Characters

Ali Alouk Fartach (The Scabby Renegade)

Ringworm: Ali Alouk Fartach's surname means ringworm in Turkish. This is why he is called the Scabby Renegade.

Ali Alouk Was a Galley Slave: Ali Alouk, aka the "Scabby Renegade," rows as a galley slave for the "Grand Turk [Sultan Selim] for fourteen years." At the age of thirty four, however, when he is "slapped by a Turk while at oar," he grows enraged, abandons his faith, and kills his galley master.

Ali Alouk is The King of Algiers Then Admiral of The Ottoman Fleet: Ali Alouk Fartach is "such an able man that, without resorting to the vile methods used by most of the Grand Turk's favourites to rise, [he] becomes the King of Algiers and then the Admiral of the Fleet, which is the third most important position in the empire." Since he defeats the Maltese flagship during the battle of Lepanto, "the Grand Turk [Sultan] Selim promote[d] [him] to admiral [of his fleet] for having done his duty in the battle and [for] having carried off, as proof of his bravery, the standard of the Knights of Malta."

Hometown: Ali Alouk's hometown is Calabria.

Kind to Prisoners: According to Cervantes, Ali Alouk Fartach is "an upright man and very kind to his captives."

His Men: After his death, Ali Alouk Fartach divides in his will his three thousand men. Some of Fartach's men go to his renegades while others go to the Grand Turk, Sultan Selim, "who counts as a son and heir anyone who dies, and shares his wealth with his other sons."

How He Captures the Captive Capitan (Cervantes): During the battle of Lepanto, Ali Alouk, who is "a bold and successful privateer, rams and overpowers the Maltese flagship and only three knights of Malta [are] left alive on it." Giovanni Andrea Doria's flagship, upon which the Captive Captain serves with his company of sailors, "goes to rescue" the flagship. At this time, the captive captain, ever eager to do his duty, "leaps aboard the enemy galley, which then sheers off from [his] galley." This severance "prevents [his] soldiers from following [him]." Left alone among so many enemies, the Captive Captain "can't resist for long." Thus, he is soon "overpowered and covered with wounds." Since Ali Alouk escapes with his entire squadron, the Captive Capitan ends up as a captive in his power. During his time as a galley slave, the captive captain rows for Ali Alouk, fighting in a series of naval battles off the Barbary Coast.

Refuge: During the second year of the captive captain's captivity, Ali Alouk takes "refuge on Modon, an island near Navarino, [where he] disembarks his troops, fortifies the harbor entrance and waits there until Don John [of Austria goes] away." This, in brief, is how Ali Alouk avoids having his entire Turkish fleet "caught in harbor."

Alonso Lopez (BA)

Education: Though Alonso Lopez first says he is a master of the arts, later, he points out that he is only a bachelor of the arts.

Hometown: Alonso Lopez is a native of Alcobendas.

Origin: Alonso Lopez comes from the city of Baeza with eleven other priests.

Don Quixote and Alonso Lopez's Encounter: First, Don Quixote grabs Alonso Lopez's mule's reign, to inquire why a group of twelve penitents, dressed in mourning, carry a funeral bier. Since the mule is a jittery creature, he rears-up, bucks Alonso Lopez off his back, then falls on top of him, crushing his tibia, in the process. This accident prompts Alonso Lopez to explain that he is a master of the arts, a native of Alcobendas, come from the city of Baeza, with eleven other priests, to transport a litter containing the corpse of a gentleman who died in Baeza. Ultimately, Alonso Lopez is destined for Segovia (the dead man's home town) where he hopes to bury his bones in a tomb. On his way to Segovia, Don Quixote asks Alonso Lopez who killed the corpse that he transports. Alonso Lopez replies that God did, with a pestilential fever. Our knight responds by saying that God has "relieved him of the task he would have had of avenging his death, if anyone else had killed him." Upset that Don Quixote broke his leg, Alonso Lopez tells him that he is "excommunicated from the church for laying violent hands on what is sacred, [since his leg] "will never be right again in all the days of his life." In reply, Don Quixote says that he "did not think that he was attacking priests or anything to do with the Church, which he respects and adores as a good catholic and faithful Christian, but ghosts and phantoms from the other world." After telling Don Quixote that he is banished because of what he did, not because of the malice with which he did it, Alonso Lopez rides away.

