Don Quixote · Character
Altisidora
A duchess's lively maid who stages a swooning passion for Don Quixote, turning his chivalric vanity into the household's favorite sport.
supporting
Also known as the unhappy Altisidora, fair Altisidora
First appearance: part ii xlvii
As a supporting figure in Don Quixote, Altisidora is not background color—the story leans on what they do once the chapter opens.
Mentioned as one of the individualized characters in the novel.
Free preview opens at this moment — character cards, Character Web, and themes sit beside the text as you read.
Altisidora belongs to the duke and duchess's castle, where elaborate practical jokes are staged at the knight's expense. Her feigned love and dramatic fainting are part of a larger conspiracy of amusement, yet her…
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The fuller portrait of Altisidora sits in Reading Lens — open the free preview to keep reading with notes on the page.
See Altisidora in part ii xlviiCharacter Web
17 connectionsA slice of how Altisidora sits in the book — open the reader for the full interactive map.
Relationship types
- Other
Character groups
- Pranksters and Lovers
- Don Quixote's Inner Circle
- Enchanters and Illusions
- Author and Outlaws
+12 more in the full Character Web
Open in readerNarrative arc
Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Falling action.
- Setup
- Escalation
- Breaking point
- Aftermath
- Closing
In this chapter, Don Quixote reaches his emotional and psychological peak by delivering a coherent, pragmatic,…
Full beat labels and climax notes unlock in the reader.
Follow the arc while readingRelationships
- Don Quixote
romantic · ambivalent
Altisidora, a lady-in-waiting, pretends to be in love with Don Quixote as part of the… How this plays out →
- Don Quixote
romantic · ambivalent
Altisidora, a lady-in-waiting, pretends to be in love with Don Quixote as part of the… How this plays out →
- Don Quixote
romantic · ambivalent
Altisidora, a lady-in-waiting, pretends to be in love with Don Quixote as part of the… How this plays out →
Relationship notes
How these ties play out is in the reading companion — open the free preview.
See Altisidora in part ii xlviiIn the story
Altisidora appears across 11 companion beats. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.
- II: About Cervantes and Don Quixote
- XLIV
- Of how the great Sancho Panza took possession of his island, and of how he made a beginning in governing.
- Of the terrible bell and cat fright that Don Quixote got in the course of the enamoured Altisidora's wooing
- Of what befell Don Quixote with Doña Rodriguez, the duchess’s Duenna, together with other occurrences worthy of record and eternal remembrance
- LVII Which treats of how Don Quixote took leave of the duke, and of what followed with the witty and impudent Altisidora, one of the duchess’s damsels.
- Which tells how adventures came crowding on Don Quixote in such numbers that they gave one another no breathing-time.
- Of the resolution Don Quixote formed to turn shepherd and take to a life in the fields while the year for which he had given his word was running its course; with other events truly delectable and happy.
- +3 more
Chapter companion notes
Spoil-light check-ins for Altisidora unlock in the free preview.
See Altisidora in part ii xlvii