Don Quixote Book Notes Summary

Sidi Hamid explains that the Duke and Duchess were able to pull off their last prank because they had asked Samson Carrasco (who had stopped at their castle looking for Don Quijote and Sancho) to stop by on his way back and let them know if he was successful. Sidi Hamid admits that he is hard pressed to decide who is nuttier -- this prank-addicted duo or Don Quijote?

Don Quijote and Sancho are ensconced in their old room in the castle when Altisidora comes to call. Don Quijote hides under his covers from this very real, very angry woman. She harangues him again about her suffering and his hard-heartedness.

Topic Tracking: Idealized Women 32

Sancho asks her to tell them what hell was like. She says she must not have been fully dead because she was not fully in hell but at a gate to hell. She saw a dozen devils hitting books blown up with hot air and garbage (making them sort of ball shaped) around with rackets of fire. After the book was hit, it disappeared. They hit a shiny, new one and instead of disappearing the pages got knocked out of the binding onto the floor. It was the ersatz second volume to Don Quijote! One of the devil's recognized it and said it was so bloody awful he couldn't write a worse book if he tried! He told the another devil to throw it down into the deepest part of Hell so he wouldn't have to see it again.

Topic Tracking: Metafiction 18

Altisidora begins to complain again about Don Quijote, but he interrupts her and tells her he is grateful for her regard but he cannot possibly return it since his heart belongs to Dulcinea. He advises her to behave more modestly in light of this information. She becomes well and truly angry and calls him a "dried-up old fish" (pg. 728) and that everything last night was a fake -- she would never die over the likes of him! Sancho says now this is believable. The singer, the Duke and Duchess join them in the room. Don Quijote advises them to keep this young lady busy making lace in order to keep her out of trouble and from:

"...conjuring up images of anyone she thinks she loves." Volume 2, Chapter 70, pg. 729

Topic Tracking: Idealized Women 33

Altisidora says that won't be necessary since his cruelty will drive him out of her heart. She asks to leave the room so she doesn't have to see his ugly mug and feigns drying tears with a handkerchief. Don Quijote and Sancho leave the castle that afternoon.