In a short Prologue, Cervantes complains about the difficulty of writing prologues. He believes that his book is good, but he worries that—because he first thought of the idea while in prison—the ideas will be as confined and restricted as his prison cell. He states he is unusual as a writer because he does not have any poetry he can use to introduce his fictional creation to the world. A friend, he explains, has spoken to him about a number of different ways in which he can begin Don Quixote without the effort of writing any poetry, including adding invented quotes from nonexistent authors and pretending they are famous. Most importantly, his friend tells him to share his ideas with the world without making them overly complicated or obscure. This simple idea, Cervantes explains, will function as the Prologue of the novel. Then, he provides a number of invented quotes referencing the characters in the novel. 

A Spanish gentleman is growing old in his crumbling country villa. As he nears the age of 50, he complains that he has too much time on his hands. Rather than reading his favorite stories about chivalric knights and their fantastical adventures, he decides he will have an adventure of his own.