Ricote (Don Quixote)
Encyclopedia
----
Ricote is a fictional character
who is referred to in Miguel de Cervantes
' novel Don Quixote. He was a wealthy (rico meaning "rich" in Spanish
) Morisco
shopkeeper
and old friend of Sancho Panza
, banned from Spain in 1609
like all Moriscoes.
When Sancho leaves Barataria
, he meets Ricote, returning in a group of German
pilgrim
s.
After meeting Sancho again, Ricote tells him that after the expulsion, he went north while his family went to Algiers
.
Ricote and the pilgrims share food with Sancho, including "the black dainty called,
they say, caviar
".
He tells him that he came back to recover some gold
which he had buried near his house. Ricote recognizes to be a bad Christian and then asks Sancho to help him carry the money away.
But Sancho refuses as it would be a treason to his king.
Later Sancho and Don Quixote meet Ricote and his daughter Ana Félix in Barcelona.
She is a fervent Christian and has been rescued from Berbery by a young noble neighbour from Sancho and Ricote's village.
Her beauty and sincere faith convinces the authorities to arrange the re-admission of the Ricotes in Spain.
Ricote is a fictional character
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
who is referred to in Miguel de Cervantes
Miguel de Cervantes
Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra was a Spanish novelist, poet, and playwright. His magnum opus, Don Quixote, considered the first modern novel, is a classic of Western literature, and is regarded amongst the best works of fiction ever written...
' novel Don Quixote. He was a wealthy (rico meaning "rich" in Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
) Morisco
Morisco
Moriscos or Mouriscos , meaning "Moorish", were the converted Christian inhabitants of Spain and Portugal of Muslim heritage. Over time the term was used in a pejorative sense applied to those nominal Catholics who were suspected of secretly practicing Islam.-Demographics:By the beginning of the...
shopkeeper
Shopkeeper
A shopkeeper is an individual who owns a shop. Generally, shop employees are not shopkeepers, but are often incorrectly referred to as shopkeepers. Today, a shopkeeper is usually referred to as a manager, though this term could apply to larger firms .*In many south asian languages like Hindi, Urdu,...
and old friend of Sancho Panza
Sancho Panza
Sancho Panza is a fictional character in the novel Don Quixote written by Spanish author Don Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra in 1605. Sancho acts as squire to Don Quixote, and provides comments throughout the novel, known as sanchismos, that are a combination of broad humour, ironic Spanish proverbs,...
, banned from Spain in 1609
Expulsion of the Moriscos
On April 9, 1609, King Philip III of Spain decreed the Expulsion of the Moriscos . The Moriscos were the descendants of the Muslim population that converted to Christianity under threat of exile from Ferdinand and Isabella in 1502...
like all Moriscoes.
When Sancho leaves Barataria
Barataria
-Places:Trinidad and Tobago*Barataria, Trinidad and TobagoUnited States*Barataria, Louisiana*Barataria Bay , Louisiana*The Barataria Preserve, part of Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve, Louisiana-In fiction:...
, he meets Ricote, returning in a group of German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
pilgrim
Pilgrim
A pilgrim is a traveler who is on a journey to a holy place. Typically, this is a physical journeying to some place of special significance to the adherent of a particular religious belief system...
s.
After meeting Sancho again, Ricote tells him that after the expulsion, he went north while his family went to Algiers
Algiers
' is the capital and largest city of Algeria. According to the 1998 census, the population of the city proper was 1,519,570 and that of the urban agglomeration was 2,135,630. In 2009, the population was about 3,500,000...
.
Ricote and the pilgrims share food with Sancho, including "the black dainty called,
they say, caviar
Caviar
Caviar, sometimes called black caviar, is a luxury delicacy, consisting of processed, salted, non-fertilized sturgeon roe. The roe can be "fresh" or pasteurized, the latter having much less culinary and economic value....
".
He tells him that he came back to recover some gold
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
which he had buried near his house. Ricote recognizes to be a bad Christian and then asks Sancho to help him carry the money away.
But Sancho refuses as it would be a treason to his king.
Later Sancho and Don Quixote meet Ricote and his daughter Ana Félix in Barcelona.
She is a fervent Christian and has been rescued from Berbery by a young noble neighbour from Sancho and Ricote's village.
Her beauty and sincere faith convinces the authorities to arrange the re-admission of the Ricotes in Spain.
See also
- As a contrast in the perception of Moriscos, the first part of Don Quixote, published in 1605, is said by Cervantes to have been an Arabic found manuscript by some Cide Hamete Benengeli, translated for Cervantes by a Morisco.
- List of characters in Don Quixote