Altisidora (The Girl Infatuated With Don Quixote)

Altisidora Serenades Don Quixote From A Garden Courtyard: One night, when Don Quixote tries to sleep in the Duke and Duchess's country house, he finds his room so hot that he opens a window to create a refreshing breeze. When Don Quixote opens his window, however, he is startled to hear people talking in the estate's courtyard. One of the voices Don Quixote hears belongs to a beautiful 14 year old maiden named Altisidora who confides, to her best friend Emerencia, that she loves Don Quixote. Since Altisidora reveals to Emerencia that "ever since [she] entered the castle and her eyes alighted on Don Quixote she feels ready to weep for him," Emerencia encourages Altisidora to sing a love song to "the lord of her heart, [and] the rouser of her soul." At first, Altisidora does not want to sing to Don Quixote because: A) she does not want to "reveal the secrets of her heart" through song; B) she does not want to be "considered a fickle and flighty maid by those who do not know about the mighty force of love within her;" and C) she does not want to wake the Duchess who is a light sleeper. Despite her reticence, however, Altisidora eventually serenades Don Quixote.

Thus, in the next moment, Don Quixote hears the gentle tones of a harp being tuned, which instantly calls to his mind chivalric adventures "about windows and grilles and gardens and serenades and sweet nothings and fainting fits." Due to his excessive excitement for chivalry, Don Quixote immediately assumes that one of the Duchess's maidservants is in love with him and that her modesty forces her to keep her passion a secret. To let Altisidora know that he is there, Don Quixote pretends to sneeze so that she can commence her ballad with comfort. After Altisidora runs her fingers over her harp strings to warm them up, and after she sings a song about how Don Quixote is the bravest and the best of knights that La Mancha ever bore, Altisidora says that though she cannot contend with Dulcinea's beauty and poise, she would love to be "held in Don Quixote's arms [or] sit by his bed [or] caress his hair [or] massage his feet."

Altisidora Pretends To Faint: Off put by Don Quixote's refusal to be won over by her romantic ballad, the next morning, when Don Quixote swaggers into the estate's antechamber, Altisidora pretends to faint out of delirious infatuation for Don Quixote, while her friend, Emerencia, takes her into her lap and begins to unlace her bodices, dashing cold water on her face to revive her. This ploy is designed to solicit Don Quixote's concerned attention so that a romantic connection can grow between him and Altisidora. Instead of drawing Don Quixote's sympathies, though, this charade causes him to sing a ballad about fickle lust.

Altisidora's Physical Appearance: In her ballad, Altisidora describes herself as "straight legged, [and] not lame, [with] arms that are very sound." Moreover, Altisidora says that she has a "flat nose, [an] aquiline mouth, [and] teeth that look like the very best topaz." To complete her physical sketch, Altisidora says that she wears her hair to the groung in "lily white tresses."

Altisidora Bandages Don Quixote Nose After A Cat Clings to His Face: After a cat tears Don Quixote's nose with its sharp claws, Altisidora bandages his face with the oil of hypericum saying that what got him into this trouble in the first place was his "sinful callousness, hard heartedness, [and] stubborn obstinacy."

