La écfrasis de los ejércitos o los límites de la enárgeia

Abstract

This article analises the chapter of the battle of the sheep (Don Quixote, I, XVIII) as a parody of the mechanisms of the ékphrasis, defined in its ancient meaning, to capture the attention of the audience. In it, Cervantes not only parodies the motif of the dénombrement épique, but also the devices of the rhetoric to persuade the audience on a more deep level. Although the enumeration of the captains is the most effective comic part of the description, the interest of the author focuses in the impact of the enárgeia on the audience. Following the rhetorical laws, Cervantes tests the limitations of the ékphrasis reversing its effects. They do not affect Sancho but don Quixote, confusing evoked image and reality.