This dissertation attempts to determine the physiognomical characteristics of the main characters in Cervantes' Don Quixote, in particular of the hero, Sancho Panza, Aldonza/Dulcinea, Don Quixote's horse Rocinante, and Sancho's donkey. This is achieved by comparing the characters' tangible and intangible attributes to those established by books on physiognomy available to Cervantes, especially Juan Huarte de San Juan's Examen de ingenios, Alfonso Martinez de Toledo's Corbacho; and Jeronimo Cortes' Libro de fisionomia natural, of which an edition of the first 31 chapters appears in the appendix. Close analysis of the descriptions of the physical appearance and emotional reactions of the aforesaid characters indicates that Don Quixote exhibits a choleric nature throughout the novel, except for the final chapters of each Part, when his hot and dry nature cools to a melancholic state. Sancho Panza, on the other hand, is eternally sanguine (hot and wet). The two protagonists' steeds are both phlegmatic, although they often participate in the physiognomic characteristics of their masters. Aldonza/Dulcinea, curiously, is the humoral equivalent of the particular imagination that embodies her, and so shifts physiognomy throughout the novel. In all these cases, Cervantes followed unerringly the prevailing beliefs of his time concerning physical appearance and character. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 53-03, Section: A, page: 0828. / Major Professor: David H. Darst. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1992.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:fsu.edu/oai:fsu.digital.flvc.org:fsu_76592 |
| Contributors | Madera, Nelson Ismael., Florida State University |
| Source Sets | Florida State University |
| Language | Spanish |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text |
| Format | 238 p. |
| Rights | On campus use only. |
| Relation | Dissertation Abstracts International |
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