Famous People
Miguel de Cervantes
Miguel de Cervantes
Pre-Reading Warm Up Questions ☀
1. Have you heard of Miguel de Cervantes? If so, what do
you know about him?
Miguel de Cervantes was a Spanish novelist, playwright and poet.
He is best known for his novel Don Quixote, and for creating Don
Quixote, the most famous figure in Spanish literature.
Cervantes was born in 1547 in a town near Madrid. His father was a
doctor and, for much of his childhood, Cervantes moved from town
to town while his father looked for work.
2. Have you ever read the novel Don Quixote?
3. What country do you think Cervantes was from?
4. Can you guess what century Cervantes lived in?
5. Do you prefer to read novels, poetry, or plays? What do
you call a person who writes novels? (Poetry? Plays?)
In his early twenties he studied for a few years in Madrid, and then
became a soldier. In 1571, Cervantes fought in the sea battle at
Lepanto and received a wound that permanently crippled his left
hand. He was proud of his role in the famous victory.
In 1575, he set out for Spain with his brother, Roderigo. Turkish
pirates captured the ship, and the brothers were taken to Algiers as
slaves. Two years later, Roderigo was freed on ransom. They
thought that Cervantes was a more valuable captive and kept him
imprisoned. He was released in 1580 after his family had raised
enough money for his ransom. He returned to Madrid, and began to
write.
His first play, El Trato de Argel was based on his experiences as a
captive. Cervantes claimed to have written 20-30 plays, but only
two are known today. In 1585, his first major work, Galatea,
received little attention. Later generations have called him one of the
world’s worst poets. For 20 years, he lived like a nomad. A
collection of short stories, Exemplary Tales, contained some of his
best work about love, ideals and gypsy life.
It is said that Cervantes wrote Don Quixote while in prison at
Argamasilla in La Mancha. He wanted to give a picture of real life,
and express himself in clear language. Readers loved the everyday
language. He remained poor until 1605 when Part I of Don Quixote
was released. The story didn’t change his financial situation much,
but brought him international acclaim.
In 1606, he moved permanently to Madrid. When someone else
published a poor sequel to Don Quixote, Cervantes finally wrote
Part II of Don Quixote, which was released in 1615.
He died the following year.
COMPREHENSION ✍
A. True or False. Read the statements below. If the
statement is true, write T beside the sentence. If it is false,
write F. If it is false, correct the information.
1. Cervantes is best known for his excellent poetry.
2. Cervantes created the most famous figure in Spanish
literature.
3. Cervantes received a permanent injury when he was a
soldier.
4. Most of Cervantes plays are still well-known
today.
5. Cervantes’ writings made him a very rich man.
1
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Famous People
Miguel de Cervantes
B. Practice asking and answering the following questions with your partner. Then write the answers in complete sentences.
1. Why did Cervantes move from town to town when he was a child?
2. How did Cervantes feel about his role as a soldier in the battle of Lepanto?
3. What happened to Cervantes on his return journey to Spain?
4. Why was Roderigo released before Cervantes?
5. What was Cervantes’ first play based upon?
6. What did later generations think of his poetry?
7. What was Cervantes’ most famous novel and why did it become so popular?
8. Did the writing of Don Quixote change Cervantes’ life and if so, in what way?
VOCABULARY REVIEW ✍
A. Match the words on the left with the correct meaning on the right.
DISCUSS
_____ 1. create
_____ 2. figure
a) part
b) person who steals while at sea
_____ 3. soldier
_____ 4. battle
_____ 5. wound
c) locked up; kept in jail
d) book or story that follows a first one
e) make something new; produce
your favorite author?
_____ 6. crippled
_____ 7. role
f) set free; allowed to go free
g) character; person
literature. Can you name some other famous literary
_____ 8. victory
_____ 9. pirate
_____ 10. novel
h) injury or hurt from a gun, knife, etc.
i) member of an army
j) success (in war, a game, etc.)
characters?
_____ 11. capture
_____ 12. imprisoned
k) person who moves from place to place
l) unable to move properly
_____ 13. released
_____ 14. gypsy
_____ 15. sequel
m) take by force; make a prisoner
n) a fight, usually between armies
o) a long written story that fills a book
1. What kind of novels do you like to read? Who is
2. Don Quixote is the most famous figure in Spanish
characters? What did you like or dislike about these
3. Do you think Cervantes’ time in captivity played
an important role in his writing?
