One of the most famous works of Spanish drama is the play “Life is a Dream” (Calderon). The summary of this work was the main theme of our article.
About the play
Perhaps the most famous Spanish playwright of the 17th century is Pedro Calderon. “Life is a dream” (a brief summary of the play will be discussed in more detail below) is the pinnacle of his writing skills. The drama was first presented to the public in 1635 and immediately became a landmark work of its era.
The play was based on conflicts between man and nature, personality and power, duty and destiny. The aim of the whole work was to reveal the essence of human nature and being. Hence the specific genre of the work - religious and philosophical drama.
“Life is a dream” (Calderon): summary
The noble lady Rosaura, dressed as a man, accompanied by a servant of Clarinet, got lost in the mountains, not far from the castle of the Polish king. The night is approaching, it is deserted around, but suddenly the satellites distinguish in the distance a tower from which the wailing of the captured Sekhismundo comes.
A hero who has never seen freedom is created by Calderon (“Life is a dream”). The summary describes how Rosaura enters the tower and starts a conversation with the captive. The jailer Klotaldo rushes to the sound of voices and calls the guard. Sehismundo is taken away, and weapons are taken from strangers. Clotaldo takes Rosaur’s sword and marvels. To his question, the girl replies that she received the sword from a certain person who ordered her to come here and show weapons to the people of this kingdom. Then she will get any help.
Mysterious sword
The storyline of the drama "Life is a Dream" continues to unfold. Calderon (a brief summary of this testifies) does not depart from the then accepted magical methods of creating works related to mysticism, chance coincidences, secrets and riddles.
Clotaldo is left alone and recalls that he long ago gave this sword to Vyolante, promising that he would help anyone who returns the weapon back. The jailer suspects that the strange stranger (he mistook Rosaur for the boy) is his son. For help in solving a difficult situation, he turns to the Polish king Basilio.
Basilio has no children, and two nephews claim his throne: Estrella, the daughter of an older sister, and Astolfo, the son of a younger sister. At the same time, young people are in love with each other. Estrella is embarrassed in Astolfo's proposal to marry only that he wears a portrait of an unknown woman on his chest. Young people come to the king and ask him to appoint an heir.
Heir
Basilio replies to the requests of young people that he has a legitimate heir - Sehizmundo. But when the boy was not yet born, the astrologer predicted that he would bring death to his mother, would wreak havoc around him and even dare to raise his hand on his father. The first prediction came true right away - the queen died in childbirth. Therefore, the king decided to lock the dangerous child in the tower. Now Basilio decided to set him on the throne. If the prince meets his expectations, he will become the rightful heir.
The History of Rosaura and the Reign of Sehismundo
The plot of the play “Life is a Dream” (Calderon) continues to spin. A summary of the actions describes the appearance of Rosaura in the royal castle. The girl admits to Basilio who she is and tells what brought her here. She loves Astolfo, it is her portrait that he keeps on his chest. Rosaura remains in the castle under the name Astrea as maid of honor.
Sehizmundo in a dream transported to the palace. In the morning he wakes up, and he is told that he is the lord. The prince begins to commit atrocities, becoming like a wild beast. Basilio does not stand up and orders to put him to sleep and take him back to prison.
Waking up, Sehizmundo is in dismay. Clotaldo says he just had a strange dream. Anyway, is life so different from a dream?
Denouement
Comes to an end the action of the play "Life is a Dream" (Calderon). The summary describes Basilio’s decision to appoint Astolfo as his heir, who still wants to marry Estrella. Estrella, meanwhile, instructs Rosaura to steal the portrait that the prince wears on his chest. The girl succeeds, but Astolfo recognizes her. There is an explanation between the young people. Rosau accuses her lover of treason.
The people of Poland, upon learning of Basilio’s decision to seize Astolfo on the throne, rise up and liberate Sechismundo. He leads the rebellion and defeats the defenders of Basilio. The king prepares for death, remembering the unbridled disposition of his son. But Sekhizmundo has changed a lot, he bows to his father as his faithful vassal.
Astolfo refuses to marry Rosaur because of a difference in origin, but Clotaldo admits that she is his daughter. Now there are no obstacles to marriage. Estrella is married to Sehismundo, who is now fair, generous and affable. The heir explains such changes by the fact that he is afraid to wake up again in prison.