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Don Quixote, Chapter 4 summary

Chapter 4 of 129 · Part 1 · 11 min to read the chapter

In Chapter 4, Don Quixote heads home for supplies, intervenes in a servant's beating, and leaves believing he secures justice, but the master beats the boy again. He then challenges merchants to affirm Dulcinea's beauty without seeing her, falls when Rocinante stumbles, and suffers a beating that leaves him unable to rise.

What happens

  1. Don Quixote leaves the inn at dawn and decides to return home for supplies and a squire.
  2. He interrupts Juan Haldudo the Rich as he beats Andrés, demands payment of wages, and accepts the master's promise.
  3. After Don Quixote leaves, Juan Haldudo ties Andrés up again and beats him severely before letting him go.
  4. Pleased with his supposed success, Don Quixote lets Rocinante choose the road and encounters merchants traveling to Murcia.
  5. He demands recognition of Dulcinea's unmatched beauty, then charges when a merchant mocks his demand.
  6. Rocinante falls, a muleteer beats Don Quixote with his broken lance, and the knight remains unable to rise.

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In this chapter

Don QuixoteDulcinea

What to notice

The narrator contrasts Don Quixote's claim to justice with Andrés's renewed suffering. The line exposes the gap between his confidence and the result of his actions.

Quick check

What happens to Andrés after Don Quixote leaves?

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