Ambrosio

Description: Ambrosio is Grisostomo's best friend who not only studies humanities with him at Salamanca University but who also dresses as a shepherd to pursue a beautiful girl named Marcela. Once in the country side, Grisostomo tells Ambrosio stories of his misadventures with Marcela, instructing him, in his final will and testament, to not only bury him by the "side of a coark oak spring, because that is where he first met Marcela," but also to burn his poems and papers upon committing his body to the earth. So compelled, Ambrosio buries Grisostomo at the place and in the manner that his best friend instructs. But when Ambrosio tries to burn Grisostomo's poems, a well-meaning interlocutor named Don Vivaldo intercedes to preserve the documents, essentially because he wants Grisostomo's papers "to serve as a warning for future generations of what can happen to people who rush headlong down the path of delirious love." During his funeral speech, Ambrosio insists that "although Grisostomo's love was as honorable as it was ardent" Marcela sealed his fate by scornfully rejecting him, which, ultimately, "put an end to the tragedy of his wretched existence." Ambrosio further says that "Grisostomo loved but was hated; he adored and was disdained; he entreated a dragon, pleaded with marble, chased the wind, cried out in the wilderness and served ingratitude, whose reward was to make him the prey of death in the midst and course of his life, which was ended suddenly by an enemy of all mankind." In further explanation, Ambrosio claims that what caused Grisostomo to commit suicide were imagined jealousies and suspicions he envisioned as if they were real. At one point Ambrosio even concedes that everything that fame affirms about Marcela's virtue is true, except for some cruelty, a little arrogance, and more than a little disdain. And when Marcela appears at Grisostomo's funeral to defend herself, Ambrosio asks if she is there to "pour salt on the mortal wounds of his friend or to gloat over the achievement of her barbarity or to ride roughshod, in her arrogance, over his best friend's luckless corpse." After Marcela delivers a long speech in defense of her character and actions, Ambrosio says he is having a tombstone made to commemorate his friends passing, with an epitaph engraved in rhymed verse, which says "here lies the body of Grisostomo, a lover who was cruelly slain by Marcela who paid his love with disdain by rebuffing his courtship with ungrateful, haughty, and cold words of reproach."

Ana Felix Ricote (Ricote's daughter)

Ana Felix's Execution: Readers first encounter Ana Felix Ricote when her pirate brigantine is commandeered by a Spanish Admiral's outpost galleys and flagship. Upon close approach, two drunken Ottoman sailors, under her seeming command, shoot two Spanish soldiers with their muskets. Before Ana Felix is hung from a nearby yardarm for this offense, the Viceroy of Catalonia, searching for reprieve, asks Ana a few questions about her life and times. Because Ana Felix's "beauty is so great that it is like a letter of recommendation," the Viceroy asks her: who she is; why her soldiers acted as they did; what the purpose of her actions are; and whether she is a Turk, a Moor, a Renegade, or a Muslim. In reply, Ana Felix says she is neither a Turk, a Moor, a Renegade, or a Muslim, but a Christian woman in dire straits. Since Ana Felix's response intrigues the Viceroy asks her to tell him more. Encouraged by his inquiry, Ana Felix begs her execution be delayed long enough for her to recite the story of her tragic expulsion. Since the Admiral and the Viceroy "do not have so hard a heart to not be softened a bit by these words," they stay Ana Felix's execution so they can listen to her backstory.

Ana Felix's Expulsion: When Ana Felix's father, Ricote, first hears Don Valasco's edict ordering the Moriscos into exile, he leaves his home village to look for a safe place to shelter his family. But before he travels abroad, Ricote buries a great store of gold cruzados and doubloons in a secret hiding place known only to Ana Felix. Per Ricote's instructions, Ana Felix does not touch his buried treasure on any account. Subsequently, Ana Felix, her uncle, and aunt sail to Barbary and settle in Algiers.

