Don Quixote de la Mancha

by Miguel de Cervantes

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Student Question

Who is the Knight of Mirrors in Don Quixote?

Quick answer:

The Knight of Mirrors in Don Quixote is Sansón Carrasco, an educated and somewhat arrogant character who disguises himself as various knights to cure Don Quixote's "madness" and end his knighthood. Although initially an antagonist, Carrasco learns from his mistakes and ultimately aids Don Quixote after defeating him. His character is complex, embodying neither pure good nor evil.

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The Knight of Mirrors is revealed to be Sansón Carrasco—an educated and slightly arrogant man who likes to mock others. He dresses up as various knights (The Knight of Mirrors, The Knight of the Spangles, and the Knight of the White Moon) to try and cure Don Quixote of his "madness" and put an end to his knighthood. When he loses in a sword fight against Don Quixote, he swears that he won't leave until he gets his revenge. Similar to many of Cervantes' characters, Carrasco is presented as neither good nor entirely bad; however, he can still be considered the main antagonist of the novel. Despite this, he is still capable of recognizing and learning from his past mistakes and ends up helping Don Quixote after he finally beats him in a fight.

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