Don Quixote, Part 2, Chapter 33 summary

What happens

1. Sancho visits the duchess after eating and admits that he deceives Don Quixote because he considers his master mad.
2. When the duchess questions his fitness to govern, Sancho defends his loyalty and says he can accept life without an island.
3. The duchess confirms the duke’s promise, and Sancho describes himself as charitable toward good people and watchful against wrongdoing.
4. The duchess claims that enchanters cause Dulcinea’s transformation, persuading Sancho to question his own account of the trick.
5. Sancho defends his reputation, discusses drinking, and asks the duchess to ensure that his donkey receives proper care.
6. After dismissing Sancho, the duchess reports their conversation to the duke, and they devise a chivalric prank against Don Quixote.

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What to notice

Sancho turns his service into a claim to political competence. The assertion answers the duchess’s earlier suggestion that following a mad master makes him unfit to rule.

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