Don Quixote

Don Quixote

by

Miguel de Cervantes

Don Quixote: Part 2, Chapter 30 Summary & Analysis

Summary
Analysis
The next day, Sancho and Quixote run into some falconers and a beautiful lady on horseback. Sancho introduces himself and his master, and the lady tells him that they are well-known in these parts and invites them to spend some time in her country house. The Duchess calls over the Duke, who had also read The Ingenious Hidalgo, and they decide to receive him as knights errant used to be received in the old chivalry books. They love the knight’s history and are delighted to meet the two friends in person. The Duchess especially “simply adored” listening to Sancho’s nonsense.
For the first time, Sancho and Quixote spend time with people who know them more as characters than as real people. The Duke and Duchess love the book and its protagonists, but there is something condescending about that love. They decide to recreate the world of chivalry books around their new guests – the world in which Quixote actually lives.
Themes
Truth and Lies Theme Icon
Literature, Realism, and Idealism Theme Icon