See Zimic and Williamsen for discussions of Persiles’s expressions of fear and his crying episodes as intentionally conspicuous flaws in his character. According to Aristotle in his Nicomachean Ethics, the virtue of courage does not mean being fearless; rather it is to be properly disposed towards one’s fear, to be able to master it when something good or noble is at stake (Book G, 9-12; 46-52). For a good discussion of the compatibility of the Greek heroic ideal and crying, see Chapter I of Lessing’s Laocoön. Romero also makes this point (162, n. 43).

Hägg (294), for example, cites that nearly one half of Chariton's Chaereas is taken up by direct speech, monologues and dialogues, and Mack notes a similar format to Robert Greene's Mamillia, in which «The narrative is so often interspersed and augmented with speeches, soliloquies, letters and debates, and these texts are so much longer and more polished than the narrative that one reads the book more as an anthology of short texts than as a story» (119).

Wilson (190) notes that «The tongue would seem to be a programmatic feature of the Persiles... where everyone and everything seems to be speaking in tongues—where wolves speak (77), fame speaks (114), and even silence speaks (110); where they choose to play mute (94), and like double-edged swords (120), are muzzled (135) are tied by prisons (118), or are pierced by arrows (68)». Her page numbers refer to Avalle-Arce's edition.

There are dozens of examples of characters' reactions to speeches reported in Persiles y Sigismunda, including plenty of reactions to the words of other characters besides Persiles. This indicates that his technique extends to others, a relevant fact of the work. For example, in several instances the admiratio is associated with the words of Sigismunda, such as here: «Admirados quedaron todos de la respuesta de Auristela [alias Sigismunda], porque en ella se descubrió su corazón piadoso y su discreción admirable» (II, 7; 323). Other times it is associated with new characters the travelers come across, such as in these two cases: «Suspensos quedaron los peregrinos de la relación de la nueva, aunque vieja, peregrina, y casi les comenzó a bullir en el alma la gana de irse con ella a ver tantas maravillas» (III, 6; 490) and «Admirados quedaron... de la improvisa y concertada narración del caído caminante, y con gusto de escucharle le dijo Periandro que prosiguiese en lo que decir quería, que todos le echarían crédito, porque todos eran corteses y en las cosas del mundo experimentados» (III, 6; 492). In fact, admiratio becomes such a common occurrence in the work that the narrator acknowledges this fact in a brief paragraph: «No habrá para qué preguntar si se admiraron o no los oyentes de la historia de Isabela, pues la historia misma se trae consigo la admiración, para ponerla en las almas de los que le escuchan» (III, 20; 626). Ultimately, the comments on admiratio are reduced to the form in which they come in the penultimate chapter of the last book, perhaps literally Cervantes' final statement on admiratio: «Si se admiró o no, a la buena consideración lo dejo» (IV, 12; 715).

Quotes from Persiles y Sigismunda are from the Romero edition.

This is the case, for example, with Manuel de Sousa in I, 11, who remains in the story only long enough to sing a sonnet and to pass sufficient time with the pilgrims to tell his story. Upon concluding, he sighs and then drops dead. Similarly, in I, 20 two gentlemen appear suddenly, briefly tell the story that led to their duel, then fight to their deaths.

See Wilson for a discussion of Persiles's «saving» lies, as she characterizes them (29).

El Saffar notes that this lie about the relationship of Persiles and Sigismunda «is essential to the exemplary characters' very survival» (11).

There are several comments made by the characters, the narrator, and Persiles himself that attest to this and also to a critical awareness about this central speech. Forcione discusses Persiles as a hero-poet and writes that his long narration «is Cervantes' most significant use of the dramatic situation of the narrating author vs. the critical audience to examine the literary problems which preoccupied him throughout his career as a creative artist» (187). Forcione shows us how we may regard Persiles's long speech as a defense of imaginative literature.

See Blecua for further examples of Persiles's eloquence.