Don Quixote Chap 10 - 18

1) the first scene I examined was at the beginning of Chapter 11, as the goatherds shared their “goat – stew” with Sancho and Quixote. In this scene, they first “beg” Don Quixote to sit on an upside down bowl to eat, Sancho stood beside Quixote to serve him the drinking horn. When Quixote saw that his squire was standing he said:
“So that you may see, Sancho, what great good there is in knight-errantry, and how close those exercising any of its ministries always are to being honored and esteemed by the world, it is my wish that you should come and sit by my side in the company of these excellent people, and be one with me, your natural lord and master – that you should eat from my very own plate and drink from my very own cup: for of knight-errantry may be said what is said of love, that it makes all things equal,” (Page 83, Chapter 11, Quixote)

Quixote’s resilience to sit on the overturned bowl while everyone else sat on the floor, and the fact that Sancho was forced to stand and serve the drinking horn, was the opposite of the “truth” and “seeds of enlightenment” that Quixote is trying to instill in those around him.

Although chivalry and knighthood are mere fabrications of Quixote’s reality, the principles and honor associated with knighthood are relevant to the needs of society. According to www.Medieval-life.net : Chivalry is recognized for “virtues and qualities it inspired in its followers, chivalry directed that men should honor, serve, and do nothing to displease ladies and maidens.”

Quixote conducts himself in an upright manner, without acting superior to Sancho when he offers his own cup and plate – which Sancho dishonorably refuses, (and says he refuses all future honors offered to him by Quixote) thus, Quixote forces him to sit down, as “You shall sit down all the same; for he that humbleth himself shall be exalted,” (Page 84, Chapter 11, Quixote). This quote also exemplifies the importance of “lowering yourself,” from the high post society has delegated to you, to promote equality for all.

Quixote draws a parallel between the power of love and the power of knight-errantry; he states that each “makes all things equal.” Unconditional love allows humans to transcend the inequalities established by society; those that deem women to be inferior to men, minorities’ inferior to white, homosexuals to be unequal to heterosexuals who desire to be married. When Quixote forces Sancho to sit down, it is a literal, violent “destruction” of societal inequality and hierarchy; knighthood and love are able to transcend such harmful caste systems, and Quixote is able to see the greater “truth” for humanity. Just as Martin Luther King Jr., and Suffragists fought for the equality of blacks and whites, men and women, Quixote is portrayed as “forcibly destroying” the inequality that Sancho represents as he stands during dinner.


2) The second scene I examined was at the end of Chapter 14, when Marcela appears at the burial site of her dead admirer, Grisostomo, who had blamed his jealousy, despair, greatest sorrow, and death on his unrequited love for Marcela. The dead shepherd’s friend Ambrosio quickly scolds Marcela for appearing, and demands an explanation for her presence, since it was her beauty and refusal of his best friend that led to his lonely demise.
Marcela quickly states that she has come to defend herself and prove to everyone who places the burden of Grisostomo’s death on her delicate shoulders, what the TRUTH of the matter is. Subsequently, she begins her speech on beauty, love, God, virtue and blame.

“By the natural understanding which God has granted me I know that whatever is beautiful is lovable; but I can’t conceive why, for this reason alone, a woman who’s loved for her beauty should be obliged to love whoever loves her.’
‘ – It could happen that the lover of beauty is ugly, and since that which is ugly is loathsome, it isn’t very fitting for him to say ‘I love you because you’re beautiful; you must love me even though I’m ugly,’ – even if well-matched, not all beauty inspires love.’

‘True love cannot be divided, and must be voluntary, not forced on you.’

‘If heaven had made me ugly instead of beautiful, would I have been right to complain about you not loving me? What’s more, I did not choose this beauty of mine – heaven gave it to me, exactly as you see it, without my asking for it or picking it. And just as the viper doesn’t deserve to be blamed for her poison even though she kills with it, because nature gave it to her, so I don’t deserve to be blamed for being beautiful; because beauty in a virtuous woman is like a distant fire or sharp sword, which don’t burn or cut anyone who doesn’t come too close. Honor and virtue are ornaments of the soul, and without them the body, even if it is beautiful, shouldn’t seem beautiful.’

