Don Quixote · Chapter
Which treats of what he who reads will see, or what he who has it read to him will hear explained
Don Quixote, after his defeat by the Knight of the White Moon, laments his lost glory and resolves to keep his word and return home for a year of seclusion.
What happens
Don Quixote, after his defeat by the Knight of the White Moon, laments his lost glory and resolves to keep his word and return home for a year of seclusion. Sancho consoles him with philosophical reflections on fortune. They encounter a group of peasants with a wager about a race, which Sancho resolves with shrewd judgment. Later, they meet Tosilos, the duke's lackey, who recounts his punishment and the fate of Doña Rodriguez's daughter. Don Quixote, still believing in enchantments, dismisses Tosilos as enchanted, while Sancho enjoys a meal with him before rejoining his master.
Themes in this chapter
Reality vs. Illusion
Don Quixote insists Tosilos is an enchanted figure, while Sancho and Tosilos treat the encounter as real, highlighting the clash between Quixote's delusions and the mundane world.
Friendship and Loyalty
Sancho's steadfast companionship and philosophical support for Don Quixote in his defeat underscore their enduring bond.
Justice and Morality
Sancho's fair and practical resolution of the peasants' wager demonstrates a sense of justice rooted in common sense, contrasting with Quixote's chivalric ideals.
Characters to notice
- Don Quixote
Laments his defeat at Barcelona, resolves to keep his word and return home, and dismisses Tosilos as an enchanted figure.
- Sancho Panza
Offers philosophical comfort to Don Quixote, resolves the peasants' wager with practical wisdom, and enjoys a meal with Tosilos.
- Rocinante
Mentioned as having feeble strength that contributed to Don Quixote's defeat.
- Dapple
Sancho rides Dapple and refuses to travel on foot.
- Tosilos
The duke's lackey who appears as a courier, recounts his punishment and the fate of Doña Rodriguez's daughter, and shares a meal with Sancho.
- The Duke
Mentioned as still at the castle with the duchess, having ordered Tosilos' punishment.
- The Duchess
Mentioned as still at the castle with the duke.
Key passages
“Here Troy was; here my ill-luck, not my cowardice, robbed me of all the glory I had won; here Fortune made me the victim of her caprices; here the lustre of my achievements was dimmed; here, in a word, fell my happiness never to rise again.”
Don Quixote laments that his defeat at Barcelona has destroyed his glory and happiness, blaming fortune rather than cowardice.
This speech captures Quixote's despair and his continued reliance on chivalric rhetoric to frame his downfall.
“I can tell thee there is no such thing as Fortune in the world, nor does anything which takes place there, be it good or bad, come about by chance, but by the special preordination of heaven; and hence the common saying that 'each of us is the maker of his own Fortune.'”
Don Quixote asserts that events are not random but divinely ordained, and that individuals shape their own fate through their actions.
This philosophical reflection contrasts with Sancho's earlier view of Fortune as a blind jade, showing Quixote's turn toward theological determinism.
“Señor, it is the part of brave hearts to be patient in adversity just as much as to be glad in prosperity; I judge by myself, for, if when I was a governor I was glad, now that I am a squire and on foot I am not sad.”
Sancho advises Don Quixote that true courage means enduring hardship as well as enjoying success, citing his own contentment in both roles.
Sancho's wisdom here reflects his pragmatic stoicism and loyalty, offering comfort to the defeated knight.
