Don Quixote Analysis

What exactly defines a person as being insane? A man’s actions may be incredibly insane, but his lack of consciousness over his actions is what makes a man truly mad. It does not depend on what he does but how he justifies his actions as normal or abnormal, and he must be consciously aware of how society views what he is doing. Many professors and researchers of Don Quixote de la Mancha by Miguel de Cervantes claim that Don Quixote is purely insane, unconscious about the misdirection he feeds himself. However, Don Quixote is not insane, but is solely a man looking for adventure, fueled by his intense love for Chivalric novels. This can be seen in certain parts of the novel: The Battle of the Windmills, Don Quixote’s stay with the Duke and Duchess, and finally with Alonso Quixano’s death. His actions may have been more than insane, but whether or not he fully understands the insanity of his actions will define this hero as a crazy old man or a dreamer who purposely breaks the norm of society to live his life how he sees fit. Don Quixote starts showing serious signs of insanity at the beginning of the book when he takes up arms and heads off on his trusty and frail steed. However, some may see this as weird, but not particularly crazy. The first time that Quixote’s madness shows through is during the battle of the windmills. Don Quixote begins attacking windmills claiming they are giants that must be destroyed. After many warnings from Sancho, that the giants are only windmills, Don Quixote charges full force anyways. The old man pierces a windmill and falls from his horse, defeated. He then decides to blame a mystical enchanter for changing the giants to windmills. Attacking windmills and claiming they are giants could be the result of an over reactive imagination. This could be seen as Don Quixote as simply having fun. What really makes him crazy is how he got hurt pretty badly and continued on with his imagination. Many others, after being injured, would get up and go home. Don Quixote, however, creates another part of his imaginative conquest and creates an enemy for him, forcing him to move onward with his journey. A man injuring himself having fun, then using the injuries as fuel to continue his endeavors can very much make a man seem insane. But does this instance actually define the hero as crazy? This man loves books of chivalry, and in his old age he wants to be happy and wants to enjoy the rest of his live. He has so much passion in seeking adventure that he does not mind being injured, but uses his injuries to move on with his journey. This could be seen as an old man going insane or just an old man trying to enjoy the time he has left in his life. In Act II, Don Quixote begins to open up to realism, instead of using magic and enchantment to hide it. During his and Sancho’s stay with the Duke and Duchess, Don Quixote begins to not look as crazy. First, he and Sancho both begin to see through the Duke and Duchess’s plan to humiliate them. When they arrive back to the castle after they think they flew on horseback to save the burning village, Don Quixote points out that the flames would have been much hotter had they been actually close to the burning village. This is a huge change of character, for the Don Quixote in Act I would have said they had a bubble of enchantment, protecting them from the heat, or something magical and fantastic to suppress reality. After Sancho tells him that he removed his blindfold and saw the goats of heaven, Don Quixote is skeptical about his story. He agrees to believe Sancho if Sancho believes his fantastic story about his time in the Cave of Montesinos. This part shows how Don Quixote is only open to the idea of magic and enchantment but does not actually believe it to be real. It is as if he is telling Sancho that he is not crazy. He does not believe they actually took flight and saved the village, so he could not believe that Sancho saw such fantastic sights on a trip they did not take. His agreement to believe Sancho if Sancho believes him is like an agreement to keep pretending so they can have fun, instead of just taking life at it’s dull face value. If Don Quixote is truly not insane and is solely being humiliated just for fun, what other factors are motivating him to put up with the antics of the Duke and Duchess? He could potentially view this as an opportunity to get Sancho the governorship that he promised him. In reality, Don Quixote could never get Sancho a governorship, but he knew the Duke and Duchess could. He successfully got Sancho his governorship, and even through his imagination, some things promised are coming true.
-His Death - Snaps out of Don Quixote - Remembers everything about being Don Quixote - Makes it seem as if he was done playing games, and it was time to get serious.
- As a knight, he must uphold his sworn vow to return home for a year, and knowing that he will die before he can be DQ again, DQ is officially dead.
-He accomplished so many adventures, and to his knowledge, made better of the world. Fulfilled his wish of Chivalry and is satisfied with all he had done.