La vida es sueño

E177605

La vida es sueño is a seminal 17th-century Spanish Golden Age play by Pedro Calderón de la Barca that explores free will, reality, and illusion through the story of a prince imprisoned from birth.

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All labels observed (3)

Statements (49)

Predicate Object
instanceOf Spanish Golden Age play
philosophical drama
play
antagonist Basilio
author Pedro Calderón de la Barca
canonicalStatus key work of the Spanish Golden Age
major work of Spanish literature
countryOfOrigin Spain
famousLine La vida es sueño self-linksurface differs
surface form: Que toda la vida es sueño, y los sueños, sueños son.

¿Qué es la vida? Un frenesí. ¿Qué es la vida? Una ilusión, una sombra, una ficción.
firstPerformance circa 1635
genre allegorical play
drama
philosophical drama
hasAdaptation film adaptations
opera adaptations
television adaptations
theatrical reinterpretations
influenced European Baroque drama
modern philosophical literature
influencedBy Baroque philosophy
Catholic theology
literaryForm verse
literaryPeriod Baroque
mainCharacter Astolfo
Basilio
Clarín
Clotaldo
Estrella
Rosaura
Segismundo
meter Spanish Golden Age polymetric verse
movement Spanish Golden Age
originalLanguage Spanish
plotSummary A prince, Segismundo, imprisoned from birth because of a prophecy, is tested by being brought to court in a drugged state to see how he will rule.
After behaving tyrannically when briefly freed, Segismundo is returned to his prison and led to believe his experience was only a dream.
Rebels later free Segismundo, who chooses mercy and self‑control, accepting that life itself may be a dream.
protagonist Segismundo
publicationDate 1635
setting Poland
surface form: Polonia
structure three acts
studiedIn Hispanic literature curricula worldwide
theme dream versus reality
free will
honor
human nature
power and tyranny
predestination
reality and illusion

Referenced by (4)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Spanish Renaissance notableWork La vida es sueño
La vida es sueño famousLine La vida es sueño self-linksurface differs
this entity surface form: Que toda la vida es sueño, y los sueños, sueños son.
Pedro Calderón de la Barca notableWork La vida es sueño
Pedro Calderón de la Barca notableWork La vida es sueño
this entity surface form: Life Is a Dream