The Unlikely Villain
The most terrifying villain of all is one who believes himself to be the hero, and Don Quixote is such villain. In the book “Don Quixote”, the main hero Don Quixote embarks upon various quests in the hopes of becoming a knight, all the while unintentionally committing acts of villainy. Most of Don Quixote’s actions are dismissed as simple-minded buffoonery, but some of his actions would label him as a villain if he were in any other story. Blinded by his ego and sense of self-righteousness, he is unaware of how his actions cause more harm than good, making him more villain than hero. Traditionally a knight’s role is to not only protect the innocent’s lives, but also their property yet through Don Quixote’s delusions he nearly manages to destroy both. In one of the most iconic scenes in the book, Don Quixote fights windmills that he believes are giants, and if he had succeeded, he would have committed a pure villainous act. While the book does not cover what the exact purpose of the windmills were, several inferences can be made based on the time period the story is set in. Historically, in the 1600s windmills provided a way to gather …show more content…
Even when the townsfolk ridicule him as a madman, and warn him of the effects of his actions, Don turns a blind eye. Attempting to destroy public property and aiding in the escape of criminals are all acts that would deem Don Quixote a villain in any other story. He refuses to acknowledge the possibility that he may be committing villainous acts and instead lives in the illusion that he is a gallant knight. Had Don Quixote taken the time to listen to what people were telling him and took further steps into reality rather than his fantasy world, he would have not been the type of villain he desperately wants to
The most terrifying villain of all is one who believes himself to be the hero, and Don Quixote is such villain. In the book “Don Quixote”, the main hero Don Quixote embarks upon various quests in the hopes of becoming a knight, all the while unintentionally committing acts of villainy. Most of Don Quixote’s actions are dismissed as simple-minded buffoonery, but some of his actions would label him as a villain if he were in any other story. Blinded by his ego and sense of self-righteousness, he is unaware of how his actions cause more harm than good, making him more villain than hero. Traditionally a knight’s role is to not only protect the innocent’s lives, but also their property yet through Don Quixote’s delusions he nearly manages to destroy both. In one of the most iconic scenes in the book, Don Quixote fights windmills that he believes are giants, and if he had succeeded, he would have committed a pure villainous act. While the book does not cover what the exact purpose of the windmills were, several inferences can be made based on the time period the story is set in. Historically, in the 1600s windmills provided a way to gather …show more content…
Even when the townsfolk ridicule him as a madman, and warn him of the effects of his actions, Don turns a blind eye. Attempting to destroy public property and aiding in the escape of criminals are all acts that would deem Don Quixote a villain in any other story. He refuses to acknowledge the possibility that he may be committing villainous acts and instead lives in the illusion that he is a gallant knight. Had Don Quixote taken the time to listen to what people were telling him and took further steps into reality rather than his fantasy world, he would have not been the type of villain he desperately wants to