What is the first line of Don Quixote?

Its famous opening sentence informs us that “somewhere in La Mancha, in a place whose name I do not care to remember, a gentleman lived not long ago, one of those who has a lance and an ancient shield on a shelf and keeps a skinny nag and a greyhound for racing”—clearly, we are very far from Ithaca or Bethlehem.

What is the lesson of Don Quixote?

Don Quixote teaches us that life is to be challenged. That passion and discipline of a determined soul are a foundational element of being a leader. Quixote does not accept current reality. He forces his creative imagery, his commitment, and his happiness on it.

What are the four themes of Don Quixote?

Don Quixote Themes

• Truth and Lies. At the heart of Quixote’s disagreement with the world around him is the question of truth in chivalry books.
• Literature, Realism, and Idealism.
• Madness and Sanity.
• Intention and Consequence.
• Self-Invention, Class Identity, and Social Change.

Is Don Quixote a comedy or tragedy?

Peter Russell has shown that Cervantes’s contemporaries considered Don Quixote a funny book, while many readers now consider it a serious and even tragic work. Three modern theorists of comedy — Northrop Frye, Henri Bergson, and Elder Olson — describe qualities most readers expect to find in a comic work.

Why did Don Quixote lose his mind?

What causes Don Quixote to lose his mind? Reading too many books of chivalry. How does Don Quixote convince Sancho Panza to become his squire? He promises him an island and he will be its governor.

What is the main conflict in Don Quixote?

The two major conflicts in Don Quixote are person vs. self and person vs. society. This story is person versus self because Don Quixote has trapped himself in his own world.

At what age should I read Don Quixote?

Don Quixote (Ages 4-12)