SPAN 597 La Vida es Sueño and the Theatre of Calderón de la Barca

In this seminar we will delve into the complexities and beauty of Calderón de la Barca's theatre, particularly prevalent on his most famous creation: La Vida es Sueño. La Vida es Sueño and the Theatre of Calderón de la Barca: Paradigm, Symbol, and Humankind on Stage. According to many specialists La vida es sueño is the best play of the Spanish Golden Age, and in Spanish literature it represents something comparable to Hamlet. As we will ascertain from the first sessions of the seminar, in La vida es sueño the fineness of the verses is not at odds with the philosophical depth, the richness of characters, and a quasi-perfect plot; indeed, all are features that Calderón developed throughout the rest of his production, a significant selection of which we will examine during the rest of the semester, including El alcalde de Zalamea, Amar después de la muerte, El gran teatro del mundo, El príncipe constante, La cisma de Ingalaterra, La dama duende, etc. When analyzing these plays we will start with their historical, political, and sociological context. After this, we will discuss how Calderón addressed the major themes of his time and to what extent his reflections on freedom, war, honor, violence against women, human nature, political power and its limits, assimilation of ethnic and religious minorities, tragic vs. comic, etc. are still valid. The seminar will also highlight the playwright's conception that theatre should first be staged and then read. For this reason, in every class we will engage in the analysis of the dramatic text (characters, conflicts, stage directions, etc.), watch clips of theatre performances of the plays we are reading, and discuss how theatre, cinema, and television professionals have approached both the dramatic wealth and the allegorical worlds of Calderón.