Miguel was born in 1547. He had a challenging life facing financial struggles and serving in the military. He was later captured by pirates and held as a slave for five years. During his time in prison he began writing which led up to his most famous work, "Don Quixote", being published in 1605.
Miguel's first writing occurred in 1569. He contributed some of his poetry to a memorialafter the death of Elizabeth of Valois, the wife of Spain's King Philip II. Cervantes is regarded as one of the greatest Spanish writers in literature, and is often credited with shaping the modern novel
Ch. 1: Intro to Quexana
Ch. 1: Quexana ---- Don Quixote
Ch. 8: Don Quixote + Sancho
Ch. 8: Don Quixote Fights "Giants"
Ch. 8: Road to Adventure
Ch. 8: Don Quixote + Sancho Rest
Background
Image Attributions:13286332 (https://www.pexels.com/photo/close-up-of-the-statue-of-miguel-de-cervantes-13286332/) - Emilio S?nchez - License: Free To Use / No Attribution Required / See https://www.pexels.com/license/ for what is not allowed
Quexana is a Spaniard in the town of La Mancha, and never leaves his home. He is completely invested in reading books of chivalry. So much so they drove him mad. Quexana, after reading so often, began to think the stories were real.
Quexana was so absorbed in these chivalrous stories, that he believes he is a knight-errant, so he cleans and equipes his great-grandfather's armor, renames his old horse "Rocinate", renames himself "Don Quixote", and made a farm-girl named Aldonza Lorenzo his lady.
Fast forward to chapter 8. . . Don Quixote has now acquired a peasant by the name of Sancho Panza to accompany him on their quest as Quixote's squire. While riding along through the countryside, the duo comes upon a cluster of 30+ windmills. Don Quixote claims the windmills to be giants.
Sancho attempts to tell Don Quixote that the giants he sees are truly windmills and that he is mistaken, but Quixote dismisses his squire and "engages in fierce and unequal combat" with the "giants". Quixote charges at the windmill on the back of Rocinante and breaks his sword to pieces on impact. Sancho tells the knight again that they were only windmills, but Don Quixote claims that Friston turned the giants into mills at the last second to "rob me of the glory of vanquishing them."
The two leave the "battle" and follow the road to Puerto Lápice, for it is abundant in adventure. Don Quixote is upset because his sword had broken, until he remembered a story about a knight who replaced his blade with an oak branch. Don Quixote did the same, mending his sword by replacing it with a branch.
As night was falling, Sancho grew hungry and ate and drank from their supplies, but Don Quixote did not complain for that was contrary to knighthood. Eventually, both lay down to get some rest, but while Sancho slept with a full stomach, Don Quixote stayed up thinking about Aldonza.
Attributions D'image
13286332 - Emilio S?nchez - (Licence Free To Use / No Attribution Required / See https://www.pexels.com/license/ for what is not allowed
)