Miguel de Cervantes "Don Quixote" Very briefly and in detail

A very brief retelling of Miguel de Cervantes' novel Don Quixote

The main character of Miguel Cervantes is described as an elderly man who is in love with romances of chivalry and dreams of adventure. He decides to become a knight errant to protect the weak and oppressed. As a squire, he takes with him Sancho Panza, who will be responsible for the voice of reason in the novel, and also chooses the lady of his heart, Dulcinia.

All of Don Quixote's adventures do not end as he would like and he, sick, returns home. Don Quixote dies, bequeathing everything to his niece on the condition that she never marry a man who read chivalric novels.

⁠Cervantes and Don Quixote

They say that authors take material for books from life. I write myself (at the time of writing this article I have nine novels and two collections of stories ready), but it seems to me not the best idea to consider this issue using my own example. Therefore, I will take the classic - Miguel de Cervantes (he added the name Saavedra to himself later, since it belonged to noble and respected distant relatives). Using his example, I will try to find out and show where writers get their material from.

Gigabytes of biography have already been written about the author of Don Quixote. Therefore, I will not repeat in this article everything that can be found anyway. I will only address those biographical facts that found a place in the most famous chivalric novel.

Probably, none of the classics of literature had such a difficult fate as Cervantes. Many writers lived in poverty, were military men, had injuries, but Cervantes had so many life adventures that he could write an action-packed, completely autobiographical novel.

Extremely scanty data has been preserved about the early years and youth of Cervantes, but this is an omission of historians rather than the idea of the writer himself. The author also did not leave information about the childhood and parents of his hero.

Cervantes was born on September 29, 1547 in the family of hidalgo Rodrigo Cervantes. His father was engaged in a job that was shameful for a nobleman - he was a doctor. In search of work, the Cervantes family often moved from place to place.

It is undeniable that Cervantes made the main character similar to himself, that is, a hidalgo - an impoverished nobleman, deprived of his fortune, seignories, jurisdiction and high public positions. At the same time, the writer’s grandfather, Juan, was a rich man and held a serious position in Andalusia.

Another similarity between the author and his character is poverty. Poverty became Cervantes' eternal companion. It is probably poverty that is to blame for the fact that the whole world has been admiring one of the best novels of the Renaissance for several centuries. The author of Don Quixote was indeed poor, but this fact did not in the least prevent him from enriching literature.

There are unconfirmed reports that Cervantes studied at the university. About his own hero, Cervantes only mentions that before the start of the story he read many chivalric novels. However, Don Quixote's reasoning, which he sprinkles in almost every chapter, suggests that Cervantes assumed that his hero had a fairly good education at that time.

In 1570, Cervantes entered military service, which in those days was considered honorable.

Since at the time of the story Don Quixote is in his fifties, then, therefore, before that he was doing something? But the author leaves this a secret. However, Don Quixote takes up arms and sets off on his exploits, which demonstrates his knowledge of combat and weapons. But this fact is debatable, since in those days only women and infants did not know how to handle weapons.

On October 7, 1571, Cervantes takes part in the Battle of Lepanto, where he is wounded three times. One of the wounds forever crosses out his military career. Cervantes's left arm is taken away. But maybe this fact allows us today to enjoy the “cunning hidalgo”? After all, it is unknown how Cervantes’ life would have turned out if he had not received this injury. What heights would he have reached in military service, because all his contemporaries unanimously noted his valor. But everything could have turned out completely differently. Cervantes would have simply been killed, and the world would not have even imagined that somewhere in the outskirts of an already dead consciousness the fearless Knight of the Sad Image was wandering.

However, the injury, which crossed out half of Cervantes’ life, creates believable images in his work. Cervantes mercilessly injures his hero, having a perfect understanding of what pain is. When reading, it seems that if Don Quixote was not killed in this chapter, then in the next he will definitely be killed, and if they are not killed, then they will inflict injuries that are not comparable to further chivalry. However, Don Quixote continues to knight, despite knocked out teeth and beatings, which are almost impossible to count. Cervantes gives the valor noted by his contemporaries for unlimited use to his character. Don Quixote fearlessly goes up against the giants, that is, windmills, agrees to sail to Algeria, the stronghold of the slave trade, single-handedly opposes the army, even if he does not know that it is just a herd of sheep. Throughout the rather lengthy novel, Don Quixote displays valor and fearlessness that none of the other characters appreciate. Which directly resonates with the author’s life itself.

