Don Quixote short summary & analysis

Don Quixote - Miguel de Cervantes

Don Quixote Analysis

Don Quixote Short Summary

A tall and thin villager around fifty years old named Quixano, lives in a town in Spain. Quixano reads books about old-time knights in the townhouse, day and night. He was very impressed with the books he read and decided to become a knight and called himself Don Quixote. Don Quixote completes the all necessary things to become a knight, like swords, shields and horses, and goes on to a journey the next morning.

Don Quixote encounters a house on his horse ride, and thinks it's a castle. He thinks he has to take the castle and drives his horse to the castle. The innkeeper realizes the situation and greets Don Quixote. The innkeeper is playful and makes fun of Don Quixote. He tells Don Quixote in order to be a knight, he has to has lots of money, wound ointments and a servant. The innkeeper ridiculing Don Quixote prepares him an armor putting ceremony. Don Quixote now considers himself a knight and returns to his village to complete his shortcomings.

He asks a peasant named Sancho to do his ward in the village and tells him that he will give him an island in exchange for his labor. A little naive, Sancho accepts this offer immediately. Don Quixote completes his shortcomings and leaves the village with Sancho. On the way they encounter windmills. Don Quixote thinks them to be a giant and says he will fight them. Although Sancho says that they are only windmills, Don Quixote sees them as giants and attacks them. The windmill's wing hits Don Quixote and his horse. Sancho immediately runs to his master and lifts him off the ground.

Once again, Sancho and Don Quixote decide to rest in a meadow. Several muleskinners try to steal their horses from their horses while they eat their meals. Don Quixote immediately draws his sword and walks over to muleskinners. But he can't fight them and he's heavily injured. Don Quixote and Sancho, who enter the first hen they found, are treated by the innkeeper. When he feels better, Don Quixote says that the knight does not give money when the innkeeper asks for money and he immediately goes away. But Sancho cannot escape and is heavily beaten by the innkeeper’s friends. Don Quixote and Sancho, who managed to escape from the hand of the innkeeper, continue their journey towards other adventures.

When Don Quixote and Sancho are on their way, they see a princess on a horse, and Don Quixote asks Sancho to go to her to greet her and to tell Don Quixote that he is in command. Sancho quickly goes to the duchess and says exactly what Don Quixote says. She heard some of Don Quixote's adventures, making it hard not to laugh and she thinks she can have some fun. The duke and the duchess, immediately turn this event into an opportunity and they create some fun for themselves. The duke says he will be very proud to welcome a knight like Don Quixote in his castle and invite them. Don Quixote does not refuse the will of the nobles and agrees to be a guest. Sancho and Don Quixote are very well accommodated in the castle, the Duke and the Duchess throws an event each day to have fun and to make fun of Don Quixote. The Duke gives an island to Sancho and appoints him the governor. However, Sancho cannot stand the governorship and wants to return to his village. The Duke and the Duchess play one more game of Don Quixote and ask him to duel with a knight named Sanson Caranso. The winner of the duel will fulfill the request of the other. Sanson wins the duel and asks Don Quixote to return home and leave his sword. Don Quixote, who lost the duel, takes Sancho and goes towards the villages. Don Quixote understands that these people mock him to have fun.

When Don Quixote arrives at his mansion he realizes that the knighthood is not for him, and he quits. He falls ill. He cannot fulfill the desire of the madman to return to the adventures and leaves everything to his relatives and he dies.

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