Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra
Numantia
"Numantia" by Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra is a tragedy written circa 1582. Set during the Roman siege of Numantia in 133 BC, the play depicts the final stand of a Spanish city against Scipio Aemilianus's forces. As starvation grips the besieged town, its citizens face an agonizing choice between surrender and a more drastic alternative. Through allegorical figures and scenes of domestic suffering, Cervantes explores themes of patriotism, sacrifice, and resistance. The work remained unpublished until the eighteenth century but has since been celebrated as a rare specimen of Spanish tragedy.