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Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra
(Sept 29, 1547 – April 23, 1616)
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• Was born to a poor family in the university town
of Alcalá de Henares, outside of Madrid, Spain.
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Miguel de Cervantes
• Was born to a poor family in the university town
of Alcalá de Henares, outside of Madrid, Spain.
• Became a soldier.
• Fought against the Ottoman Empire in 1571 at
the Battle of Lepanto.
• Lost the use of his left hand during this battle.
• Was captured by Barbary pirates on his return
home.
• Was held as a slave for five years.
• Was ransomed in 1580 by his family and friends.
Miguel de Cervantes
• Returned to Spain.
• Expected to gain employment with a noble
family.
• Took a government job as a tax collector.
• Was imprisoned several times for “unsatisfactory
explanations of his tax-collecting activities”
• Cervantes probably came up with the idea for
Don Quixote while he was in jail.
• The first part of the story was published in 1605.
• Was an immediate success
Miguel de Cervantes
• Unauthorized editions began to appear which,
combined with Cervantes’ poor moneymanaging skills, never earned him substantial
wealth from the enormous success of the work.
• Was first translated into English in 1612.
• This work has had a tremendous influence on all
areas of art (operas, movies, ballets, musicals,
painting, sculpture).
• Inspired the Broadway musical Man of La
Mancha in 1965.
• Gustave Doré – 16th century French artist
Don Quixote de la Mancha
• While in prison, Cervantes came up with the
idea for a story about a man who thinks that he
is a knight-errant who performs feats of valor.
• The story describes the adventures of an
idealistic Spanish nobleman who has read so
many books of chivalry (the code of knighthood) that he believes he’s a knight who must
fight against the world’s injustices
Don Quixote de la Mancha
• He travels with his squire (a knight’s
helper), Sancho Panza, who is an
uneducated, but practical and realistic
peasant.
• Don Quixote’s horse is named Rocinante.
• Don Quixote’s lady fair is named Dulcinea
del Toboso.
Don Quixote de la Mancha
• Don Quixote has an idealistic view of the
world.
• Sancho Panza has a realistic view of the
world.
• The pair represents the struggle between
idealism (living under very high
standards; being a dreamer) and realism.
Don Quixote de la Mancha
• Modern critics disagree about the reason
that Cervantes wrote Don Quixote de la
Mancha.
• He says in the prologue (an introduction
by the author) that he’s writing the story to
destroy the popularity of the romances of
chivalry.
• Throughout the book he does parody
(make fun of) these kinds of writings.
Don Quixote de la Mancha
• Many critics believe that the story is an allegory
(symbolic of truths and generalizations of the
human experience).
• They think it might represent the eternal human
quest for goodness and truth in the face of
insurmountable obstacles.
• Some critics think that this work is a tragedy,
even though it is satirical (uses sarcasm to
point out faults) and comical in many episodes.
CHARACTERS
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Don Alonzo Quijana
Sancho Panza
Don Quixote
Rocinante
Antonia
The Barber
The Priest
Aldonza
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Dulcinea del Toboso
Malfato
Samson Carasco
Mambrino / Reinaldo
the Bald
• The Knight of Mirrors
• The Duke & Duchess
• The Knight of the
White Moon
Discussion Question
• List 3 different examples of the conflict of
idealism versus realism in Don Quixote de
la Mancha. Be sure to give SPECIFIC
DETAILS from the story and make sure
that your examples are distinct, separate,
and specific.
Discussion Question
• The theme of a story is the “central
message or insight into life revealed by a
literary work.” What do you think is the
most probable theme for Don Quixote de
La Mancha? Give reasons and support for
your answer from the story .
You should listen for this quote:
“My intention is to do wrong to no man but
good to all the world. Are you all so
content with your lives of safety and
comfort? Are eating and sleeping enough
for you? Do you not yearn for a voyage in
discovery, of adventures, of great deeds,
lasting fame, and battles for truth and
justice? Judge me as a man who believes
in the life of a knight-errant, to be cast off
and set aside as a fool.”
You should listen for this quote:
“I can still set the world to
right because I can still
dream!”
For each quote,
you should be able to tell:
• Who said it?
• To whom did he/she say it?
• Under what circumstances did he/she say
it?
• What did the speaker “mean”?
• How or why is this quote important or
significant to the story?
Discussion Question
• At the end of the story Don Quixote says
to Aldonza, “I think you are both.” What
was he talking about? What did he mean?
Do you agree with him or not? Why or
why not?