Don Quixote 

Gustave Doré created this illustration of Don Quixote, capturing a moment of pastoral delusion and humiliation. We see the Don, posturing as a shepherd, surrounded by symbolic animals. Sheep traditionally represent innocence and a pastoral ideal, harking back to biblical imagery of shepherds and flocks, but here, they seem almost mocking, indifferent to the Don's charade. The pigs, in contrast, represent chaos and degradation. In their overwhelming presence, they drag the noble knight down from his idealized vision. Consider the shepherd motif itself. From David tending his sheep to the Good Shepherd of Christian iconography, it represents care, leadership, and divine protection. Yet, here, the Don’s attempt to embody this role is farcical. The pigs' attack undermines any sense of nobility, exposing the delusion at the heart of Quixote’s fantasies. This symbol, as it is repeated, seems to have a cyclical progression, being revived, transformed, and imbibed with new significance as it traverses diverse historical milieus.