4. What factors do you think help make a novelist
successful?
B. Choose the word(s) with the closest meaning to the underlined words in the following sentences.
1. In 1575, Cervantes set out for Spain with his brother, Roderigo.
a) wrote about
b) settled in
c) left for
2. Turkish pirates captured the ship and the brothers were taken to Algiers as slaves.
a) soldiers
b) sailors
c) people who are forced to work very hard for others
3. Two years later, Roderigo was freed on ransom.
a) a ship
b) money paid for the release of someone who has been kidnapped
4. In 1585, Cervantes’ first major work, Galatea, received little attention.
a) important
5. For 20 years, he lived like a nomad.
b) famous
c) all alone
c) poetry
a) rich man
b) someone who travels from place to place
6. His novel, Don Quixote, brought him international acclaim.
a) a lot of money from around the world
b) world-wide fame
c) slave
c) power
2
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Famous People
Miguel de Cervantes
ANSWER KEY
Please note:
The reading for this topic is also available in full-page format at the end of the lesson (page 4).
PRE-READING QUESTIONS
COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS
A. True or False
1. F
2. T
3. T
4. F
5. F
B. Written Answers
1. Cevantes moved from town to town because of his father, a doctor, who was looking for work.
2. Cervantes was proud of his role as a soldier in the famous victory at Lepanto.
3. On his return journey to Spain, Turkish pirates captured the ship he and his brother were on, and they were taken to
Algiers as slaves.
4. The pirates thought that Cervantes was a more valuable captive and kept him imprisoned while freeing his brother.
5. His first play, El Trato de Argel was based on his experiences as a captive.
6. Later generations have called Cervantes one of the world’s worst poets.
7. Cervantes’ most famous novel was Don Quixote. The novel was popular because he wrote it in an everyday language
which people could easily understand and identify with.
8. The novel Don Quixote did not bring Cervantes any wealth but it did bring him international acclaim.
VOCABULARY REVIEW
A. Match the words
1. e
2. g
3. i
4. n
5. h
6. l
7. a
9. b
10. o
11. m
12. c
13. f
14. k
15. d
3. b
4. a
5. b
6. b
B. Choose the word
1. c
2. c
3
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photocopied by members of ESL-Llibrary.com in accordance with membership terms and conditions. Contact [email protected] for complete details.
8. j
Famous People
Miguel de Cervantes
Miguel de Cervantes
Miguel de Cervantes was a Spanish novelist, playwright and poet. He is best known for his novel Don Quixote,
and for creating Don Quixote, the most famous figure in Spanish literature.
Cervantes was born in 1547 in a town near Madrid. His father was a doctor and, for much of his childhood,
Cervantes moved from town to town while his father looked for work.
In his early twenties he studied for a few years in Madrid, and then became a soldier. In 1571, Cervantes fought in
the sea battle at Lepanto and received a wound that permanently crippled his left hand. He was proud of his role in
the famous victory.
In 1575, he set out for Spain with his brother, Roderigo. Turkish pirates captured the ship, and the brothers were
taken to Algiers as slaves. Two years later, Roderigo was freed on ransom. They thought that Cervantes was a
more valuable captive and kept him imprisoned. He was released in 1580 after his family had raised enough money
for his ransom. He returned to Madrid, and began to write.
His first play, El Trato de Argel was based on his experiences as a captive. Cervantes claimed to have written
20-30 plays, but only two are known today. In 1585, his first major work, Galatea, received little attention. Later
generations have called him one of the world’s worst poets. For 20 years, he lived like a nomad. A collection of
short stories, Exemplary Tales, contained some of his best work about love, ideals and gypsy life.
It is said that Cervantes wrote Don Quixote while in prison at Argamasilla in La Mancha. He wanted to give a
picture of real life, and express himself in clear language. Readers loved the everyday language. He remained poor
until 1605 when Part I of Don Quixote was released. The story didn’t change his financial situation much, but
brought him international acclaim.
In 1606, he moved permanently to Madrid. When someone else published a poor sequel to Don Quixote,
Cervantes finally wrote Part II of Don Quixote, which was released in 1615.
He died the following year.
4
Copyright 2009. This eBook is produced and distributed by Red River Press Inc. All rights reserved. The contents within this e-book/document may only be
photocopied by members of ESL-Llibrary.com in accordance with membership terms and conditions. Contact [email protected] for complete details.