Rebirth of Chivalry in "Don Quixote"

Don Quixote was actually a gentleman named Alonso Quixano, who lived in a village in La Mancha. He spent his time hunting and tending to his estate. But, he becomes so obsessed with stories of knighthood and books about chivalry, that he becomes "mad" (or, does he?) and decides to abandon his former life, and wander the land as an errant knight, now calling himself Don Quixote. He was accompanied by Sancho Panza, a peasant in Quixano's village, who is convinced to come along as Don Quixote's squire. Why would a simple peasant up and leave? Because the "knight" promised him the governorship of any island he conquered. What is somewhat strange is that, throughout the novel, Sancho plays tricks on his "master" but, often ignores his common sense to be Quixote's faithful follower.

Don Quixote is a novel about the rupture between words and meaning, between names and identity. Reality depends on the ability to name, to identify, and to tell a story faithfully. The rupture evident in the novel suggests that there may be more than one reality. But, reality