As we know, the misadventures of young Cervantes do not end there. Having secured letters from the king's brother and the viceroy of Naples, Cervantes sails to Spain. On the way, he encounters a strong storm, and then his ship is captured by Algerian corsairs. His first owner, having seen these letters, takes Cervantes for a noble person and assigns such a ransom that the Cervantes family cannot collect. And the author of Don Quixote spends five years in captivity. From there he makes four unsuccessful escapes. And only after five years it is finally bought out.

Cervantes included the captivity of the Arabs in sufficient detail in his book. The author allocated a special place to this biographical fact. Not a single inserted short story is distinguished by the vividness with which the captive’s story is conveyed. Even if you don’t know Cervantes’ biography, the conclusion suggests itself that the author understands what he is writing about. Of course, captivity by the Arabs made an indelible impression on the writer. This can be seen not only in the thirty-ninth, forty and forty-first chapters of Don Quixote, but also in the stories and comedies.

After returning from captivity, Cervantes struggled with poverty for a long time, until his death. He worked, went to prison, got married. Cervantes lost the war on poverty. Actually, just like his hero, he was unable to straighten out all the lies and help everyone who was offended. Don Quixote wanders unsuccessfully, trying to help people, and Cervantes moves from place to place, trying to earn a living.

The further life of Cervantes does not have much in common with the life of his hero. But it is worth noting the fact that after the death of his brother, Cervantes still has a niece in his care. Don Quixote begins with a description of the life of a certain hidalgo. Soon after, it is learned that this hidalgo has a niece in his care. One could consider it a fiction, or not focus on this aspect at all, if he had not spoken so eloquently about the life of Cervantes himself.

In 1587, Cervantes was appointed to the post of commissioner for the purchase of provisions for the Invincible Armada. For fifteen years he has been traveling around the country, buying food. Most likely, it was at that time that Don Quixote was ripening in his head, albeit on a subconscious level. After all, having begun with ridicule of chivalric romances, it moves into the category of describing folk life, of which Cervantes had seen enough.

As you know, soon after the release of the first part of “The Cunning Hidalgo” a fake Don Quixote appeared. Its author, Avellaneda, ridiculed not only the heroes, but also Cervantes himself. For which he became famous throughout the centuries. Cervantes sharply responds to Avellaneda on the pages of the entire novel, not only in the author’s text, but also in the words of the main character. More than once the Knight of the Sorrowful Countenance exclaims: “This cannot be! I have never done such things!”

It is worth noting one more fact, which, of course, should take place when comparing Cervantes with Don Quixote. As is known from the story, Alonso Quijano read all the novels of chivalry, and only after that he went on his exploits. He talks a lot about them and gives countless examples of how one of the knights acted in certain cases. Such reasoning by Don Quixote suggests that Cervantes himself loved to read such novels. History is silent about this, in fact, like the author himself. But, apparently, while reading the next novel, Cervantes developed a persistent aversion to the monotony and stereotypes of these stories.

The last similarity, which did not arise from the will of the author, is death. Unfortunately, Cervantes died in poverty, like his hero. The difference is that Don Quixote had funds for his funeral. Cervantes does not - that’s why the writer’s grave is lost to centuries.

The difference in life circumstances between Cervantes and Don Quixote is as great as the difference in life circumstances between the author and his hero is ordinary. Even in autobiographical stories (for example, L. Tolstoy’s “Childhood”, I. Bunin’s “The Life of Arsenyev”), the life circumstances of the authors and their heroes differ; what can we say about a character who is fictitious from beginning to end?

Of course, Cervantes never imagined himself as a knight errant, of course he did not find himself in stupid situations, which Don Quixote found himself in even several times a day, he never climbed into the cave of Montesinos and never fell in love with Dulcinea of Toboso (although there is no confirmation here that no denials).

There should be such a big difference between Miguel de Cervantes and Alonso Quijano. On the contrary, it would be strange if it were absent, because nowhere was it ever said that “The Cunning Hidalgo Don Quixote of La Mancha” was written as an autobiographical book. The author invested in his hero exactly as much as was required - a piece of himself. Only certain parts of the biography that excited the life of Miguel de Cervantes, whether he consciously or not, added to the features of his own character, creating an image as true as it was fictitious. Perhaps it is precisely thanks to the life circumstances of Cervantes, which found a place in the biography of his character, that Don Quixote wanders and, one can already say with confidence, will wander around the world for a long, long time, committing his follies.

