Don Quixote: A Comparative Analysis of Novel and Musical - Essay Example

This novel was written by a Spaniard named Miguel Cervantes, and it was published in two parts; the first part was published in 1605 and the second part was published in 1615. Despite its age, this piece of literature remains a seminal piece of writing; indeed, the Norwegian Nobel Institute declared it the greatest piece of fiction in the Western world. It has also served as the inspiration for a staggeringly wide variety of artists. This novel is the subject of continuing scholarly discourse and debate; it inspires the production of new films, operas, and plays; and, its characters and themes are familiar in modern literature, films, and plays.

In many ways, this piece of literature is the standard against which modern artistic endeavors are judged. How, therefore, does one compare Don Quixote against Don Quixote This is the purpose of this essay. The Man of La Mancha was a popular 1965 Broadway musical, written by Dale Wasserman and Joe Darion, which functioned as an adaptation of Cervantes' novel. Although the characters were familiar, such as Don Quixote and Sancho Panza, the presentation of the musical altered the original work in profound and fundamental ways.

These changes, however, did not result in audience disappointment. Quite the contrary, the musical remained in original production from 1965 until 1971 and ran for more than two thousand performances. Like the novel on which it was based, the musical experienced critical acclaim and commercial success. This is odd in some ways given the substantive alterations of the main characters. This essay will argue that the original novel remains a superior work when compared to the musical adaptation.

This superiority rests upon three main arguments. First, the novel's characterization is more developed and truer to the motivations of each character. Second, the original presents the story without overemphasizing Don Quixote's moral idealism or preaching a particular point of view. Finally, the novel's conclusion generates much more power in a subtle manner than the musical delivers with too much drama and fickleness. In short, The Man of Law Mancha, while entertaining and uplifting, is an imposter.

Characterization: Don Quixote's Relationships with Sancho, Aldonsa, and Samson As an initial matter, there is a purity of character in the novel which is absent in the musical. The characters in the novel are more consistent, they hold their form, and they are not trivialized or compromised as they are in the musical. In effect, the musical seems to idealize or romanticize Cervantes' characters. In the process, they become less owner Page 1 persuasive; more importantly, at times, these characters also become much less influential and powerful than they are in the novel.

This essay will examine how the musical has denigrated, in particular, the characters of Sancho, Aldonsa, and Samson Carrasco. The first character which is trivialized in the musical is the famous sidekick, Sancho Panza. In the novel, Sancho is a mere peasant. He is a simple man and he joins Don Quixote because he is promised the governorship of an island. His motivation is to be the possessor of his own domain, to escape his peasant origins, and to therefore rise above his social status. The