Don Quixote · Chapter
Chapter II: Which treats of the first sally the ingenious Don Quixote made from home explained
Don Quixote sets out on his first adventure before dawn, riding Rocinante.
What happens
Don Quixote sets out on his first adventure before dawn, riding Rocinante. He worries about not being a knight, but decides to have himself dubbed by the first person he meets. He travels all day, imagining himself as a chivalric hero, and arrives at an inn which he believes to be a castle. The innkeeper and two women help him remove his armor, and he eats a meager meal while maintaining his helmet, convinced he is in a grand castle.
Themes in this chapter
Reality vs. Illusion
Don Quixote perceives the inn as a castle, the innkeeper as a castellan, the prostitutes as ladies, and the stockfish as trout, illustrating his delusional reinterpretation of reality.
Chivalry and Idealism
Don Quixote's entire sally is driven by chivalric ideals: he seeks to right wrongs, redress grievances, and be dubbed a knight, imitating the language and behavior of his beloved romances.
Literature and Metafiction
Don Quixote imagines a future 'sage' writing his history, and he quotes and adapts ballads like that of Lancelot, highlighting the self-referential and literary nature of his adventure.
Characters to notice
- Don Quixote
Don Quixote makes his first sally from home, riding Rocinante and imagining himself as a knight. He is preoccupied with the need to be dubbed a knight and speaks to himself in chivalric language, addressing Dulcinea and the future chronicler of his deeds.
- Rocinante
Don Quixote's horse, described as the best bit of flesh that ever ate bread, though the innkeeper finds him less impressive.
- Dulcinea del Toboso
Don Quixote addresses her as 'Princess Dulcinea, lady of this captive heart,' lamenting her scorn and banishing him from her presence.
- The Innkeeper
The innkeeper, whom Don Quixote mistakes for a castellan, is described as a crafty Andalusian. He humors Don Quixote's delusions and helps him with his horse and meal.
- Maritornes
One of the women at the inn who assists Don Quixote in removing his armor and feeding him, though she is not named in this chapter.
Key passages
“Scarce had the rubicund Apollo spread o'er the face of the broad spacious earth the golden threads of his bright hair...”
Don Quixote imagines a poetic description of dawn, with Apollo spreading golden light and birds singing, as he begins his journey.
This shows Don Quixote's tendency to romanticize his mundane actions in the style of chivalric romances.
“O Princess Dulcinea, lady of this captive heart, a grievous wrong hast thou done me to drive me forth with scorn...”
Don Quixote addresses Dulcinea, lamenting that she has banished him and asking her to remember him.
He speaks as if he is a love-stricken knight, though Dulcinea is a figment of his imagination based on a peasant woman.
“My armour is my only wear, My only rest the fray.”
Don Quixote tells the innkeeper that his armor is his clothing and battle is his rest.
He quotes a chivalric ballad to justify his refusal to remove his armor, reinforcing his knightly persona.