We can conclude that Cervantes took the lion’s share of “The Cunning Hidalgo” from the environment and his own life. Of course, only endless traveling allowed him to write a novel where all the action takes place in motion, moving from place to place (excluding the chapters when Don Quixote was with the Duke). Only a huge life experience, and a piece of his own biography allowed Cervantes to create a work of unsurpassed power with a hero unsurpassed in uniqueness.

List and brief description of the heroes of Miguel de Cervantes's novel “Don Quixote”

List and brief description of the main characters

Don Quixote - knight errant, brave but naive
Sancho Panza is his squire, reasonable and practical

List and brief description of minor characters

Dulcinia Toboso - the lady of Don Quixote's heart
Antonia - Don Quixote's niece
Housekeeper - runs Don Quixote's household
The priest and the barber are friends of Don Quixote
The innkeeper jokingly knights Don Quixote
Freston - Don Quixote's imaginary enemy, an evil wizard

A summary of Miguel Cervantes's novel "Don Quixote" in detail by chapter

Volume one

Chapter 1-4

Once upon a time in La Mancha lived Alonso Quejana, a poor man of about fifty who passionately loved chivalric romances. He read so much that he lost his mind and decided to become a knight errant to protect the weak. He sonorously called himself Don Quixote, his old nag - Rocinante, and the lady of his heart - Dulcinia of Toboso.

On the first day he reaches the tavern, but mistakes it for a castle and the innkeeper for a feudal lord. Don Quixote did not take money with him, because there was not a word about it in the novels. He is allowed to spend the night in exchange for protection and is even treated to food. The innkeeper explains to the hero that if the novel does not mention money or a change of clothes, this does not mean that the knight did not have them.

Don Quixote asks the innkeeper to honor him and knight him. In the dark, Don Quixote nearly impales a mule driver with a spear. The innkeeper manages to intervene and, in order to send the guest away, jokingly knights Don, patting him on the shoulder a couple of times.

Chapter 3-4

Don Quixote stands up for a shepherd boy who is being beaten for losing his flock of sheep. As soon as the defender leaves, the child is beaten half to death. The newly-minted knight is proud of his first feat and does not notice anything.

Don Quixote invites the peasant Sancho Panza to become his squire, he agrees. On the way, they meet merchants who see that Don Quixote is not himself and laugh at him. Don is offended and tries to attack, but falls out of the saddle. He is severely beaten.

A familiar peasant helps the wounded Don return home. Sancho and Rocinante wander behind them, loaded with armor and the remains of weapons.

Chapter 5-8

Don Quixote is delirious; his housekeeper, priest and niece look after him at home. Everyone is convinced that his mind has become clouded due to reading novels and decide to burn all the books and wall up the door to the library. Seeing this, Don Quixote becomes furious. They answer him that these are the machinations of his enemy, the wizard Freston, he believes.

Don Quixote repairs the weapon himself and stocks up with money. Soon, the heroes leave without saying goodbye. In the field, Don Quixote mistakes windmills for giants. He attacks the nearest wing, which begins to spin sharply and throws him to the ground. Don Quixote thinks that this is Freston's machinations.

Chapters 9-25

Rocinante gets too close to an unfamiliar aggressive herd. The shepherds try to drive him away with whips and even Don Quixote and Sancho get it. Don Quixote refuses to pay the bill at the tavern and quickly leaves, abandoning Sancho. In retaliation, the squire is grabbed and thrown over the gate. Don blames evil wizards for everything that happened.

While driving two herds of sheep, Don Quixote decides that these are two armies and it is his duty to help the weak. He bursts into the herd on horseback, but the shepherds drive him away with stones, causing Don Quixote to lose almost all his teeth. The heroes spend the night on the lawn, and in the morning they free the imprisoned convicts, mistaking them for the innocently oppressed. Don Quixote becomes the owner of the Mambrina helmet. In fact, this is a barber's pelvis taken by force.

At the next stop, Sancho's donkey is stolen, but this loss is made up for by the discovery of a chest of gold. Sancho gets the money, and Don takes the diary for himself. Now Sancho is rich and wants to return home. The heroes quarrel and say goodbye. Don Quixote asks the squire to deliver two letters, for Dulcinia and for his niece, but Sancho loses them.

Chapters 26-35

At home, Sancho tells the priest and the barber about his adventures. Don Quixote's friends are alarmed by the condition of the would-be knight. They track him down, lure him into a cage and forcefully take him home.

The heroes meet the shepherd boy again and learn that Don's intercession only made the situation worse. Don Quixote is upset and does not understand why.

The guards recognize Don Quixote as the man who freed the convicts. Only the intervention of the priest and his words about the knight’s madness convince them to let Don go.

