How we cite our quotes: (Part.Book.Chapter.Paragraph) We use the P. A. Motteux translation from 1712 for our quotes. Some familiar character names appear differently in this edition (Sancho Panza is Sancho Panca here, Rocinante is Rozinante, and Doña Rodriguez is Donna Rodriguez). We preserve Motteux's spellings in our quotes but use the more familiar versions of these names in our analysis.
Quote #4
"[But] pray, sir, take care that you reserve some part near the seaside for me; that, if the air does not agree with me, I may transport my black slaves, make my profit of them, and go live somewhere else." (1.4.4.3)
We like Sancho, but we've got to admit that no one in the novel talks as negatively about black people as he does. Not only that, but he figures that if he's going to be the governor of a country of black people, he'll make the most of it by selling many of them as slaves. Cervantes is almost certainly sending up this kind of uneducated, profit-oriented thinking about people of African origin. It's likely that many (or even most) Spanish peasants had this kind of attitude about African people. Does Sancho ever rise above this kind of thinking? Does this change the way you view him as a character?
Quote #5
"A nation [the Moors] from whom no truth could be expected, they all being given to impose on others with lies and fabulous stories." (2.1.3.1)
Once again, Cervantes wants to let us know that the African people are a bunch of liars and exaggerators. You can't expect any truth from them. It's possible that Cervantes is still feeling sore about the successful Moorish invasion of Spain back in 711. It's also possible that Cervantes is making fun of this kind of attitude, just as he makes fun of everything else. What do you think? How serious do you think Cervantes is? How does this change the way you read the novel?
Quote #6
"I firmly believe whatever our holy Roman Catholic Church believes, and I hate the Jews mortally." (2.1.8.2)
For some reason, Sancho thinks that saying he hates Jewish people makes him a better Christian. Believe it or not, he makes this comment in the middle of a speech in which he tries to argue that he's a good person. As you can imagine, anti-Semitism was pretty rampant in Spain back in 1605. Sancho's train of thought here is absurd, and Cervantes makes sure to make it even more absurd by placing it in a context where Sancho is trying to prove he's a good guy. Frankly, he's probably saying exactly the kinds of things he hears the village priest saying, but does that make it any better?