Sancho Panza in Don Quixote is the protagonist's squire. He is a simple peasant, a farmer who was attracted by Don Quixote's stories about knightly glory and booty. At the beginning of the work, Sancho Panza is the opposite of his master. Sancho Panza is interested in wealth and booty. He seeks to get easy money from a knightly campaign with Don Quixote and forever provide for his family - his wife and children. And most of all, Sancho loves to sleep and eat.
Sancho Panza, unlike Don Quixote, is not a dreamer at all. He is sober, reasonable, practical, even cunning. Profit interests Sancho Panza always and everywhere. “And we’d better go down to the ground and walk on it with our feet,” he says. As a man who stands firmly on the ground, Sancho Panza tries to dissuade his master from absurd deeds. But even the sensible Sancho succumbs to the dream of becoming a nobleman, count and governor. Don Quixote's illusions of chivalrous glory turn his head even to him.
The image of Sancho Panza is the embodiment of a man from the people, the bearer folk wisdom, but at the same time a simple, naive person.
Over time, Sancho changes under the influence of the disinterested Don Quixote. He already serves Don Quixote not for money that he is not able to pay him. Sancho pities his master and deeply respects him. The squire reveals traits that they have in common with Don Quixote - kindness, responsiveness, humanity, purity of heart. When Sancho Panza has the opportunity to be the governor of the island for some time, he shows himself to be a merciful ruler, wants to take care of the farmers and raise agriculture.
- Sancho Panza, a peasant accompanying Don Quixote as a "squire".
It's alive and vivid image a man of the people, depicted by Cervantes realistically and with warmth. The soul of a man-owner lives in Sancho, he constantly dreams of sudden enrichment. His sober assessments, taking into account primarily material interests in everything, constantly oppose the idealistic dreams of Don Quixote. For example, when Don Quixote fantasizes about the “golden helmet” he has obtained, Sancho remarks: “By God, a good basin: this should cost at least eight reais.” And his whole dense figure riding a donkey contrasts sharply with the appearance of a tall and skinny knight.
Don Quixote. Feature Film, 1957
The human type resembling Sancho has precedents in medieval literature. In the French heroic epic, there is a comic type of a merry squire, chatterer and glutton, subsequently parodied by Pulci in the form of Margutte. But Cervantes turned this insignificant grotesque figure into a complex, deeply realistic image, very important for general design novel. At first glance, Sancho is the complete opposite of his master: while Don Quixote, exhausting himself physically, longs to work selflessly for the benefit of mankind, Panso first of all tries to please his flesh and serve himself.
He loves to sleep and eat most of all (his very name is expressive: panza in Spanish means “belly”), he wants to become a count and governor, he wants his wife Teresa Panza to ride in a gilded carriage. Dreaming about how he will become a ruler, Sancho Panza asks if he can sell all his subjects into slavery and put the money in his pocket. He is all in practice, in the present, while Don Quixote is all in a dream about the past, which he wants to revive.
But at the same time, there is a deep inner similarity between them. Each feature in the character or actions of one corresponds to the opposite, but at the same time related feature of the other. Both of them - although each in his own way - are distinguished by great kindness, responsiveness, humanity, carelessness in life, purity of heart, energy. Both are complements to each other. Both, carried away by their fantasies, break away from family and peace. healthy life to travel the world in search of good fortune, and both are eventually healed of their delusions, convinced that they were at the mercy of the mirages.
Wisdom and humanity are vividly embodied in Sancho common people. No wonder his speech is sprinkled with proverbs - an expression of folk wisdom. Hopes for wealth are gradually replaced by his disinterested attachment to Don Quixote.
For the sake of Duke Sancho's amusement, he is promoted to "governor of the island" and is subjected to all sorts of comic tests: for example, at dinner, at the sign of the "doctor", all dishes are taken away from him one by one as "harmful". However, as a ruler and judge, Sancho discovers genuine folk wisdom, which is quite consistent with the humane instructions of Don Quixote. He does not allow himself to be called the “don” of Sancho Panza (“don” is a particle denoting the nobility) and promises to “bring out” “all these dons and rasprodonov”. As governor, Sancho is disinterested.
The natural abilities of Sancho Panza were most clearly manifested in his famous "courts", as well as in his entire "rule of the island", during which he showed much more intelligence and justice than all the courtiers around him. A true moral triumph are his last words when he left the post of governor: “Give way, my lords! Let me return to my former freedom, let me return to my former life, so that I can rise from my current coffin ... Stay with God, your graces, and tell the lord duke that I was born naked, I managed to live naked all my life : I want to say that I entered the post of governor without a penny in my pocket and I am leaving it without a penny - in contrast to how governors usually leave the islands ... Let here, in the stable, remain those very ant wings that are in trouble they lifted me up so that swifts and other birds would peck me, and we would rather go down to the ground and walk on it simply - with our feet.
