Life is a Dream Study Guide Next. In-depth summary and analysis of every act of Life is a Dream. Visual theme-tracking, too. Explanations, analysis, and visualizations of Life is a Dream 's themes.
Life is a Dream 's important quotes, sortable by theme, character, or act. Description, analysis, and timelines for Life is a Dream 's characters. Explanations of Life is a Dream 's symbols, and tracking of where they appear. An interactive data visualization of Life is a Dream 's plot and themes. He wrote both religious and secular plays, and even wrote an opera, Celos aun del aire matan translation: Jealousy, even groundless, still kills in He was a staunch observer of the Christian faith, and his plays often promote moral integrity and instruction.
The Habsburg dynasty lasted from to around , and the rise of this dynasty coincided with the rise of the Spanish empire as a whole, a kingdom that was one of the largest and most powerful empires in all of history. Spanish Baroque literature defined the early 17th century, when Life is a Dream was written, and is known for its highly ornate and embellished language.
Lope is perhaps best known for his play Fuenteovejuna , which is based upon a historical event in Castile during the s, in which a commander of the Spanish military mistreats the local villagers and is killed in revenge. Cite This Page. Segismundo is incensed. How could Clotaldo treat his prince so badly? Segismundo threatens to kill Clotaldo with his bare hands and throws a servant from the balcony.
King Basilio arrives to investigate the commotion, and Segismundo verbally attacks him for locking him in the secret prison. Meanwhile, Estrella approaches Rosaura—whom she knows as Astraea, her lady-in-waiting—and asks her to retrieve the pendant from Astolfo.
As Estrella leaves, Rosaura is distraught. Clotaldo, who now knows that Rosaura is his daughter, has advised her not to reveal her true identity. Suddenly, Astolfo enters and recognizes Rosaura as the woman he had fallen in love with in Muscovy. She tells him that her name is Astraea and demands he give her the portrait, so she may in turn give it to Estrella. Astolfo refuses and tells Rosaura that the portrait in question is of her.
She had brought along her own, Rosaura claims, and when she stopped to look at it, Astolfo took it and now refuses to return it. Astolfo again refuses. Segismundo again assumes he is dreaming, but he plays along anyway and decides to prove the prophecy true. He will fight his father and claim his rightful place on the throne. When Clotaldo realizes that Segismundo has been freed from his cell, he throws himself at his feet and begs for mercy. Segismundo, however, thanks Clotaldo for taking care of him over the years and spares his life.
He pledges his loyalty to Clotaldo and says that good deeds, even in dreams, are never wasted. Clotaldo thanks Segismundo for his kindness but says he cannot take up arms against the king, to whom he has sworn his own loyalty. Segismundo understands, and he lets Clotaldo go, promising to see him on the battlefield. At the palace in Warsaw, Rosaura begs Clotaldo to help her seek revenge on Astolfo.
Clotaldo refuses. She is furious and curses Clotaldo as her father. Clotaldo and Rosaura exit, and Segismundo, accompanied by his armed men, enters. Suddenly, Rosaura enters again, this time dressed in a long tunic and carrying her sword.
She pledges her loyalty to Segismundo and explains again how Astolfo has stolen her honor. Rosaura is angry that Segismundo is ignoring her, but he assures her that he will avenge her honor through actions, not words. He will honor him after all, Segismundo says, and accepts him as his father and king.
The dominant motives in Calderon's dramas are characteristically national: fervid loyalty to Church and King, and a sense of honor heightened almost to the point of the fantastic. Though his plays are laid in a great variety of scenes and ages, the sentiment and the characters remain essentially Spanish; and this intensely local quality has probably lessened the vogue of Calderon in other countries.
In the construction and conduct of his plots he showed great skill, yet the ingenuity expended in the management of the story did not restrain the fiery emotion and opulent imagination which mark his finest speeches and give them a lyric quality which some critics regard as his greatest distinction. Of all Calderon's works, "Life is a Dream" may be regarded as the most universal in its theme. It 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.
The story which forms its basis is Oriental in origin, and in the form of the legend of "Barlaam and Josaphat" was familiar in all the literatures of the Middle Ages. Combined with this in the plot is the tale of Abou Hassan from the "Arabian Nights," the main situations in which are turned to farcical purposes in the Induction to the Shakespearean "Taming of the Shrew.
As this version of Calderon's drama is not for acting, a higher and wider mountain-scene than practicable may be imagined for Rosaura's descent in the first Act and the soldiers' ascent in the last.
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