The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, Part 27

In Short

This installment of Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra’s masterpiece follows the noble, self-deluded knight Don Quixote and his weary squire, Sancho Panza, as they travel toward Saragossa. Along the way, their romantic ideals crash repeatedly into mundane reality. Quixote lays waste to a puppet show to rescue a wooden dame, attempts to lecture an armed militia gathered to avenge an insult over braying, and ends up fleeing while Sancho takes a beating. Driven by foolish valor, financial squabbles, and unexpected remorse, it remains an enduring classic for its hilarious, deeply human portrait of companionship, delusion, and forgiveness.

The Story

The narrative opens at an inn, where a crowd gathers to watch a puppet show presented by Master Pedro. As the young narrator explains the storyline—a tale of chivalry wherein the knight Don Gaiferos rescues his wife Melisendra from Moorish captivity—Don Quixote watches with intense concentration. The performance progresses until the puppet Moors raise an alarm with ringing bells. Don Quixote interrupts to criticize the historical inaccuracy of bells in Moorish mosques, though Master Pedro urges him not to fret over dramatic license.

When the puppet Moors ride out in pursuit of the fleeing lovers, Don Quixote's noble madness takes over. Believing the figures are real and that his duty demands intervention, he leaps forward with drawn sword. He slashes, decapitates, and shatters the entire wooden cast, nearly taking off Master Pedro's head in the process. Once the destruction is complete, Quixote celebrates the utility of knights-errant, while Master Pedro mourns the total ruin of his livelihood. Sancho Panza appeals to his master's Christian conscience, prompting Quixote to blame persecuting enchanters for altering his perception. Generous in his error, Quixote reimburses the puppet-master for every broken figure before continuing his journey. Unknown to Quixote, Master Pedro is actually Gines de Pasamonte, a rogue galley slave freed by Quixote in their past adventures.

Three days later, Quixote and Sancho encounter an armed force of over two hundred men bearing a banner with an image of a braying donkey. The troops hail from a town seeking vengeance against a neighboring village that mocked their officials' braying abilities. Quixote addresses the assembly, delivering a long, learned sermon on the five just causes for war, arguing that a collective insult over a minor mockery does not justify bloodshed. Sancho attempts to support his master by demonstrating his own natural braying talent, but a townsman takes it as a insult and knocks him senseless with a staff. Facing a barrage of stones and firearms, Quixote flees on Rocinante, leaving his squire behind.

Sancho eventually catches up, battered and bitter. He complains of severe back pain and accuses Quixote of cowardice and broken promises, demanding back pay and calculating twenty years of owed wages for the promised island. Furious, Quixote berates Sancho for his greed and ignorance of chivalric traditions, telling him to return home. Moved to tears by remorse, Sancho apologizes, offering to serve as an ass if needed. Quixote forgives him, and the pair reconcile under the trees as they ride toward the banks of the Ebro.

How It Unfolds

The show begins At a local inn, Master Pedro puts on a puppet show depicting the chivalric rescue of Melisendra by Don Gaiferos. Don Quixote interjects to correct historical details regarding Moorish customs, but the performance continues until the villains give chase to the heroes.

The puppets are destroyed Convinced that the puppet lovers are in genuine danger, Don Quixote draws his sword and attacks the stage. He demolishes the figures and sets, celebrating the triumph of knight-errantry while the puppet-master laments his financial ruin.

The damages are settled Realizing his mistake, Don Quixote blames enchanters for altering his vision and agrees to compensate Master Pedro for the broken puppets. After paying the claims and sharing a peaceful meal, Quixote and Sancho depart the inn.

The rogue is revealed The narrator reveals that Master Pedro is actually Gines de Pasamonte, an escaped convict who previously stole Sancho’s donkey. Using a trained ape and local gossip, Gines has been running a profitable fortune-telling scam across the region.

The braying army appears On the road, Quixote and Sancho encounter an armed militia carrying a flag with a braying ass. The townspeople have taken up arms to fight a rival village that mocked their leaders' braying habits.

