Ask the Chatbot Games & Quizzes ProCon History & Society Science & Tech Biographies Animals & Nature Geography & Travel Arts & Culture Money Videos
Dulcinea
Table of Contents
Introduction References & Edit History Related Topics
Quizzes
Two costumed actors performing a dance onstage. theater, performers. Hompepage blog 2009, arts and entertainment, history and society
The Literary World (Characters Quiz)
USA 2006 - 78th Annual Academy Awards. Closeup of giant Oscar statue at the entrance of the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles, California. Hompepage blog 2009, arts and entertainment, film movie hollywood
Pop Culture Quiz
Miguel de Cervantes. Don Quixote. Miguel de Cervantes Spanish novelist, poet and playwright, author of Don Quixote. Engraving from 1843 by E.Mackenzie and published in London by Charles Knight, Ludgate Street.
Cervantes
Related Questions
Read Next
Close up of books. Stack of books, pile of books, literature, reading. Homepage 2010, arts and entertainment, history and society
12 Novels Considered the “Greatest Book Ever Written”
Spanish poet and novelist Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra (1547 - 1616), the author of 'Don Quixote de la Mancha', ca. 1590. An artist's impression since there are no contemporary likenesses of Cervantes.
The Afterlife of Miguel de Cervantes
Britannica's Book Bingo. Take our reading challenge! Books range form greatest, banned, and counterculture.
Britannica’s Book Bingo
poem. A poet in a Heian period kimono writes Japanese poetry during the Kamo Kyokusui No En Ancient Festival at Jonan-gu shrine on April 29, 2013 in Kyoto, Japan. Festival of Kyokusui-no Utage orignated in 1,182, party Heian era (794-1192).
World Poetry Day
Discover
Diverse elementary school children wearing school uniforms running outside of school. Boys girls
Pro and Con: School Uniforms
Rural Irish landscape, Sligo, Ireland.
Why Is Ireland Two Countries?
Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519), Italian Renaissance painter from Florence. Engraving by Cosomo Colombini (d. 1812) after a Leonardo self portrait. Ca. 1500.
10 Famous Artworks by Leonardo da Vinci
Iraqi Army Soldiers from the 9th Mechanized Division learning to operate and maintain M1A1 Abrams Main Battle Tanks at Besmaya Combat Training Center, Baghdad, Iraq, 2011. Military training. Iraq war. U.S. Army
8 Deadliest Wars of the 21st Century
Thanksgiving Celebration Traditional Dinner Setting Food Concept
Why Is Thanksgiving in the U.S. Celebrated on a Thursday?
The Cheshire Cat is a fictional cat from Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. (Alice in Wonderland)
11 Banned Books Through Time
New York NY/ USA- November 23, 2018 Hordes of shoppers throng the Macy's Herald Square flagship store in New York looking for bargains on the day after Thanksgiving, Black Friday.
Why Is It Called Black Friday?

Dulcinea

fictional character
verifiedCite
While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.
Select Citation Style
Share
Share to social media
URL
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Dulcinea
Feedback
Corrections? Updates? Omissions? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login).
Thank you for your feedback

Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.

External Websites
Also known as: Dulcinea del Toboso
Written and fact-checked by
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors.
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Article History
In full:
Dulcinea del Toboso
See all related content

Dulcinea, fictional character in the two-part picaresque novel Don Quixote (Part I, 1605; Part II, 1615) by Miguel de Cervantes. Aldonza Lorenzo, a sturdy Spanish peasant girl, is renamed Dulcinea by the crazed knight-errant Don Quixote when he selects her to be his lady. Don Quixote perceives Dulcinea as a golden-haired highborn young woman of incomparable loveliness for whom he will perform brave deeds as her paladin.

The name Dulcinea, like Dulcibella, came to be used generically to mean mistress or sweetheart.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Kathleen Kuiper.