The priest also resolves the conflict with the barber, from whom Don Quixote took the “helmet of Mambrina.” It turns out that Sancho's donkey was stolen by one of the freed convicts.

Volume two

Chapters 35-44

Don Quixote is slowly recovering at home. Sancho learns that a book of their adventures has been published, after reading which Don gets ready to hit the road again.

The Don asks the squire to arrange a meeting with Dulcinia, whom, as it turns out, he has never seen. Sancho points to the first girl he meets; she is not as beautiful as Don Quixote thought, and he again decides that these are the machinations of evil wizards.

Don defeats a certain Knight of Mirrors. His real name is Samson Carrasco, he is the author of a book about the adventures of our heroes. Don Quixote comfortably stays with his new acquaintance Don Diego, called the Knight of the Green Cloak. Seeing a cage with lions, Don Quixote demands to open it, but, fortunately for him, the lions do not leave the cage. Now Don Quixote asks to call himself the Knight of Lions.

At a puppet show, the hidalgo spoils all the puppets, because... takes them for living knights, but pays for the damage.

Chapters 45-60

The heroes reach the banks of the Ebro River and decide to cross it in a boat without oars. The current is very strong and the boat is sinking, it was decided to pay for the damage.

The local duke invites them to his palace. He and his courtiers have heard about the adventures of Don Quixote, want to laugh at them and come up with a series of tasks. As a reward, the Duke “gives” Sancho the island of Baratoria.

Sancho tries to rule wisely, but the Duke's servants continue to mock him. Soon the former squire became bored with the role of governor and left. At the same time, Don Quixote gets tired of living with the Duke. Friends meet on the road.

Chapters 60-74

The heroes go to Barcelona for a tournament, where Don Quixote loses to the Knight of the White Moon. It turns out to be Samson Carrasco, who takes an oath from Don Quixote to return home and not fight for a whole year. Our hidalgo is very exhausted and decides to return home.

On the way, he catches a fever and suddenly realizes how pathetic he was. Before his death, he bequeaths all his property to his niece with the condition that she will never marry a man who read chivalric novels. Sancho cries bitterly. Don Quixote dies quietly in his sleep.

"Don Quixote" history of creation

"The cunning hidalgo Don Quixote of La Mancha"

- a novel by the Spanish writer Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra about the adventures of the hero of the same name.

"Don Quixote" - the story of the creation of the novel

Was published in two volumes. The first came out in 1605, the second in 1615. The novel was conceived as a parody of chivalric romances. Subsequently translated into all European languages, this novel is still one of the most popular books, and in 2002 it was recognized as the best novel in world literature.

The inspiration for the book was the novel Interludes of Romances, which satirizes a farmer who has gone mad after reading many romances of chivalry. The poor farmer left his wife and began to wander around the world - which, in turn, did the hero of Cervantes's novel (except that Don Quixote was not married). This plot had a subtext: Lope de Vega did exactly the same thing, after writing his numerous autobiographical love works, he left his family and went to the fleet of the Invincible Armada.

Cervantes's interest in ballads is well known. And he clearly had reasons to mock his literary competitor: the plays of Lope de Vega were more popular than the works of Cervantes himself. To bring out your enemy under the mask of a literary character and make fun of him is a well-known technique. One of the arguments in favor of this hypothesis is that Don Quixote, although he seems to be an ardent admirer of chivalric romances, in the first edition talked about his love affairs. Many literary scholars are also inclined towards this version, citing, in particular, the works of Joannot Martorell “Tirant the White”, Luigi Pulci “Morgante” and Ludovico Ariosto “Furious Roland”.

The novel consists of two parts: the first, “The Cunning Hidalgo Don Quixote of La Mancha,” published in 1605; and the second, “The second part of the brilliant knight Don Quixote of La Mancha,” published in 1615 to restore the good name of the writer. The fact is that in 1614 the second part of Don Quixote was published, written by a certain Avellaneda (this was the pseudonym of the impostor. His real identity has not yet been established).

Avellaneda's novel was of a parody nature and sharp attacks against Cervantes. In the second, real part, Cervantes gives Avellaneda a rebuff. At the beginning of the second part, Cervantes, in his “Dedication to Count Lemosky,” mentions the fake Don Quixote. Also, at the end of the novel, he called Avellaneda “a lying Torsedillas scribbler” and wrote that Avellaneda “has no right to drag his bones (that is, the bones of Don Quixote) to Old Castile” (at the end of the fake “Don Quixote” it was promised to tell about the adventures of Don Quixote and Sancho Panza in Old Castile).