Blindfolded on a wooden horse, Don Quixote and Sancho swear they are flying through the sky. They don't move.
The Dukes' game
Clavileño is a wooden horse that the Dukes present as magical. Blindfold Don Quixote and Sancho, blow hot air in their faces and convince them that they are crossing the heavens on an enchanted mission.
Why do they believe
The two don't get off the ground, but they convince each other. The episode shows how fantasy needs very little to sustain itself when the desire to believe is great, and how Sancho oscillates between doubt and the desire to believe.
The lesson
Behind the comedy there is lucid cruelty. The Dukes know exactly what they are doing: they create enchantments because they know each other's faith. It is intelligence used to deceive, not to reveal.
Readings from Nous
Read the classics in depth
Our list of more than 130 recommended books, commented and organized by theme, so you don't read in the dark.
See recommended readingsFrequently asked questions
What is Clavileño?
It is the wooden horse that the Dukes pass off as a magician. Blindfolded, Don Quixote and Sancho believe they are flying in it, although they never leave the place.
Don Quixote and Sancho really flew?
No. They stand still, blindfolded, while the Dukes simulate wind and height. The trip happens only in their imagination.
Who invented the Clavileño hoax?
The Dukes, hosts who have read the first part and set up false enchantments to have fun at the expense of Don Quixote and Sancho.
Continue: The Baratária Island · Don Quixote, Part 2: summary and analysis · Why is Macbeth "the Scottish play"?
Source class (YouTube): Dom Quixote, Parte Dois (NousCast)