Don Quixote Chapter 70 Summary

Summary

Sancho sleeps in the same chamber as Don Quixote, anxious that his master’s questions will keep him awake; Don Quixote immediately begins to recount the supposed death of Altisidora, which Sancho dismisses as irrelevant to his own sufferings. After some grumbling about the indignities he has suffered, Sancho falls asleep while Don Quixote remains occupied with his thoughts. At this moment the narrator, Cide Hamete Benengeli, explains how Samson Carrasco returned in new armour and disguise, informed the duke about Don Quixote’s route and previous encounters, and how the duke and duchess organized an elaborate trick to intercept and mystify the knight and his squire.

The duke’s household stages Altisidora’s mock funeral and the theatrical display that nearly convinces Don Quixote that she has died. In the morning Altisidora, crowned and dressed as for the catafalque, enters Don Quixote’s chamber and recites a fanciful account of having gone to the gate of hell, where devils play tennis with books — among them a denunciation of the unauthorized second part of Don Quixote’s history. Don Quixote responds philosophically about fame and the value of histories, and reaffirms that his heart belongs to Dulcinea del Toboso. Altisidora angrily reveals that her earlier ‘death’ was a contrivance, while Sancho supplies comic commentary. A musician who sang the previous night asks to remain in Don Quixote’s service. The duke and duchess join the company; they and Sancho exchange witty remarks, and Don Quixote asks to leave that very day, convinced a defeated knight should not remain in a palace. The duchess promises to employ Altisidora to keep her busy, and Don Quixote departs after dining with his hosts.

Key events

1. Sancho sleeps in Don Quixote’s chamber, fearing questioning
2. Cide Hamete explains Samson Carrasco’s return in disguise
3. The duke and duchess stage Altisidora’s mock funeral to trick Don Quixote
4. Altisidora appears 'resurrected' and describes a vision of devils playing tennis with books
5. Don Quixote reiterates devotion to Dulcinea and refuses Altisidora's advances
6. The duke, duchess, musician, and Sancho exchange witty remarks; Don Quixote leaves that evening

Chapter 70 in pictures

Analysis

This chapter functions as a hinge between comic farce and meta-narrative commentary. On the plot level it reveals the orchestration behind the recent pranks: Samson Carrasco’s renewed intervention and the duke and duchess’s elaborate staging. That exposure tempers the reader’s sympathy for the victims (Don Quixote and Sancho) by showing how their apparent revelations and sufferings are manipulated by socially powerful observers who treat human feeling as entertainment. The chapter also develops theme: the porous boundary between appearance and reality. Altisidora’s mock death and her vision of devils playing with books literalize the novel’s recurring concern with texts about Don Quixote — including unauthorized continuations — and with how stories circulate and are judged.

Cervantes uses Cide Hamete’s intrusion as a self-reflexive device: the narrator pauses the scene to explain motives and logistics, reminding readers of the constructedness of the tale. Altisidora’s surreal account of devils using books as tennis balls is symbolic, mocking literary production and signaling anxieties about literary authority (the “Second Part” is ridiculed in the vision). Characterwise, Don Quixote’s principled refusal of Altisidora underscores his idealized loyalty to Dulcinea and stabilizes his identity amid public spectacle; Sancho’s earthy humor and practical wisdom continue to humanize and comment on aristocratic gamesmanship. The chapter thus balances comic set-piece, narrative explanation, and thematic reflection on fiction, reputation, and the ethics of amusement.

Important quotes

“Sancho slept that night in a cot in the same chamber with Don Quixote, a thing he would have gladly excused if he could for he knew very well that with questions and answers his master would not let him sleep, and he was in no humour for talking much,”

NarratorOpens the chapter, establishing Sancho’s reluctance and the bedchamber setting where the staged scene unfolds.

“Cide Hamete, the author of this great history, took this opportunity to record and relate what it was that induced the duke and duchess to get up the elaborate plot that has been described.”

NarratorCervantes’ metafictional narrator interrupts the action to explain the motives and mechanics behind the duke and duchess’s prank.

“To tell you the truth," said Altisidora, "I cannot have died outright, for I did not go into hell; had I gone in, it is very certain I should never have come out again, do what I might.”

AltisidoraAltisidora insists her death was not literal and introduces the fantastical vision of devils playing tennis with books, mocking literary pretensions.

Characters in Chapter 70

• Sancho Panza
• Don Quixote
• Cide Hamete Benengeli
• Samson Carrasco
• Teresa Panza
• The Duke
• The Duchess
• Altisidora
• Dulcinea del Toboso
• musician