The Madness of Don Quixote and Its Origins

Don Quixote's character embodies a form of madness driven by his excessive reading of chivalric literature, leading him to mistake windmills for giants and trivial objects for noble artifacts. His delusions serve as a critique of the genre's glorification of knightly tales, illustrating how such narratives can warp one's perception of reality. Cervantes strategically highlights that such madness is inherently tied to the act of reading and interpretation, suggesting that other characters who enjoy similar literature do not suffer the same fate, subtly critiquing the moral implications of these tales. This juxtaposes the allure of chivalric adventure with the mental and physical toll it exacts on Quixote himself, who remains self-aware yet trapped in his delusions.