Man of La Mancha

Cervantes narrates a return of the setting to the inn. There, Sancho approaches Aldonza with a “missive,” which he explains to the befuddled barmaid is the courtly word for a letter. Although neither can read, he has memorized Don Quixote’s grandiose words and delivers them to the knight’s “Dulcinea.” Aldonza mocks Don Quixote’s illusions of her ladylike nature and upper-class life as Sancho earnestly recites. At the end, Sancho asks for a token, such as a silk scarf; Aldonza instead hurls a dishrag at him.

Frustrated but intrigued, Aldonza calls back Sancho and asks him why he follows Don Quixote. She keeps probing him for a selfish motive that she can understand. The only answer that Sancho can give, however, is that he just likes him. He sings that he has no good reason, but he will stick with his friend no matter what odd tortures someone might inflict on him.

Aldonza’s solo, “What Does He Want of Me,” appears in the musical score of Man of La Mancha and most productions but is omitted from the book. Discomforted by Sancho and Don Quixote, she sings about the impossibility of the knight’s vision, marveling at his dedication to a “world that cannot be” (Vocal Score, 54 [See: Overview]).