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Sancho Panza and the Mimesis of Solomon: Medieval Jewish Traditions in Don Quijote1

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Sancho Panza and the Mimesis of Solomon: Medieval Jewish Traditions in Don Quijote1 CHAPTER THIRTEEN SANCHO PANZA AND THE MIMESIS OF SOLOMON: MEDIEVAL JEWISH TRADITIONS IN DON QUIJOTE1 Francisco Peña Fernández Th en he ordered the cane to be broken open in the presence of everyone; and when this was done they found ten gold crowns incide. Whereupon everyone expressed astonishment, and hailed the governor as a New Solomon.2 Th e above quote, in which the people of the Island of Barataria liken Don Quijote’s squire Sancho Panza to the fi gure of King Solomon, constitutes the only explicit mention of the legendary Biblical monarch in Cervantes’ entire masterpiece. Th is paper seeks to show that this allusion to the fi gure of Solomon is actually the culmination of a series of intertextual echoes of Hebrew legends in Don Quijote. Although the association between the squire Sancho Panza and King Solomon is evident in diff erent ways throughout the novel, I will focus especially on a series of events linked to the episode of Sancho’s governorship in Barataria. Th e shadow of King Solomon in Don Quijote is not only that of the monarch described in several books of the Bible, but also the mythical Solomon popularized in diverse Hebrew and specifi cally Judeo-Spanish legends that circulated throughout Spain in the Middle Ages. Carmen Vega Carney, bringing to light the “meticulous” study by R. M. Flores, has summarized the main critical approaches to the charac- ter of Don Quijote’s squire. Sancho has been considered—among other things—a madman, a fool, a carnivalesque buff oon, an instrument for 1 Parts of this paper appeared in a previous article: Francisco Peña Fernández. “Medieval Traditions of Jewish Origin in the Episode of Sancho Panza and the Island of Barataria” South Atlantic Review 72 (Special Issue: Cultural Studies in the Spanish Golden Age) 2007, pp. 212–229. 2 Miguel Cervantes, Don Quixote, trans. J. M. Cohen, Harmondsworth, Middlesex, 1950, II, XLV, p. 758. 312 francisco peña fernández satire, and the symbolic mother or wife of Don Quijote.3 Specifi cally, Sancho’s role as governor of the Island of Barataria has been regarded either as a touch of historical realism or as a manifestation of the con- cept of the “world upside down.” According to the latter interpretation, Sancho, in becoming the ruler of an island, would be transformed into the exact opposite of his servile role as a knight’s squire. Nonetheless, as we shall see, such an affi rmation is not entirely true. According to the concept of kingship characteristic of the Ancient Near East, all monarchs were at the same time servants. Th is is evident in various cycles of myths. For example, in the Canaanite pantheon, the god Baal—king of mankind—is at the same time the servant or “amusement” of the god Ilu—the heavenly monarch and universal ruler. Th is idea will later infl uence the concept of kingship among the Israelites. It becomes especially evident in the images of the early Jew- ish kings David and Solomon. David and Solomon both appear with the name Jedidiah, “beloved of Elohim.” Such favor or predilection in Near Eastern courtly scenarios is also related to the fact of being “at the right hand” of the Master. Th e humble origins and servanthood of David, the founder of this royal dynasty, are evident in his double role as a shepherd in Bethlehem and the musician who entertains King Saul. Th is dual aspect of Israelite kings, which is described in the Bible, demonstrates that the roles of “squire” and “monarch” can be perfectly compatible, rather than contradictory. Although it is very possible that Cervantes did not necessarily take into account this concept, it is essential to remember that this idea reaches Christianity through the Messianic image of the Suff ering Servant, the servant-king described by the prophet Isaiah. Later, in the Gospels, it will become identifi ed with the fi gure of Christ as both king and servant of humankind. Neverthe- less, it is clear that there are great diff erences between Don Quijote’s faithful squire and the great monarch described in Biblical tradition. Sancho Panza is completely diff erent from Solomon, especially with regard to his socioeconomic status and physical appearance. Let us remember that, unlike Solomon, Sancho is not tall, attractive, immensely wealthy, or irresistible to women.4 In spite of this, in the episode of the Island of Barataria, certain similarities between the character of the 3 Vega Carney,Carmen. “Justice in Barataria”, Romance Languages Annual 2 (1990), pp. 586–597 (p. 586). 4 Pablo Torijano, Solomon, the Esoteric King: from King to Magus, Development of a Tradition, Leiden, 2002, p. 28..
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