Saragossa

Saragossa is both a destination on Don Quixote and Sancho Panza’s route and the setting identified in a tale performed at a puppet show. Its role is chiefly narrative: Don Quixote names it as the goal of his journey, while the show’s account links the city’s present name to its earlier name, Sansuena.

A Destination on the Road

After the encounter with the Knight of the Mirrors, Don Quixote and Sancho Panza resume their journey toward Saragossa. The narrator postpones following them there, turning instead to explain who the Knight of the Mirrors and his long-nosed squire are. The city thus remains ahead of the travelers while the narrative briefly diverts to disclose the identities behind the encounter.

Don Quixote’s Intended Visit

At Don Diego’s house, Don Quixote explains that Saragossa is his proper destination because he hopes to take part in its jousts. Before reaching it, he plans to enter the Cave of Montesinos and investigate the reported source of the Lakes of Ruidera. Saragossa gives direction to this next stretch of travel, but the intended visit is still a future purpose rather than an event described in these passages.

Saragossa as Sansuena

During the puppet show, the interpreter identifies the city in the story of Don Gaiferos and Melisendra as Sansuena, explaining that this was what Saragossa was called in the period represented by the tale. The place therefore connects Don Quixote’s present itinerary with a performed account of an earlier legendary past. The same city functions as a real destination in the travelers’ plans and as a setting whose name shifts within the show’s historical narrative.