Don Quixote · Chapter
Wherein is related what befell Don Quixote on his way to see his lady Dulcinea del Toboso explained
Don Quixote and Sancho set out for El Toboso to seek Dulcinea's blessing.
What happens
Don Quixote and Sancho set out for El Toboso to seek Dulcinea's blessing. Sancho describes seeing Dulcinea sifting wheat, which Don Quixote dismisses as an enchantment. They discuss fame, envy, and the motives behind great deeds, with Don Quixote reflecting on Christian and pagan ideals of glory.
Themes in this chapter
Reality vs. Illusion
Don Quixote insists Sancho's memory of Dulcinea sifting wheat is an enchantment, contrasting Sancho's plain account with his idealized vision.
Chivalry and Idealism
Don Quixote's quest for Dulcinea's blessing exemplifies chivalric devotion; his discourse on fame ties knightly deeds to Christian virtue.
Literature and Metafiction
Cide Hamete's opening blessings and the discussion of the printed history highlight the self-aware narrative and the role of the author.
Characters to notice
- Don Quixote
Resolved to visit Dulcinea before any adventure; reflects on fame, envy, and Christian duty.
- Sancho Panza
Recalls seeing Dulcinea sifting wheat; worries about his reputation in the history; asks about the fate of dead knights.
- Dulcinea del Toboso
Mentioned as the lady whose blessing Don Quixote seeks; Sancho describes her sifting wheat.
- Samson Carrasco
Mentioned as having told them of a printed history of their adventures.
- Cide Hamete Benengeli
Narrator who opens the chapter with blessings.
- Rocinante
Neighs as a good omen at the start of the journey.
- Dapple
Sighs, interpreted by Sancho as a sign of his own good fortune.
Key passages
“Blessed be Allah the all-powerful! ... he says he utters these thanksgivings at seeing that he has now got Don Quixote and Sancho fairly afield”
Cide Hamete praises God that the knight and squire are finally on the road again.
The narrator expresses joy at the start of new adventures.
“for nothing in life makes knights-errant more valorous than finding themselves favoured by their ladies.”
A knight's courage is boosted by his lady's favor.
Don Quixote explains the importance of Dulcinea's blessing.
“O envy, root of all countless evils, and cankerworm of the virtues!”
Envy is the source of all evils and destroys virtue.
Don Quixote laments the effects of envy on his reputation.
“naked was I born, naked I find myself, I neither lose nor gain”
I came into the world with nothing, and I have nothing now; I am unaffected by loss or gain.
Sancho expresses indifference to how historians portray him.