In general, both for Don Quixote, chivalric undertakings, and for Sancho Panza, his dreams of enrichment are only a temporary borrowed shell, deeply alien to their nature. Both of them are the noblest representatives of the Spanish people. If the madcap Don Quixote is the bearer of the highest humane ideas, then the simple-hearted merry fellow Sancho Panza is the embodiment of folk wisdom and moral health.
But Sancho's innocence combined with practicality, sober look for life, and his peasant consciousness is incompatible with courtly ideals. Having fallen in love with a simple peasant girl Aldonsa Lorenzo, Don Quixote imagines her to be Dulcinea, and Sancho says of his wife: “If even Mr. Running from the sky royal crowns would shine with rain, then even then not a single one would probably fall on the head of Maria Gutierrez” . And when it seems to Don Quixote that he sees a giant, Sancho simply sees windmill, and a flock for him only a large number of sheep, and not the army of the powerful emperor Alifanfaron, ruler of the large island of Trapobani.
Therefore, the novel about Don Quixote is also a kind of reassessment of Renaissance values that have not stood the test of time. Noble dreamers failed to transform the world. The prose of life prevailed over beautiful ideals. In England, William Shakespeare showed it as a tragedy; in Spain, Cervantes portrayed it in the funny and sad at the same time novel Don Quixote. The author does not laugh at the enthusiasm of his hero and his desire to act, he only shows that isolation from life can not only nullify all the efforts of the “enthusiast”, but also harm those whom he is trying to help. It is no coincidence that for the perception of the thoughts and exploits of Don Quixote, first of all, the heart of Sancho Panse, a man of the people, is revealed.
Cervantes was a great humanist, he was close to the high ideals of the Renaissance, but he lived and created at a time when the illusions about the revival of the "golden age" were melting. In Spain, this process was perhaps more painful.
So, at first glance, it seems that Don Quixote and Sancho Panse are completely different from each other. The external dissimilarity of the characters was always emphasized by the illustrators of the novel: the thin and tall Don Quixote on an old, emaciated horse and the short, fat Sancho on a well-fed donkey - this is how they appear in the paintings of G. Dore, O. Dome, S. Next, S. Brodsky. But it is no coincidence that the barber, a friend of Don Quixote, makes the remark that "a page with his master is one field of berries." Sancho travels with Don Quixote as he hopes to change his life for the better. Under the influence of Sancho, Don Quixote begins to understand the world better. And when he gets the opportunity to be "governor", Sancho is worthy of his mentor. Cervantes describes these events already in the second volume of the novel: Don Quixote and Sancho were invited to their estates by the rich and dukini (they already allegedly knew about the knight from Lamancho and his faithful page from the first volume of the novel). For the entertainment of the rich, he appointed Sancho "governor of the island." In a letter to his wife, Sancho happily announces this event and promises her that now he "will not let his own in." But, having become governor, Sancho not only showed intelligence and ingenuity, but also honesty and a desire to establish justice at least on the island where he had power.
At the beginning of the novel, Sancho Panse seems to embody that "rough prose of life" against which Don Quixote rises. Sancho becomes a page for Don Quixote, because he wants to get rich and become a governor. His naive belief in such a possibility also has a historical background: Spain previous century- one of the strongest maritime states, it was on the ships of the Spanish fleet that Columbus made his glorious voyage and, looking for a way to India, discovered America. Sancho's expectation to become governor on the island is also a kind of echo of those famous years, and the manifestation of the people's eternal dream of justice.
Conclusion. Sancho Panse, a man of the people, changes under the influence of the courtly ideals of his companion, just as Don Quixote will be influenced by his squire - becomes less naive, more balanced, like a man of modern times. The desire of Sancho Panse comes true, which can be considered a kind of conclusion - a man of the people is more adapted to life than the dreamer-idealist Don Quixote.
Supporting concepts: quixoticism, courtly ideals, reality, comedy, reassessment of values.
