In "Don Quixote," windmills symbolize the fantastical and delusional nature of Quixote's adventures. Quixote mistakes them for giants, highlighting his skewed perception of reality. The windmills serve as a metaphor for Quixote's idealism and desire to combat perceived evils, even if they are just illusions.
Don Quixote was getting on in age and his eyesight wasn't too good. When he saw these particular windmills he thought they were evil giants and attacked them. He probably didn't have any quarrel with windmills in general.
In the story of Don Quixote and the windmills, the mood shifts between whimsical and delusional. Don Quixote sees the windmills as giants, showcasing his fantastical and chivalric mindset. The mood is often comical as the contrast between his perception and reality creates humor in the story.
"Tilting at windmills" by Gustave Dore .
The famous character you are referring to is Don Quixote, created by the Spanish author Miguel de Cervantes. Don Quixote is known for his elaborate imagination that leads him to believe windmills are giants that he must defeat in battle.
The term is coined in Don Quixote, by Miguel de Cervantes Saauedra.
He thinks they are giants and tells sancho panda to slay them. Sancho replys by saying they are windmills not giants.
Don Quixote explains that the enchanter Friston turned the giants into windmills to rob him of his glory in battle. He believes that Friston did this to take away the recognition for his heroic act of defeating the giants, ultimately maintaining his delusion that he was fighting giants.
A famous example of parody in Don Quixote is the character of Don Quixote himself, who parodies the traditional chivalric hero by being an exaggerated and delusional figure who mistakes windmills for giants and innkeepers for lords. This parody highlights the absurdity and impracticality of the chivalric code in a changing world.
After fighting the windmills, Don Quixote is bothered by the realization that he has mistaken windmills for giants and his perception of reality is distorted. He struggles with his delusions and questions his identity as a knight-errant.
Miguel de Cervantes, in his book "Don Quixote de La Mancha".
Don Quixote mistakenly perceives windmills as giants due to his delusions of grandeur from reading chivalric novels. He believes it is his duty as a knight errant to defeat these perceived giants in the name of honor and bravery.
If Don Quixote admitted the truth about the windmills, he would have to confront the reality that his imagined world of knightly adventure does not align with the actual world around him. This realization might lead to a disillusionment with his fantasies, prompting him to reevaluate his perceptions and potentially abandon his delusions of chivalry.