The sermon and the beating Don Quixote delivers an elaborate speech on the proper justification for war, urging the army to keep the peace. Sancho tries to prove how harmless braying is by demonstrating his own braying, prompting an angry villager to beat him unconscious with a pole.

The flight and retreat Attacked by stones and firearms, Don Quixote retreats on Rocinante to save his own life, leaving the unconscious Sancho behind. The militia satisfies itself with the victory, and Sancho's donkey carries him after his master.

The argument over wages Safely away, Sancho groans in pain and berates Quixote for fleeing and breaking his promises. When Sancho calculates twenty years of back pay for his squire duties, Quixote flies into a rage and orders him to leave.

The reconciliation under the trees Overcome with regret, Sancho tearfully apologizes and promises to remain loyal without demanding terms. Quixote forgives his squire, and they head into a nearby grove to rest before continuing their journey.

The People

• Don Quixote wants to live out the ideals of knight-errantry, righting wrongs and protecting the innocent wherever he travels. His tragicomic flaw is his total detachment from reality, which turns harmless theatrical plays into life-or-death battles and peaceful speeches into violent retreats. Despite his fits of rage and delusion, he retains a generous spirit, a strict moral code, and a deep, albeit complicated, affection for his companion.
• Sancho Panza wants simple comforts, fair compensation, and the island governance promised to him by his master. His earthy practical sense and endless supply of folk proverbs contrast sharply with Quixote's noble rhetoric. Though his greed and outspokenness frequently anger the knight, his fundamental loyalty and devotion keep him tied to Quixote's impossible quest.
• Master Pedro (Gines de Pasamonte) wants to evade the law while extracting money from gullible villagers. A former galley slave released by Quixote, he operates under a false identity as a puppet-showman with a fortune-telling ape, using deceit and local gossip to line his pockets.

In Its Own Voice

"Do you not see that Moor, who silently and stealthily, with his finger on his lip, approaches Melisendra from behind?"

The puppet narrator sets the dramatic stage, inviting the audience into a stylized world of romantic legend that Don Quixote takes far too literally.

"I, sirs, am a knight-errant whose calling is that of arms, and whose profession is to protect those who require protection, and give help to such as stand in need of it."

Don Quixote addresses the armed militia with solemn gravity, asserting his heroic duty even when his audience is an angry mob bent on absurd vengeance.

"Ass thou art, ass thou wilt be, and ass thou wilt end when the course of thy life is run; for I know it will come to its close before thou dost perceive or discern that thou art a beast."

Enraged by Sancho's demand for twenty years of back wages, Quixote unloads a scathing lecture on his squire's stubborn, earthbound nature.

What It's Really About

At its core, the text examines the fragile boundary between idealism and madness, and the human cost of living by absolute fictions. Don Quixote’s violent attack on pasteboard puppets shows how easily pure intentions can cause real-world harm when disconnected from reality.

The narrative also explores the mechanics of deception: Gines de Pasamonte profits by feeding people the tricks they want to believe, contrasting with Quixote’s sincere self-deception.

Finally, the dynamic between Quixote and Sancho highlights the tension between economic necessity and human devotion. Sancho’s foolish braying earns him a beating, and his request for wages earns him a tongue-lashing, yet the deep bond of mutual forgiveness ultimately holds the two mismatched men together.

Why Read It Today

Readers who appreciate sharp satire, character-driven comedy, and brilliant dialogue will find this text deeply rewarding. Cervantes writes with an extraordinarily modern sense of irony, meta-literary playfulness—such as correcting previous printing errors within the story—and profound empathy for human weakness.

The prose flows with dynamic energy, moving effortlessly from high-flown rhetorical speeches on chivalry and warfare to sharp, earthy banter between master and servant. While contemporary readers must navigate 16th-century chivalric references, classic balladic allusions, and long-winded speeches, the underlying humor remains entirely accessible. The absurdity of an entire region going to war over an ass's bray, or a knight laying waste to cardboard figures with a broadsword, requires no historical translation.

What remains with you after reading is the rich, warm dynamic between Don Quixote and Sancho Panza. Their arguments over money, bruised backs, and heroic honor feel completely genuine, offering an enduring portrait of friendship that survives delusion, violence, and utter foolishness.