"The style he invented was the expression of a world in flux,
and he helped give that flux a literary shape."
William Egginton, 2016.
Perhaps Cervantes masterpiece is no more apparent than when one looks to the lasting legacy of the story and characters. The list of books, movies, songs, ballets, and more that have been inspired by Cervantes knight-errant is too long to list individually. In the 400 years since Don Quixote fought windmills and believed a simple woman to be a lady, he has been copied, emulated, and encapsulated. It didn't take long for the story to capture the minds of Cervantes' contemporaries, including one named William Shakespeare. His lost play, The History of Cardenio, was performed in 1613 and is based on a character from Don Quixote.
Don Quixote is a comedy! The length and style make it seem more dramatic, but at it's heart, it's funny. In his essay, "Miguel de Cervantes: An Appreciation," Wight Martindale, Jr, says, "Comedy, on the other hand, restores our confidence in the human condition. It celebrates a life well lived" (2016, 44). Quixote, the dreamer, is full of mishaps and misadventures. While his life could be seen as a tragedy, it's not. Quixote is a dreamer, and a passionate believer in righting wrongs. He is the hero we all want to be. Felicia Martinez says, "Quixote's impossible imaginings are a call for courage...the beginning of the adventure" (519).
That call to adventure has captured the imagination of hundreds of artists, painters, writers and visionaries.
That call to adventure has captured the imagination of hundreds of artists, painters, writers and visionaries.
Explore don Quixote in different mediums
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