‘I was born free, and to live free I chose the solitude of the countryside. The trees on these mountains are my company, the clear waters of these streams are my mirrors; and to the trees and waters I reveal my thoughts and beauty. I am the distant fire and the far-off sword. Those who have loved me for my looks I have disabused with my words. And if desires are kept alive on hope, I have never given any hope to Grisostomo or fulfilled any man’s desires, so it can truly be said of all of them, that they were killed by their own obstinacy rather than by my cruelty.’

‘If Gisostomo was killed by his own impatience and uncontrolled passion, why should anyone blame my modest and circumspect behavior for that? If I keep my purity in the company of the trees, why should anyone want me to lose it in the company of men?’

‘These mountains mark the limits of my desires, and if they do extend any further it is only for the contemplation of the beauty of the heavens, the way along which the soul travels back to its first abode.’

All the above quotes were extracted from Pages 109 – 111, Chapter 14, Don Quixote.

Marcela’s “miraculous” presence and consequent speech is remarkably different than what I had expected. She represents truth, beauty, reason and harmony with nature – Marcela exemplifies all of these divine virtues, which exposes the flaws of man. Marcela appears to be angelic, and encapsulates beauty to the fullest extent –appearing to be magnificent, but exhibiting purity, self-sufficiency, and truth. She acts in a manner that is in line with the codes of chivalry, treating every man, woman and animal as an equal – she extends this treatment to nature in every form: trees, rivers, mountains, and heavens.
Marcela defends herself against being the cause of the hopeless shepherd’s death; that she never provoked his admiration nor did she ever give in to the desires of other suitors who sought her affection. She claims that she only “disabused them” with her words, without the possibility of change. Thus, the torture she is alleged to have inflicted upon Gisostomo and other suitors who had succumbed to her beauty, was actually self-inflicted by the death of false hope and birth of extreme sorrow that suitors felt after her blatant rejection.

She also begs the question, if Heaven had made her to be ugly, would she be justified to complain about the suitors not loving her? The answer to this opposite reality would be “no,” because it sounds ridiculous when posed as a question since one does not have the ability to choose their outward beauty, and also because of stereotypes that women have to be beautiful and possess good qualities to be desired by men. The idea that women have to appeal to / appease the needs, desires and fantasies of men in order to “deserve” their care and affection – these double standards still exist today, and image is much more critical for a woman than a man. Marcela emphasizes the importance of true beauty that lies within (that which we have control over) versus outward beauty that is so highly esteemed, yet is not our own choice, but dictated by nature.
The snake (image of temptation/fall of Eden) does not choose its poison with which it kills, it is a trait given by nature. In the same respect, Marcela did not choose her outward beauty, (which killed the shepherd because of his stubborn desire) but she also possesses virtue and honor in her soul – which are critical to TRUE beauty, one may appear to be beautiful on the outside without these virtues inside, though the presence or lack of these virtues SHOULD be reflected in outward beauty. (Lacking = ugly, Possess virtue = beautiful). In this way, Marcela uses her beauty as a power for good, not evil, but these men are so infatuated by her outward appearance that they are unable to see the truth, as beauty can be “dizzying,” (as Socrates says in Lysis).

Furthermore, Marcel represents the ideals of many philosophers, especially Marcus Aurelius who emphasized the importance of one’s harmony with nature. Aurelius believed that we need to understand our lives and our role in nature, as we are each a part of nature, we just progress through different forms throughout our lives. From the earth at birth, on the earth during live, back into the earth at death (either through burial or scattered ashes). Thus, Marcela was at peace with nature and completely embraced the natural landscape as her “home.” She did not desire the superficiality of the suitors who chased her for her outward beauty alone, she felt as though only nature could keep her satisfied, as she was a product and part of nature herself. She also wants to maintain her freedom that she was born into – she sees herself in aspects of nature; reflection in the water, trees, and mountains that lead towards heaven and serve as the limits of her desire. For heaven is above the mountains, and is the place where she will return to after death.

Don Quixote ensures that every one at the funeral respects her wishes to not follow her or torment her after her speech, and Quixote recognizes the truth and reason within Marcela as he does not blame her for the shepherd’s death after all. Instead, the blindness of these men who succumbed to their superficial nature of beauty left them dissatisfied and sorrowful at rejection.

Don Quixote is a good example of what Marcela talks about - as he exhibits "blindness to women," but in a way that he treats each woman, despite appearance or rank, as a princess.