Miguel de Cervantes & The Ingenious

Gentleman Don Quixote of La

Mancha

A WebQuest for Spanish IIClasses 701, 702 & 703

2012

Task• You will explore the

WebQuest to learn about the Spanish author, Miguel de Cervantes as well as his famous work, Don Quixote.

• Additionally, you will read The Adventures of Don Quixote.

• You will then be able to answer the questions posed in this WebQuest.

Miguel de Cervantes – A Biography

• When people think of Spanish literature they may be able to mention one author, Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, otherwise just known as Cervantes.

• He was the author of Don Quixote. This magnificant novel probably has not been read by even these individuals. They perhaps only even know of such a novel because of a highly successful musical called "Man from La Mancha", so named because that was the province in Spain where Don Quixote and his squire, Sancho Panza resided.

Miguel de Cervantes

• Cervantes was born in 1547 in the town of Alcalá de Henares. He became a soldier in Italy in 1570 and lost the use of his left hand in the Battle of Lepanto in 1571.

Miguel de Cervantes

• Attempting to sail back to Spain in 1575, he is captured by Algerian pirates, attempted to escape 3 times and was finally ransomed.

Miguel de Cervantes• Returning to Spain was

not the end of his troubles. He was not initially successful in his writing and was twice jailed for debt and falsifying bookkeeping records. He finally began to achieve success around 1606 (he was already by then almost 60 years old!).

Miguel de Cervantes

• This success continued to his death on April 23, 1616, which is the same day that William Shakespeare died.

The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha

• El ingenioso hidalgo don Quijote de la Mancha), is a novel written by Miguel de Cervantes.

• Published in two volumes a decade apart, in 1605 and 1615, Don Quixote is considered the most influential work of literature from the Spanish Golden Age and it regularly appears high on lists of the greatest works of fiction ever published.

Don Quixote by Pablo PicassoLast year In Spanish I westudied the Spanish artist Pablo Picasso. Here is hisPainting entitled,“Don Quixote”.

It was drawn in 1955, and Includes the Spanish literaryfigure Don Quixote, hissquire Sancho Panza and hishorse Rocinante.

It was published in France asa celebration of the 350th

anniversary of the originalpublication.

The Main Characters…

Alonso Quijano

• Is a retired country gentleman nearing fifty years of age, living in an unnamed section of La Mancha with his niece and housekeeper. While mostly a rational man of sound reason, reading Romances, or books of chivalry, in excess has had a profound effect on Quijano, leading to the distortion of his perception and the wavering of his mental faculties. In essence, he believes every word of these books of chivalry to be true, though for the most part, the content of these books is clearly fiction. Otherwise, his wits, in regards to everything other than chivalry, are intact.

Click on the picture or the link…

• In this scene from the Broadway musical, Man of La Mancha, Alonso Quijano introduces us to his idea of becoming Don Quixote de la Mancha.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yEnDOXmyU-o&feature=related

Sancho Panza• Don Quixote

approaches his neighbor, Sancho Panza, and asks him to be his squire, promising him governorship of an island.

• The uneducated Sancho agrees, and the pair sneak off in the early morning hours.

Rocinante

• He decides to go out as a knight-errant in search of adventure.

• He dons an old suit of armour, renames himself "Don Quixote de la Mancha," and names his skinny horse "Rocinante".

Aldonza Lorenzo

• He designates a neighboring farm girl, Aldonza Lorenzo, as his lady love, renaming her Dulcinea del Toboso, while she knows nothing about this.

Their Adventures

• Their series of famous adventures begin, starting with Don Quixote's attack on windmills that he believes to be ferocious giants.

Why did he do it?• Click on the picture or

the link…• In this scene from the

Broadway musical, Man of La Mancha, Alonso Quijano tells us why he has become Don Quixote de la Mancrelatedha. http://www.youtube.com/watch?

v=NYB92jGPnlg&feature=

Statues of Don Quixote

• Bronze statues of Don Quixote and Sancho Panza, at the Plaza de España in Madrid

Influence

• The character of Don Quixote became so well known in its time that the word quixotic was quickly adopted by many languages.

• Quixotic - It also serves to describe an idealism without regard to practicality. An impulsive person or act might be regarded as quixotic.

Influence

• The phrase "tilting at windmills" to describe an act of attacking imaginary enemies derives from an iconic scene in the book.

• “Tilting at Windmills” - means attacking imaginary enemies, or fighting unwinnable or futile battles.