How does madness result in wanting to become a knight in order to win-over a woman that has never been met before? In Don Quixote of the Mancha by Miguel de Cervantes, a normal man decides one day that he wants to become a knight. He “becomes” a knight at an inn and proceeds to ride around Spain on his horse, righting wrongs and helping people in need. Throughout the book, the main character goes on outrageous journeys and quests. For example, Don Quixote jousts with windmills because he thinks that they are giants for the safety of his lady, Dulcinea del Toboso. Although the previous sentence makes the book sound like it was made for comedic purposes, the author actually writes the novel to satirize knights and chivalric romances in Spain.…show more content… “I am not the first, thought I to myself, whom marriage has raised to unhoped-for greatness, and whose beauty alone has supplied her want of birth and merit,” (Parry 183). In this quote Dorotea tries to explain how her beauty is strong enough to make her think that she could marry a noble lord. After all, she realizes that class means a lot to people in Spain, but every now and then, a woman's sheer beauty can make a man reach beneath his class for the sake of marrying. This quote shows the importance of social class in Spain because it was very uncommon for a poor person to marry a rich one. Dorotea also shows this when she says, “But a young lord, heir to a great estate, and has such a full possession of my heart, that if he does not slight it, it must be his for ever,” (Parry 185). This quote shows Dorotea mentioning the man who has broken her heart by rejecting her. This man is none other than Don Fernando, the same guy who betrayed Cardenio. But for all of his poor treatment of Dorotea, Dorotea is still devoted to him, and she no doubt makes excuses for him because of his high social class. This further proves the point that a person in a high social class will be more attractive than one in a lower class. 1600s Spain is revealed in the novel to be comedic and ridiculous in the way that citizens act and react towards…show more content… He satirizes chivalric romances by having Don Quixote fall in love with a simple, good-working farmer. He also satirizes the romances by showing how Dorotea still loves a man who rejected her, solely because of his social class. Lastly, the author satirizes knight-errantry by having Don Quixote speak as if he is a powerful knight, when, in reality, he is actually just a crazy man with a horse and armor. As seen above, there are many ways that an author can satirize something without directly stating what they are satirizing. This is exactly the case in Don Quixote of the Mancha. Miguel de Cervantes satirizes knight-errantry and chivalric romances without even stating that he is in the
