“Are you crazy if you see life as it could be?”
Don Quixote is the name of this ingenious nobleman. In Spanish, they call him Don Quijote (pronounced “Kee-goh-te”, with the g-sound as if you’re clearing your throat). Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra (Alcalá de Henares 1547–Madrid 1616) is the now famous author of this enormous two-part novel, titled El ingenioso hidalgo Don Quixote de la Mancha (The Ingenious Nobleman of La Mancha). It made Cervantes world-renowned, unfortunately only after his death. The book is one of the literary works that has been translated into most world languages, making it a truly universal masterpiece.
At some point, we follow the protagonist after he had quietly read an enormous number of knightly tales. He went mad from it (which raises the question of whether he was the only madman at that time) and thought he had to fight like a true knight. True knights fight for fame and glory. Don Quixote was a wandering knight, a man of minor nobility, who performed heroic deeds without expecting anything in return. However, Don Quixote promised his squire, Sancho Panza, a reward for his loyal service to his master. Don Quixote would give him dominion over an island, as was common in all the books, once the knight had achieved his fame and glory.
Don Quixote fought against windmills that he mistook for giants and demons. Was it due to his madness? His loyal servant and squire remained by his side, helping him through every misfortune they encountered.
Don Quixote also needed a woman to whom he could dedicate his battles, and he fell in love with the most beautiful girl at the inn, who in reality did not see herself as a beautiful girl but as a woman who had to please everyone.
Nevertheless, every character in this novel learns to appreciate Don Quixote because he had an incredibly good heart and could convince others that they were full of goodness.
The musical Man of La Mancha featuring Huub van der Lubbe is a beautiful rendition of this story. Hopefully, there will be more performances in the next season (website: Man of La Mancha, the musical).
The film Don Quijote de la Mancha was uploaded to YouTube by RTVE a year ago. Tip: For Spanish language enthusiasts, turn on the Spanish subtitles.
