Don Quixote in Cervantes' Don Quixote of La Mancha: the realization and the renouncement of his dreams

, Audy (2001) Don Quixote in Cervantes' Don Quixote of La Mancha: the realization and the renouncement of his dreams. Bachelor thesis, Petra Christian University.

Abstract

In this thesis, I choose to talk about Don Quixote's struggle in materializing dreams and finally renouncing them. Thus, it becomes a question whether Don Quixote is successful in his quest materializing those dreams or not, and why at the end of his life he renounces all those dreams instead when he has been so animated about them all the time. Don Quixote's dreams in this case are defined as becoming a real knight-errant and reviving the old world of chivalry. To analyze the problems above, I use literary theory-characterization--and related literature, the code of chivalry. I manage to find out that Don Quixote is a quite accomplished knight-errant and that he at least manages to revive the old world of chivalry within his vicinity if not within the world at large. Thus, it seems odd that in the end of his supposedly successful life, the don renounces all those dreams instead. Finally, I find that despite his success, Don Quixote's inability to thoroughly realize his dreams has somehow made the society doubt his success. This fact in some way wavers his belief in his own success. Not to mention the other unfortunate facts which bring him closer to his God and influence him to finally renounce his life dreams.

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