One quote that I would like to discuss occurs in Chapter 45. It is during the argument/ disagreement that occurs between the barber and others due to Don Quixote stealing the basin which he claims to be a helmet. In the book the curate says, “"it is only for Senor Don Quixote to say; for in these matters of chivalry all these gentlemen and I bow to his authority." I think that this is very interesting because even though everyone believes that Don Quixote is crazy they all begin to play into his fictional world. The other people at the inn including Don Fernando and his companions play along as well. They even take a vote around the room to whether or not the basin is a helmet or the pack-saddle it a caparison. This scene just seems completely crazy. The barber becomes very angry because no one seems to believe him, while Don Quixote feels no shame for stealing and even states that he won the prizes as part of waging battle. Reality is gone completely and the fictional situation the Don Quixote is trying to impress on everyone has taken over. I do wonder why this change in mind about Don Quixote’s fantasy however?
As for the character Zoraida I feel as though she is put in this text as a historical mention to the mix in culture in Spain present when Cervantes was writing this novel. We have discussed in class how in Spain around the time, I am not sure if directly before or soon after, of the text being written all the Muslims were pushed out of Spain. I think that this may be a way of Cervantes saying that people should be treated the same no matter religion, which goes along with Don Quixote’s radical ideas. The mix of being in a Muslim state while practicing Christianity in Arabic is a strange concept though. I am sure that we will discuss it in class further.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment