How we cite our quotes: (Part.Book.Chapter.Paragraph) We use the P. A. Motteux translation from 1712 for our quotes. Some familiar character names appear differently in this edition (Sancho Panza is Sancho Panca here, Rocinante is Rozinante, and Doña Rodriguez is Donna Rodriguez). We preserve Motteux's spellings in our quotes but use the more familiar versions of these names in our analysis.
Quote #4
"If she yields, I shall, at least, have the satisfaction of finding my opinion of women justified, and not be imposed on by a foolish confidence that abuses most men." (1.4.6.4)
In the "Story of the Curious Impertinent," the dude named Anselmo decides that he wants to test how loyal his wife is to him. So he gets his handsome friend, Lothario, to hit on her. Of course, Anselmo assumes that only his wife could betray him. He never considers the possibility that his friend would snog his wife behind his back, because his friend is an honorable man. But by trusting men and not women, Anselmo seals his own fate, as Lothario starts seeing his wife behind his back.
Quote #5
He began with the powerful battery of the praise of her beauty, which being directly pointed on the weakest part of woman, her vanity, with the greatest ease and facility in the world makes a breach as great as a lover would desire. (1.4.7.2)
According to the author of "The Curious Impertinent," the weakest part of a woman is her pride, which means that any man can seduce a woman by complimenting her on her beauty. This, of course, neglects the fact that vanity might also be the easiest way to charm a man, too.
Quote #6
"But the cause is plain; thou art a female, and therefore never canst be quiet: curse on thy freakish humours, and all theirs whom thou so much resembleth." (1.4.23.3)
It might sound as if the speaker of this line is being mean to a woman, but he's actually talking to a female goat. The speaker, you see, is a goatherd whose girlfriend betrayed him once. So you know what that means: all women everywhere are bad, as far as he's concerned. Even lady goats. Like many characters in this book, the goatherd has a generalization problem.