Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Don Quixote day 5

On page 324 in chapter 36, as all of the stories and people involved converge at the inn, Dorotea finds herself face to face with Don Fernando, who she gave herself to as a "wife" and who she says she is now in love with. She implores him to do the right thing, because he seduced her, and she is beneath him in status, she makes her case for why he should take her back as his wife.

I think that the following quote is her best arguement.

"What's more, true nobility consists in virtue, and if you forfeit that by denying me my just rights, I shall be left with better claims to nobility than you."

This quote is another example of the theme of chivalry and honesty, but also shows how Cervantes was a revolutionary thinker for his time by including the ideas of justice and rights for all people, including women.

On page 351, more travellers arrive at the inn. A man arrives with an exotic woman who he identifies as Moorish. She calls herself Maria and her companion claims she wants to convert to Christianity.

While Spain during the mid to late Middle Ages was known to be a crossroads for Islam, Judaism and Christianity, I believe that the character of Maria / Lela Zoraida highlights the prejudice against Islam and Judaism at the time.

On page 352, in reference to Maria, Dorotea asks:

"Tell me, is this lady Christian or Moorish? Because her clothes and her silence are making me think that she's not what we'd prefer her to be."

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