The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, Part 32
1605
The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, Part 32
1605
Translated by John Ormsby
Part 32 of Volume 2 finds Don Quixote in the duke and duchess's castle, where his hosts orchestrate a cruel jest. They arrange for a nighttime assault of cats and bells to descend upon his chambers, and the deluded knight fights what he perceives as enchanted demons, emerging battered and convinced he has faced genuine evil enchantments. Meanwhile, Sancho Panza continues his farcical governance of the imaginary island the duke has granted him, stumbling through absurd judicial matters, including a farmer's request for help with his son's marriage prospects. Cervantes at his finest transforms comedy into philosophy: the cat attack is both hilarious and tragic, revealing how Don Quixate's fantasies warp reality into something monstrous, while Sancho's earnest attempts at administration expose the absurdity of authority itself. This episode crackles with the energy of a master novelist who understands that laughter and madness are never far apart. It endures because it captures something universal about how we all, sometimes, mistake ordinary life for epic battle.
