# Dorothea — Don Quixote character guide

> Dorothea in Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** fair Dorothea, lady Dorothea

**First appearance:** 0034-part-i-xxviii

## Snapshot

A wronged noblewoman who trades her grief for a disguise and turns her ruin into a strategy for reclaiming what was taken.

## Who they are

Dorothea is a lady of beauty and high birth who has been seduced and abandoned by Don Fernando, and who refuses to let her story end in shame. She enters the narrative disguised as the distressed Princess Micomicona, enlisting Don Quixote's help in a fiction that mirrors her real grievances. Her composure, wit, and willingness to play a part make her one of the most resourceful figures in the inn, and her presence quietly steers the plot toward the restoration of broken vows.

## In the story

### [XXVIII Which treats of the strange and delightful adventure that befell the curate and the barber in the same Sierra](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/don_quixote_se/chapters/part-i-xxviii)

Disguised as a peasant youth, Dorothea is discovered bathing her feet in a brook. She reveals her true identity and tells the story of her seduction and betrayal by Don Fernando.

### [Chapter XXIX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/don_quixote_se/chapters/part-i-xxix)

Disguised as the Princess Micomicona, she kneels before Don Quixote and requests his aid against a giant usurper.

### [Chapter XXX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/don_quixote_se/chapters/part-i-xxx)

Continues her role as Princess Micomicona, telling a tale of her kingdom and seeking Don Quixote's aid. Shows cleverness in adapting her story to the chivalric style.

### [Which treats of the heroic and prodigious battle Don Quixote had with certain skins of red wine, and brings the novel of The Ill-Advised Curiosity to a close.](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/don_quixote_se/chapters/part-i-xxxv)

Refuses to enter due to Don Quixote's state; comforts Sancho.

### [XXXVI Which treats of more curious incidents that occurred at the inn](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/don_quixote_se/chapters/part-i-xxxvi)

Kneels before Don Fernando, pleading for recognition as his wife; her plea moves him to repentance.

### [XXXVII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/don_quixote_se/chapters/part-i-xxxvii)

Revealed as the supposed Princess Micomicona; overjoyed at her reunion with Don Fernando.

### [XLII Which treats of what further took place in the inn, and of several other things worth knowing.](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/don_quixote_se/chapters/part-i-xlii)

Dorothea is among the ladies who welcome the Judge's daughter. She is awake when a beautiful singing voice is heard and listens attentively.

### [Chapter XLIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/don_quixote_se/chapters/part-i-xliii)

Listens to Doña Clara's confession of love and comforts her before they sleep.

### [Chapter XLIV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/don_quixote_se/chapters/part-i-xliv)

Grants Don Quixote permission to aid the innkeeper.

### [Of the end of the notable adventure of the officers of the holy brotherhood; and of the great ferocity of our worthy knight, Don Quixote](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/don_quixote_se/chapters/part-i-xlvi)

Kneels before her as part of Don Quixote's chivalric address; part of the company planning his return.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/don_quixote_se/characters/dorothea
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/don_quixote_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/don_quixote_se/characters