Sancho Panza
SANCH PANSA (Spanish Sancho Pansa; "pansa" - belly, belly, stomach) - central character Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra's novel "The Cunning Hidalgo Don Quixote of La Mancha" (first volume - 1605; second - 1615). Seduced by the promise of Don Quixote to receive as a gift one of the conquered islands and become governor, the poor peasant S.P. leaves his wife and children and, as a squire, goes with Don Quixote in search of adventure. Together with his owner S.P. experiences many events and becomes a witness of his exploits. On the one hand, S.P. considers Don Quixote crazy, on the other hand, he reveres the knight as one of the most prudent and educated people, innocently believing his stories. The squire gets no less than his master: he is often beaten, he is robbed; those around him make fun of him, considering him the same eccentric as Don Quixote. Throughout the novel, the Knight of the Sorrowful Image and his squire remain inseparable, with the exception of the moment when the duke and his wife realize S.P.'s long-held dream. - become the governor of the island. Don Quixote and S.P. often contrasted with each other: portly and loving to eat S.P. not only outwardly the complete opposite of his lanky and thin master. In contrast to Don Quixote, he personifies common sense and life skills. However, the "sanity" of S.P. does not prevent him from being a companion, friend and main interlocutor of Don Quixote, an accomplice to many of his exploits. The image of S.P. genetically related to the folk culture of laughter (it is no coincidence that in one of the episodes of the novel, jokers throw S.P. on a blanket - like a stuffed animal or a dog during the celebration of the carnival in Spain) and forms the same typological series with such characters as Panurge and Falstaff. S.P. the lofty ideals of Don Quixote's chivalry are alien. He is guided rather by considerations of material gain. S.P. often deceives his master to avoid cuffs and trouble. In the scene with three peasant women whom S.P. passes off as Dulcinea and her retinue, the hero deliberately misleads Don Quixote, describing to the embarrassed owner the beauty and fine attire of noble ladies. When Don Quixote asks his squire to flagellate himself, S.P. strikes beech trees. In the course of the novel, S.P. appropriates many features of Don Quixote, sometimes begins to reason like his master. During his governorship on the fictional island of Barataria created by the duke, the uncouth and rustic S.P., remembering the instructions of Don Quixote, manifests himself as an honest and wise ruler and impresses everyone with his refined manner of expression. Considering that the position of the governor is not for him, that he will not be able to protect the island from the invasion of enemies, because the peasant's business is to plow the land, S.P. returns to the service of Don Quixote. According to him, he regains his former freedom, because. serving the master for him is not a compulsion, which turned out to be the governorship. In criticism, the image of S.P. most often considered in connection with the image of Don Quixote (an expressive example is the point of view on S.P. Turgenev and Dostoevsky). IN Spanish literature early XX "Sw. image of S.P. interpreted as the personification of the nation. Contact with the ideal (Don Quixote) elevates common man, and the future of Spain (Unamuno) depends on the "quixoticization" of the Sancho people.
All characteristics in alphabetical order:
Both Don Quixote and Sancho Panza are the author's understanding of the human essence - noble, beautiful, internally free, worthy of capture. Sancho Panza is a kind of addition to the image of Don Quixote. But Sancho Panza, on his journey with Don Quixote, does not forget about profit: he grabs some of the things funeral procession, takes the saddle from the barber's donkey. Yes, Sancho believes the priest's deceit that Dorothea is a princess and persuades Don Quixote to protect her from the giant.
Chief's squire actor is in a sense his counterpart, despite the obvious difference in characters. Despite the fact that he often questioned the words of his companion and even deceived him more than once, Sancho himself nevertheless easily admitted the possibility that one day he was destined to become a ruler. Most surprising of all, his wish really came true: once the duke actually appointed a squire as the head of the island. Panza borrowed a lot from Don Quixote and implemented these skills in his management.
Additional articles from the heading "Don Quixote"
Mine famous novel"Don Quixote" spanish writer Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra wrote when he was in prison. Cervantes shows us that Don Quixote combines fantasy and realism. They even look completely different: Don Quixote is tall and thin, and Sancho Panza is short and fat. Sancho Panza - devoted friend and assistant, it embodies all best qualities simple person.
Don Quixote and Sancho Panza are heroes that complement each other. The first is connected with the earthly and mortal in man, the second - with the virtues, with the divine and immortal. That is why Sancho and those like him distinguish only mills and walls where the knights of the spirit see the giants of pride. Don Quixote is a personification higher beginning in a man who clearly knows what he wants and what he must do.
However, Don Quixote, of course, cannot be approached only as a parody of chivalric romances. The Duke and Duchess mock Don Quixote and Sancho Panza, arrange various cruel jokes on them. Cervantes is critical of their ridicule and antics. Therefore, Cervantes embodied them in the form of Don Quixote, a man hostile to this society. The character of Sancho Panza is most fully revealed in the episode with his governorship. Sancho Panza and Don Quixote present old world, an old pre-bourgeois society, its two estates - a knight and a peasant. Don Quixote even raises a rebellion against this world. However, the novel ends with the reconciliation of the hero with society.
But where exactly, in what village is the birthplace of Don Quixote? In Spain, Cervantes' book on Don Quixote is called "our Bible". In one of the halls, more precisely in the basement of the mansion, there is an old printing house, similar to the one on which the first edition of Cervantes' book about Don Quixote was printed.
He had true friend Sancho Panza. Together they traveled around Spain, sharing the kicks and smiles of fortune among themselves. And this peaceful, even timid villager suddenly began to call on Don Quixote, who had just returned home from a campaign, again and without any delay to go in search of adventure. His cherished desire is to get rich, or at least somehow improve his money affairs. Cervantes does not hide the fact that Sancho is "greedy for money." Don Quixote gave him advice for a reason. Don Quixote takes part in the fate of the beautiful peasant woman Quiteria, who was not seduced by the wealth of Camacho and became the wife of the poor shepherd Basillo. The knight of La Mancha is ready to defend the cunning lovers who fooled Camacho the Rich. The sharpness of this novel is that the Spanish nobleman not only dared to fall in love with the Moorish woman, but also wished to share with her the bitterness of exile, to which the cruel decree of the king doomed the Spanish Moriscos.