Ana Felix's Upbringing: Ana Felix was "born of that unhappy and unwise Morisco race upon which a sea of misfortune poured down," since they were expelled from Spain for once being Muslims. Since Ana Felix is banished from Spain for having Morisco parents, she is taken by her uncle and aunt to Barbary, even though she claims that she is "a true Christian [and] a devout Catholic." In explanation, Anna Felix says that she had a Christian mother and a Morisco father of sound mind, who went to Germany to see if he could better their life circumstances, since "in Germany everyone minds their own business and leaves everyone to live how they like." Later, Ana Felix recalls that she was brought up well-behaved, since "neither in speech, nor in manner did she ever give any signs of being a Morisco," so far as she is aware.

Ana Felix's Relationship with Don Gregario: As Ana Felix's virtues grow, so does her beauty. And although "the reserve and seclusion of her life" is great, it is not great enough to prevent a young gentleman named Don Gaspar Gregario, the eldest son of a lord of a nearby village, from finding opportunities to see and court her. After courting her for two weeks, Don Gregario falls deeply in love with Ana Felix: She, in turn, reciprocates his esteem. So strong is their bond of respect and devotion that Don Gregario retreats into exile with Ana Felix in Algiers. To travel to Barbary undetected, Don Gregario secretly mingles with Moriscos leaving other villages, since "he speaks the Morisco language" like a native. During his trip to Algiers, Don Gregario becomes great friends with Ana Felix's aunt and uncle.

Ana Felix's Interaction with the King of Algiers: Hearing of Ana Felix's great beauty and lavish wealth, the King of Algiers, Ali Alouk, summons her to his chambers to ask what part of Spain she is from and what money and jewels she has brought with her. In response, Ana Felix tells Ali Alouk the undisclosed name and region of her home village and what money and jewels are buried there: "hoping that he is more drawn by his desire for material [gain] then by her beauty." While Anna Felix and King Alouk talk, a messenger tells his King that one of the most handsome and graceful young men imaginable has come to Algiers with her. Upon realizing that he is referring to Don Gregario, Ana Felix is "thrown into great confusion," considering the grave danger he is in, since "a handsome boy, or youth, is more highly prized than a beautiful woman among the Ottomans." Enticed by reports of Don Gregario's good looks, King Alouk tells Ana Felix to bring him to his throne room immediately. Ana Felix plays for time by saying, in imploring tones, that she did not bring a man with her but a woman who needs to wear elegant clothes fit for a royal viewing. Then she goes to Don Gregario, and tells him, in urgent tones, to hide his masculinity because if he reveals his manhood to the King of Algiers he will be in great danger. After 30 minutes Ana Felix returns with Don Gregario dressed as a Moorish woman. She then pretends that he is her female companion, so that he escapes becoming a eunuch in the King's harem, or, worse yet, a sexual slave for Sultan Selim. But when Ana Felix formally presents Don Gregario to the Algerian King he is so "thunderstruck" by Don Gregario's beauty that he decides to "keep him as a present for Sultan Selim." To preserve her chasitity, the Barbary King lodges Don Gregario in the house of some "high ranking Moorish ladies," where he can be guarded and waited upon in safety.

Ana Felix's Escape From Algiers: Shaken by Don Gregario's captivity, Ana Felixis emotionally unstable. But she keeps calm, speaks properly, and is shipped to Spain to gather her father's hidden treasure. To ensure her Algerian return, Ana Felix is escorted by 30 Turks – two of whom are responsible for shooting two Spanish soldiers.

The Two Turks: Two "greedy and insolent Turks," disregard king Alouk's orders and "make raids along the Spanish coast to take some prize if they can."

Ana Felix Pilots Her Brigantine: Fearing that her brigantine will be detected if she delays on the open sea, Ana Felix brings her galley ashore to find a protected shelter. But when a Spanish Rear Admiral captures her brigantine, Ana Felix proclaims her innocence by saying that she played no part in the crimes against the Admiral's soldiers, and took no hand in the raids along the Spanish coast. Rather, Ana Felix claims she is an innocent Catholic woman who should be released immediately. Moved by "tender compassion, the Viceroy removes the rope that binds Ana Felix's hands" and unknots the noose around her neck.