<!--more-->Miguel de Cervantes story of Don Quixote is about an eccentric gentlemen from an unnamed village in La Mancha. Quixote has neglected his land, lost his fortune, and driven himself mad by reading too many books of chivalry. Now at fifty years old, he decides to become a knight and set off on a great adventure to change the world. Despite his valiant efforts, he eventually fails and pushes the people that care about him farther away. Cervantes keeps the reader longing for more with fluent comic relief and the suspense of the “chivalric knight‘s” level of his commitment.

When the story of Don Quixote was created in 1605, literary pieces focused on the tragic yet theatrical views of Shakespeare and the likes of furthering scientific knowledge. Miguel De Cervantes took it upon himself to tell a tale about a gentleman in pursuit of eternal glory who will stop at nothing to get what he wants out of life. Having a “mid-life crisis” in these times, were not a specific characteristic of literature in the early seventeenth century. The constant struggle of man versus himself is what I find to be particularly important, not only to myself, but for future generations to come.

This novel is mainly a parody of romances of chivalry, and can also be considered a disguised autobiography of Cervantes. (<em>Cervantes, </em>chapter 7: Cervantes Masterpiece: Don Quixote, Manuel Duran). It has been said that Don Quixote is considered the worlds first modern novel, one of the funniest and most tragic books ever written. Cervantes used literature against Don Quixote to create an internal antagonist, while other writings used literature to boost the moral of love and empower the mind. Don Quixote spent his whole life reading books about chivalry, eventually driving himself mad, and causing him to create a new identity. He became so enthralled in his readings that he actually sold his land in order to purchase more of the written word on his quest to become the greatest knight he could imagine.

The fifty-something year old pulled out old family armor, designed his own helmet, and set out to make the world a better place. He renamed his horse, himself, and his squire and traveled across lands in search of great adventure. So he began his journey, popping into little Inn’s (castles in his mind) while being cared for by the beautiful women (princesses to serve him). The determined knight fought off giant brutes (windmills) and attacking armies (ehh…just sheep). He clearly lost touch with reality. By this point he just wanted to make himself happy and be the “knight” he had always yearned to be.

In my opinion, this is a prime example of a man going through a mid-life crisis. Our “brave knight” wanted to feel like he was apart of something greater and transformed himself. Much like what a fifty-something year old man today would do: maybe go out and get a tattoo (Quixote’s armor), go purchase a sports car (our knight’s custom-named horse), and travel around creating a new life for themselves. I think this type of action is dangerous and shows what not to do when something like this presents itself to a man at a crossroads like Don Quixote faced. You never want to lose touch with reality to that extreme. It ultimately causes undesired pain and struggle.

Throughout the read, his squire (Sancho), is there to say exactly what the reader is thinking. These are not giants, Dulcina is not beautiful, sheep are not attacking armies, and that none of this is real. Yet despite all of the support in truth and attempts to prove him wrong, he continued to believe that he was right.(Don Quixote Review by John Thorton http://classiclit.about.com/od/donquixotecervantes/fr/aa_donquixote.htm&gt;). So we explore page after page, waiting to see how much more this “knight” is able to take before he gives in…if he gives in at all. Which goes to show that no matter how good of a friend a man has by his side, it will always be about completing the task at hand.

In the play “The Knight of the Burning Pestle”, written by Francis Beaumont, we learn that our beloved Don Quixote was not alone in his chivalric behavior. The play is a comedy that allows spectators to have sympathy for both sides of the story much like the readers of Don Quixote. There were disruptions with the Grocer and his wife’s interference of the smooth flow of the play, much like the way Cervantes cunningly brings himself in and out as one of his own characters. If there are any life lessons to be learned from these works of art, it is recognizing that we all have faults and different ways of perceiving things that are sometimes not as important as we believe them to be. In other words, we should never take ourselves too serious.

The amazing and inspiring story of Don Quixote is necessary for future generations to read and learn for themselves the importance of staying healthy and making sane decisions, even if they decide to drop everything in pursuit of their dreams or goals. It is very easy for someone to have a one-track mind about something, especially at a certain age. It is also convenient to block out all advice and suggestions from ones who care deeply about you like your family, friends, or colleagues. If I were about to board a spaceship and transport to the future, I would need this important piece of literature to share with everyone I build relationships with. Generations should study this piece and really learn the life lessons that it has to offer. It also does not hurt that it provides a bit of comic relief.
<p align="center"> Works Cited List</p>
(<em>Cervantes, </em>chapter 7: Cervantes Masterpiece: Don Quixote, Manuel Duran)

(Don Quixote Review by John Thorton http://classiclit.about.com/od/donquixotecervantes/fr/aa_donquixote.htm&gt;)

(Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes 1605)
<p align="center"><span style="font-size: large">Cervantes, Manuel Duran. <em>Twayne’s World Authors Series 329, </em>New York: Twayne Publishers, 1974. From <em>Literature Resource Center.)</em></span><em></em></p>
( <em>Fighting Windmills. </em>Encounters with Don Quixote, Manuel Duran, Fay R. Rogg. 1925)

( Who is Don Quixote by June Reynolds <a href="http://www.quixote-quest.org/"><span style="text-decoration: underline"><span style="text-decoration: underline"><span style="color: #0000ff">www.quixote-quest.org</span></span></span></a>)