Marcela is a strong-willed woman. She was the daughter of a beautiful woman and grew up to possess more beauty than her mother. Her uncle kept her beauty hidden until Marcela decided to go live among the shepherdesses and take care of her herds. The whole community was able to see her beauty when she became a shepherdess. Many suitors wanted to marry Marcela because of her beauty, but her uncle never forced her into marriage. Marcela also never chose marriage, saying she was not prepared for it. Don Quixote encounters Marcela at the funeral of Grisóstomo, a scholar who had died because of his unrequited love for Marcela. He is very impressed by her beauty and her character.
Marcela attends the funeral because she does not want to be blamed for the death of Grisóstomo. She believes that this is an unfair accusation and that she has the right to love whom she chooses. She is a very well-spoken character and explains that she did not choose her beauty and that she has no obligation to love what loves her. She is also aware that the suitors love her beauty and not herself. This shows that Marcela is very smart and intellectual. She is also concerned about her honor; not only does she not want the death of Grisóstomo attached to her name, but she is careful about protecting her honor from all male suitors. She does this in order to prevent any false accusations that may tarnish her reputation because a woman’s reputation was very important in her time.
She never allows men to take advantage of her and she never puts herself in situations in which rumors could be started about her honor. Marcela also never leads men on or gives them false promises. She stays completely honest about her feelings toward her suitors regardless of their actions in order to prevent any confusion within their interactions.
Don Quixote defends Marcela, urging the shepherds to leave her alone. He is impressed by her speech and her presence of character. He states that she is the only woman who can stay truly modest. Her actions show that she is very strong-willed and that she will not let anyone else, male or female, run her life. Marcela is the first strong female character in the book.
Cervantes, de Miguel. Don Quijote. Ed. Diana de Armas Wilson. Trans. Burton Raffel. New York: W.W. Norton and Company, 1999.
Marcela attends the funeral because she does not want to be blamed for the death of Grisóstomo. She believes that this is an unfair accusation and that she has the right to love whom she chooses. She is a very well-spoken character and explains that she did not choose her beauty and that she has no obligation to love what loves her. She is also aware that the suitors love her beauty and not herself. This shows that Marcela is very smart and intellectual. She is also concerned about her honor; not only does she not want the death of Grisóstomo attached to her name, but she is careful about protecting her honor from all male suitors. She does this in order to prevent any false accusations that may tarnish her reputation because a woman’s reputation was very important in her time.
She never allows men to take advantage of her and she never puts herself in situations in which rumors could be started about her honor. Marcela also never leads men on or gives them false promises. She stays completely honest about her feelings toward her suitors regardless of their actions in order to prevent any confusion within their interactions.
Don Quixote defends Marcela, urging the shepherds to leave her alone. He is impressed by her speech and her presence of character. He states that she is the only woman who can stay truly modest. Her actions show that she is very strong-willed and that she will not let anyone else, male or female, run her life. Marcela is the first strong female character in the book.
Cervantes, de Miguel. Don Quijote. Ed. Diana de Armas Wilson. Trans. Burton Raffel. New York: W.W. Norton and Company, 1999.