Full Story
English: http://www.online-literature.com/cervantes/don_quixote/5/
Spanish: http://www.elmundo.es/quijote/capitulo.html?cual=1
Summary
An old-fashioned man lives in a village called La Mancha. He spends three-quarters of his income on food (often salads) and the rest on modest clothes. With him live a young niece, a housekeeper, and a boy who runs errands and works in the field. The man is thin, gaunt, an early riser, and fond of hunting. His surname is not knows for sure; it could have been Quixada or Quesada or likely Quexana.
When the man has free time (almost always), he likes to read books of chivalry with passion. Eventually, he is so drawn in that he neglects his hunting and his property, and he sells much of his land for money to buy as many books as he can. His favorite of them all are by Feliciano de Silva, whose complex prose delights the man. The man obsesses over trying to unravel de Silva’s impossible stories. He considers writing a better ending to it, but he has other things to do.
He often argues with his neighbors about which knights were the best. The books take over his life, and he spends every waking second poring over them, and doesn’t sleep much. Because of this, his brain dries out and he goes crazy. He immerses himself so much that he begins to believe that the books are true. He thinks of nothing but the books and their knights and their deeds.
He decides that he should become a knight, and decides to roam the world on horseback, seeking adventure. He scours some old armor and makes a mask to make a closed helmet out of cardboard. Next, he draws the sword and swings it at the helmet, breaking the mask into pieces. He adds some iron bars to the helmet, and is satisfied.
His horse is old and decrepit. He thinks for four days on what to name the horse, because all horses of famous knights must have names. He settles on Rozinante.
He then spends eight more days pondering his own name, and decides on Don Quixote. To make it a little better, he appends La Mancha to the end,and his full name is Don Quixote de La Mancha.
The only think the man still needs is a lady to be in love with. He dreams that he will defeat a giant and send it to his princess. He had once seen a very attractive farmgirl, Aldonza Lorenzo, and in Don Quixote’s mind, she is his princess. He names her Dulcinea del Toboso.
Analysis:
The old man becomes so obsessed with his novels of chivalry that he decides to become a knight in the seventeenth century, a time when knights have ceased to exist. Cervantes presents his novel as the narrative of a true story, and throws in a few things to make it more believable–for example, when he can’t seem to remember Don Quixote’s true name.
Dulcinea del Toboso’s role in the novel is an interesting one. In this chapter, we actually learn who she is–a farmgirl Don Quixote was once in love with. But Aldonza Lorenzo is merely the inspiration for the figure of Dulcinea, who only really exists in Don Quixote’s mind.
Important Vocab:
knight – el caballero
chivalry – la caballería
horse – el rocín
farmgirl – la labradora
armor – las armas
closed helmet – la celada de encaje
Spanish Literature Summaries and Analysis 