Pedro Calderon de la Barca’s play, Life is a Dream – La vida es sueno was one of Calderon’s best plays. Dominant in his dramas are his loyalty to the King and the Church and above all, as was the setting at the time, honour. Edward Fitzgerald in the introduction to the translation of the play states that the play: seeks to teach a lesson that may be learned from the philosophers and religious thinkers of many ages, that the world of our senses is a mere shadow, and that the only reality is to be found in the invisible and eternal (Fitzgerald, 2006)
The play is set in Poland, far away from Spain, to eliminate any distant thought that the play is suggesting any connection to the King of Spain. Made up of three Acts, the story focuses around
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The only person Segismundo ever had contact with was his jailer, Clotaldo. Clotaldo discovers Rosaura and arrests her since she had discovered the secret of the tower. On taking her sword Clotaldo discovers that he once owned it, suggesting that Rosaura, was his long lost son from a woman he had had a relationship with and had abandoned a long time ago. This puts Clotaldo in a dilemma since the King’s orders were to kill anyone discovering the secret of Segismundo. Clotaldo decides to inform the King and let him decide what to do with Rosaura (JG & Margaret, …show more content…
Clotaldo explains to Basilio how this was done, and introduces Rosaura as his niece. In the meantime Segismundo did far from behave. He tries to kill Clotaldo, and insults his father, Astolfo and Estrella, and kills a servant who got in his way. Basilio is accused of tyranny and Segismundo threatens to take revenge on his father for having him locked up and stripping him of his honour. Segismundo also encounters Rosaura who is now called Astrea and Estrella’s lady-in-waiting. Rosaura tries to leave and he threatens to dishonour her. Clotaldo hears Rosaura’s cries and goes to her defence only to be saved by Astolfo. Segismundo and Astolfo challenge each other, however Basileo enters and since nobody is allowed to fight in front of the King, Segismundo is once again overpowered, drugged and taken back to his prison (JG & Margaret,