Miguel de Cervantes died on 23 April 1616, after his health had been failing for some time. His death came just as the work of completing his literary career remained unfinished: the comedy he had in hand, "Engano a los ojos," would never be judged by an audience. The account presents his end not as a dramatic reversal but as the close of a life he met with courage and good humor.

Final Work and Declining Health

Cervantes had been working on "Engano a los ojos," a comedy he believed would be well received. The account calls it a dramatic masterpiece but notes that the world would have no opportunity to judge it. By then, his health had been failing for some time, and he apparently died of dropsy. The unfinished comedy marks a final, unrealized possibility at the edge of his life.

Death and Its Date

Cervantes died on 23 April 1616. The account draws attention to the coincidence that England lost Shakespeare on the same day, while qualifying the comparison: the English calendar had not yet been reformed. The date thus links the deaths in the account without treating their apparent simultaneity as exact under the calendars then in use.

The Account of His End

The narrative describes Cervantes as accepting his lot bravely and cheerfully. That characterization gives his death its particular emphasis: declining health and an unrealized play are set against a composure that the account presents as continuous with the way he lived. His death closes the possibility of judging the comedy, while the account preserves both the loss and the steadiness with which he faced it.