Calderón de la Barca is the culmination of Spanish Baroque theater. Pedro Calderon is known as one of the most known baroque writers of the Spanish golden age. The time between 1580 and 1680 is called the Golden Age in Spain, when art and literature flourished. Calderon lived when the Spanish Golden Age theatre was being defined by Lope de Vega, he developed it further, his work is known as the culmination of the Spanish Baroque theatre.
Pedro Calderon de la Barca born on 17 January in 1600. He studied at a jesuit school, then at the university of Alcala and finally at the University of Salamanca, according to: “Educated at the Jesuit Colegio Imperial, Calderón studied logic and rhetoric at the University of Alcala (1614-15) and canon law at the University of Salamanca (1615-21).( article Life is Dream by Nelson Orringer and Pamela S.Loy)”. This shows that Pedro Calderon was an educated and prepared man. This is also supported by the following: “Calderón was educated at the Jesuit College in Madrid, where he prepared to take holy orders. But before his studies were completed, he enrolled in the university at Salamanca to study law (Life is a Dream from the book Drama for Students). This shows that Calderon de La Barca had religious and law knowledge. Summing up, both sources say that Calderon went to school and then to college, however they do not agree in everything with what exactly Calderon was learning at the schools he went to because the source Life is Dream says that he was studying logic rhetoric and law but the other source Life is a Dream 1 say that Calderon was studying religion and law.
After Calderon ended his education, he became known by the literary competitions held in the 1620s. This is according to the following piece of evidence: “The literary career of the young poet was launched by the competitions from 1620 to 1622”.(Pedro Calderón De la Barca by Mathew D Stroud). Then, “in 1622, Calderon became Spain’s court poet”(Life is a Dream 1). These two pieces of evidence show the rise of Calderon to stardom. Calderón goes from being in competitions to being court’s poet, a meteorical change. In expanded form, Pedro Calderón De la Barca says how Calderon became court ‘s poet and (Life is a Dream 1) states that.
On the other hand, Calderon was court’s poet meaning that he was close to the king and this is going to be important later, but first thing first. In 1623, Calderón performed his first play Amor, Honor y Poder, according to Pedro Calderón De la Barca. Now, it is time to talk about the issue with the king. In fact, because Calderon was court’s poet and he gained the favor of the king based on Pedro by Jodi Campbell. So, the king named it director of all plays produced in the royal palace. This is supported by: “In the 1630s, the king named Calderón director of all plays produced in the royal palace”(Life is Dream). This has to do everything with Calderon’s way towards becoming the culmination of Spanish Baroque Theater because, a little bit of learning time. The baroque was an art adopted by the kings according to Baroque, an article by Philip L. Sohm . This is suggesting that during the 1630s Calderon was doing Baroque plays but this is not all because it is in 1636, when Calderon performed Life is a Dream. This is based on: “Published in 1636 and considered one of the best known theatrical works of Spanish theater during the baroque period(La vida es Sueño by spain arts and culture)”. This shows that Life is a dream was a success of the Baroque Period but why. Well, it is good to know that the creator of life’s dream was an educated and gifted man; we are talking about “one of the finest playwrights of world literature(De La Barca by Babel Matrix)”. “Known as one of the most distinguished Baroque writers of the Spanish Golden Age”(Calderon De La Barca by Discography of American Recordings). This is saying at screams that Calderon is a genius playwright and this is not a surprise because he went to school and college, later, he became known in a literary competition and then he became court poet and then the director of all plays produced in the royal palace. Calderon was just a very fine playwright.
But, let’s dive into Life is a dream. Life is a dream is about a king who visited an astrologist to see the future of his son. The astrologer told him that his son is going to be a bad guy. So, the king imprisoned his son. This is according to the following piece of evidence: “the piece relates the story of Segismundo, Prince of Poland, who has been imprisoned by his father, King Basilio, following a dire prophecy that the prince would bring disaster to the country and death to the King.(La vida es Sueño)” This shows themes of fate, hierarchy and rationality, the three key characteristics themes of Baroque works, this is based on: “Like Baroque works elsewhere, those in Spain were concerned with issues such as hierarchy, rationality, and willpower.(Life is Dream), because in the story there is a king, this is hierarchy. Because in the story, the king believed what the astrologer told him, he is not using his reason, this is rationality and the king believed that the fate of his son is to be a bad guy and willpower worth nothing here, this is willpower. So, these three themes of the Baroque period lie in the story of Life is Dream.
All this is saying that Calderon was a Baroque playwright but he also represents Spanish Baroque theater because besides talking about the themes of the baroque, in life is a dream he also talks about something that Spain of seventeenth century was passing through, that is deceit. The Spaniards were disappointed with Spain’s power because they were losing wars, this is according to Life is Dream. So, the Spaniards were disappointed with the pursuit of power and thus they were like awakening from a dream because they are no longer the powerful nation they believed they were. Then, the term deceit became known among the Spaniards of that time according to Life is Dream. Summing up, Calderon addresses the themes of the baroque: Hierarchy, rationality and willpower. And also, he addresses the theme of deceit, turning Life is a dream into Spanish and baroque style.
“Without any doubt, Calderon’s most famous play is La vida es sueiio, or Life is a Dream. Not only does it occupy an almost unique position within Spanish literature, but it is one of the few Spanish works to be universally included in the canon of world literature (Pedro Calderón De la Barca)” .Pedro Calderon de la Barca is the culmination of Spanish Baroque theater because in life is a dream he talks about the major concerns of Spanish Baroque theater. He talks about Hierarchy, rationality, willpower and deceit. So, people liked it and it just became famous and praised. Thus the image of Calderon is of one the finest playwright of literature that took the baroque to his last consequences.
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