Which noble couple plays many pranks on Don Quixote and Sancho in Part Two?

The Duke and Duchess play many pranks on Don Quixote and Sancho in Part Two.

They meet the pair after reading the published account of their earlier adventures. Amused by Don Quixote’s fantasies and Sancho’s earthy practicality, the noble couple invite them to their castle and turn chivalric romance into elaborate live entertainment.

Their household stages fake enchantments, invented quests, frightening spectacles, and the supposed disenchantment of Dulcinea. They also arrange for Sancho to govern the imaginary island of Barataria, where he unexpectedly gives sensible judgments despite the episode’s comic deception.

The Duke and Duchess are not simply harmless hosts. Their jokes expose the cruelty and idleness of aristocratic amusement, because they treat two vulnerable travelers as toys. A common mix-up is to identify the household steward or servants as the main pranksters; those figures often carry out the schemes, but the Duke and Duchess authorize and enjoy them. Their extended episode occupies a major portion of Part Two.