Don Quixote, Chapter 48 summary
Chapter 48 of 129 · Part 1 · 12 min to read the chapter
In Chapter 48, the canon and the priest argue that well-ordered stories and plays can both teach and entertain, and the priest proposes official review of new works. As the party stops to rest, Sancho challenges Don Quixote’s supposed enchantment by asking about bodily needs, which his master admits feeling.
What happens
- The canon explains why he abandons a chivalric romance despite favorable responses to more than a hundred pages.
- He argues that carefully constructed plays can please ordinary and discerning audiences alike.
- The priest attacks dramatic absurdities and proposes court approval for plays and new chivalric romances.
- The barber finds a resting place, and the canon joins the party and arranges provisions.
- Sancho identifies the disguised priest and barber, but Don Quixote insists that enchanters merely resemble them.
- Sancho asks whether his master needs to relieve himself, and Don Quixote admits an urgent need.
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In this chapter
What to notice
Don Quixote’s admission supplies the bodily evidence Sancho seeks against enchantment. The conversation shifts from elaborate supernatural explanations to an immediate physical need.
Quick check
How does Don Quixote explain the apparent presence of the village priest and barber?
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