great prudence while
in others no.