"Don Quixote", a seminal work by Miguel de Cervantes, is an intricate tale of chivalry and the perils of obsessive idealism. Below is a detailed breakdown of the key characters in the novel: 1. **Don Quixote** - The titular character, whose real name is Alonso Quixano, is a middle-aged gentleman from the region of La Mancha in central Spain. Obsessed with the chivalrous ideals touted in books he has read, he decides to take up his lance and sword to defend the helpless and destroy the wicked, creating his own reality out of a blend of fantasies and the world around him. Don Quixote is an embodiment of absurd heroism and idealism, which often leads to a variety of comical and at times poignant situations. 2. **Sancho Panza** - Sancho is Don Quixote's squire, a farmer of very modest means, who is persuaded to follow Don Quixote in the promise of a future reward of an island to govern. Sancho represents common sense, earthly wisdom, and skepticism, which contrasts with Don Quixote's lofty ideals and delusions. Despite his simplicity, Sancho exhibits great loyalty and has his moments of unwitting wisdom that stand in stark relief to Don Quixote’s madness. 3. **Dulcinea del Toboso** - Though she never appears in the novel, Dulcinea is the noble lady whom Don Quixote serves and venerates. In reality, she is a peasant girl named Aldonza Lorenzo, whom Don Quixote has elevated in his imagination to a position of high nobility. In Don Quixote's fantasy, all of his heroic deeds are performed in the name of Dulcinea's honor. Secondary Characters: 4. **Rocinante** - Don Quixote’s old, run-down horse he believes to be a noble steed, symbolic of Don Quixote’s chivalric delusions. 5. **Cervantes** - The author/narrator, who presents the novel as a historical account based on found manuscripts by Cide Hamete Benengeli, supposedly an Arab historian. 6. **The Duke and Duchess** - Two of the nobles who find Don Quixote and Sancho's delusions amusing, and thus, set up elaborate schemes and practical jokes at their expense, under the guise of playing along with Don Quixote’s fantasies. 7. **The Barber and the Priest** - Friends of Alonso Quixano, who worry about his madness and devise a plan to bring him back home and try to cure him. Throughout the novel, the interactions between these characters explore various themes like the nature of reality and fiction, the consequences of idealism, and the mockery of the then-dying chivalric traditions. Cervantes filled "Don Quixote" with complex, multifaceted characters, ensuring its place as a timeless masterpiece that appeals to readers on many levels, offering both humor and profound insight into the human condition.