Life Is a Dream
Pedro Calderon de la Barca, Gregary Racz (Translator), Gregary Racz (Introduction), Gregary RaczBooks.org participates in affiliate programs including Bookshop.org and the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. We may earn a commission from qualifying purchases made through links on this page, at no additional cost to you.
Overview
The most popular of Calderon's mysteries, Life is a Dream utilizes characters such as Fire, Water, The Light of Grace, and The Prince of Darkness to pose questions about free will and reason, good and evil.Synopsis
The masterwork of Spain's preeminent dramatist—now in a new verse translation
Life Is a Dream is a work many hold to be the supreme example of Spanish Golden Age drama. Imbued with highly poetic language and humanist ideals, it is an allegory that considers contending themes of free will and predestination, illusion and reality, played out against the backdrop of court intrigue and the restoration of personal honor.
In the mountainous barrens of Poland, the rightful heir to the kingdom has been imprisoned since birth in an attempt by his father to thwart fate. Meanwhile, a noblewoman arrives to seek revenge against the man who deceived and forsook her love for the prospect of becoming king of Poland. Richly symbolic and metaphorical, Life Is a Dream explores the deepest mysteries of human experience.