Don Quixote, Part 2, Chapter 20 summary

What happens

1. At dawn, Don Quixote wakes Sancho, who argues that Camacho’s money makes him a better match for Quiteria than Basilio.
2. They enter the wedding arbor, where enormous quantities of meat, wine, bread, cheese, and pastries impress Sancho.
3. A cook gives Sancho a cauldron containing three hens and two geese, while Don Quixote watches riders and dancers.
4. A speaking dance pits Love against Interest, whose apparent money breaks a wooden castle and wins its sheltered woman.
5. Don Quixote connects the dance to the rival suitors, and Sancho declares his support for Camacho because of the food.
6. Their dispute shifts to speech, death, and religion before Sancho resumes eating and awakens Don Quixote’s appetite.

In this chapter

What to notice

Sancho makes possessions the measure of a person. His judgment connects his preference for Camacho with the dance’s display of money overcoming love.

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