Europe: Miguel de cervantes and Don Quixote - Essay Example

Analyzing Contrast Inherent to Don Quixote: Encounter Between Reason and Imagination Through the story of Don Quixote de La Mancha, author Miguel de Cervantes exhibits more than the biting consequences of truth brought by the part of history where men placed higher worth upon ideals as perceived in the beauty of the code of conduct rather than in the essence of combat in a real militaristic situation. In the narrative, Cervantes conveys how a man in the attempt to gain further wisdom of the chivalry could be severely torn between reason and imagination as such man becomes overwhelmed by the attractive externals of chivalric principles.

On expressing “Finally, from so little sleeping and so much reading, his brain dried up and he went completely out of his mind”, Cervantes illustrates Don Quixote’s depth of involvement in acquiring knowledge which eventually threatens his rational capacity to keep a sane disposition over matters of illusion. While the author was born during late Middle Ages to early Renaissance period, his principal character in the man of La Mancha prefers to dwell in recollection of the medieval times when men in pursuit of gallantry and knighthood in shining armour prevailed.

A look into the life of a knight back in the era of chivalry may prove reasonable for at the time, there emerged a system of ethics by virtue of honour, nobility, respectable courtship, and courage to defend the helpless. Don Quixote, nevertheless, lives at a point when chivalric deeds no longer apply and certain changes in the socio-political setting of central Spain have taken place to the extent that harsh realities of living long banished people’s belief of knighthood yet Don Quixote occurs to have developed his own philosophy out of a wild imagination which gradually detaches his sanity from the light of truth and timely use of appropriate reason.

Hence, the line “Too much sanity may be madness – And maddest of all, to see life as it is and not as it should be” makes reference to Don Quixote’s state of mind marked by attempts to justify the present by means of an inappropriate past. Don Quixote sets out in chivalric adventures on horseback with Sancho Panza to accompany him on a donkey, imagining the windmill to be a huge giant so that he draws out a sword to fight the structure just as he supposes it is based on the readings, ignorant of the illusory object his imagination has created.

Thinking of a conflict at the moment and playing heroic to bring it to resolution must be reasonable in thought but such thought is subject to justification of behaviour that should coincide with the concerns of the period in progress. To Don Quixote, chivalry is religion and though Sancho responds in opposition stating “I’ve heard that there are more friars in heaven than knights errant”, he takes pride in replying that there are but “few who deserve to be called knights.” Apparently, Don Quixote employs a valid reasoning yet that which is irrelevant and absurd with respect to the society of his time.

At this stage, a critical reader is led to a realization that passion for knowledge indeed can be sharply inspiring, however, one ought to be careful in guiding the process to the proper limits where deep regard for ideals must cause no distortion of sound reason by imagination. Thus, Cervantes proceeds with “To think that the affairs of this life always remain in the same state is a vain presumption … the life of man is ever racing to its end.”