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The following is an excerpt of Don Quixote by Miguel Cervantes, encompassing most of Chapters 1 through 8, including Don Quixote getting his start, acquiring his squire Sancho Panza, and going on the infamous adventure against the windmills. It is based on the 1880 translation by John Ormsby, has been updated and adapted for students today by Evan Mantyk, and features splendid illustrations by Gustave Dore.
Note that there is a brief biography of Miguel Cervantes at the end of the PDF below.
The entire PDF of the below can be downloaded here.
The Ormsby translation of the entire two volumes of Don Quixote unadapted can be found here.
If you find this resource useful for your classroom or homeschool, please consider making a donation to the Society of Classical Poets here.
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A Brief Introduction
To be frank, my first impulsive reaction to Don Quixote is one of mild disgust. The traditional morality, or chivalry, that Cervantes parodies is what is precisely missing from our youth and unfortunately many adults today. Cervantes’ sarcasm and cynicism are instead found in over-abundance to the detriment of many. Therefore, I believe it is incumbent upon educators and homeschoolers to provide a clear understanding of the great inherent value of chivalry before exposing their students to a parody of chivalry in Don Quixote.
“How do you instill an appreciation of chivalry?” “What the heck is chivalry anyway?” are perhaps some questions people have. I suggest a two-fold solution. First, have students read the 14th century classic Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. A complete adapted version for students is available here. Sir Gawain clearly defines and illuminates through actions the components of chivalry, particularly the five virtues that correlate to the five points of Sir Gawain’s pentangle symbol: generosity, fellowship, courtesy, chastity, and piety. To further enrich this understanding, have students also read an excerpt of the 14th century Chinese classic, Romance of the Three Kingdoms, which is about ancient warriors who demonstrate the five Confucian virtues—kindness, righteousness, courtesy, wisdom, and faith. These virtues and their expression are very similar to the five virtues found in Sir Gawain. A specially selected excerpt from Romance of the Three Kingdoms for just such a comparison can be found here.
Second, go to the bottom of the below excerpt and first read the biography of Miguel Cervantes, which shows how he was in fact a true gentleman of chivalry in his life. Once the proper context is given (implying that chivalry is essentially awesome, but of course you can’t take anything to an extreme either) then I believe that a “Let the hilarity begin!” is in order and Don Quixote can properly ride forth on a path of ridiculous madcap adventures. Enjoy!
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Thank you for the thoughtful consideration of pupils and teachers.
I read the book when I was in high school, and I loved it. But it’s terrible how the British mangle foreign words. Here, we would end up with something like “quick oats.”
1) “Don Quixote by Miguel Cervantes,” you still write, but don’t you know that
“The original “Don Quixote” is an English book. The Spanish translations appeared in 1605 and 1615, much earlier than the original English publications in 1612 and 1620. Between these two periods, in 1614, a “false” Don Quixote was published under the name Avellaneda. The original English text was never released.
Francis Bacon was the brain behind the three books of Don Quixote; he wrote the part of the hero.
Ben Jonson took on the role of Sancho Panza, John Donne wrote the poems, “the two friends” Francis Beaumont and John Fletcher were assigned the task of writing loose stories. These authors made use of the library owned by Robert Cotton.
The printer, William Stansby, inserted concealed clues into the text, in order for the reader to be able to draw conclusions…
The Spanish translations were carried out by Thomas Shelton (DQI + DQII) and James Mabbe (the “bogus” DQ).
Miguel de Cervantes was just a poor Spanish writer who had sold his name to survive. He had told his life-story to the English, so that it could be processed into the DQ.
Ten people, sworn to secrecy about their collaboration in the writing of Don Quixote. Now in this book, after four hundred years, clarity is given as to the “who”, “what” and “why” of all this secrecy.”
This you can read at the back of my in 2022 translated book ( from 2015) “the deciphering of the Don Quixote & the unmasking of Avellaneda”
2) “It is based on the 1880 translation by John Ormsby,” you say.. but why read a translation of a translation?! English.. translated into Spanish.. and then made a translation from Spanish into English.. weird!
3) “Note that there is a brief biography of Miguel Cervantes at the end of the PDF below.” I can join this: where did Cervantes stay between 1600 and May 1604? Answer : Het was in the Netherlands where Thomas Shelton dictated him the translation of ” The history of the valorous and wittie Knight-Errant Don-Quixote of the Mancha.”.. Rodrigo de Cervantes, his brother had died in The Battle of Nieuwpoort, 2 July 1600. That’s why he was asked to come to Brussels to take care of his brother’s affairs.