The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, Part 20

In this late chapter of Cervantes's sprawling masterpiece, Don Quixote announces his intention to ride out once more, and the women who love him refuse to let him go. His niece and housekeeper beg him to abandon his fantasy of knight-errantry, laying out every rational argument against his madness. But Quixote sees their warnings not as obstacles but as trials to be overcome, the very kind of noble sacrifice that defines true chivalry. Sancho Panza, that perfect counterweight to his master's folly, wavers as well before ultimately agreeing to ride out again, because some bonds transcend reason. The bachelor Samson Carrasco appears as another voice of worldly wisdom, another attempt to anchor the knight to common sense. What follows is one of Cervantes's most poignant meditations: the collision between those who see the world as it is and those who insist it could be otherwise. The chapter builds toward departure with bittersweet inevitability, capturing that moment when love and lunacy become indistinguishable.