THE STORY: Antonia, a young village woman, is worried about her uncle, whose mind has been turned by reading too much about chivalry and who now imagines that he is actually a knight himself by the name of Don Quixote de la Mancha. Tearfully, Antonia confides to her housekeeper that her uncle has just announced he is going out into the world for the sake of his imaginary lady, Dulcinea del Toboso, to right wrongs and particularly to have it out with his arch enemy, the purely imaginary Knight of the White Moon. The housekeeper calls in Dr. Carrsco, the village scholar, and Master Nicolas, the barber, for advice. Dr. Carrasco comes up with a plan but insists that for a while Antonia should not try to restrain her uncle from wandering. And so with his good horse, Rocinante (played by two men), and his faithful squire, Sancho Panza, Don Quixote leaves the village to seek adventure. It is not long in coming. He mistakes an innocent shepherd for an evil wizard and a barber’s basin for a resplendent helmet. He encounters a country girl whom he imagines to be his lady love, Dulcinea del Toboso. He routs a flock of sheep (offstage) thinking they are an army of enemies. He knocks himself out attacking a windmill, which he mistakes for a giant, and loses his horse in the attempt. After other wonderful adventures, he meets his great enemy, the Knight of the White Moon—who is really Dr. Carrasco in disguise. There is a furious combat between the two. Dr. Carrasco wins, and poor Don Quixote is forced to submit to the victor’s terms: to go back home and lead a peaceful life. This he does, now cured of his delusions, to settle down at last.
