Calderón de la Barca, Pedro, << `kahl` duh ROHN `dehl` uh BAHR kuh, PAY droh >> (1600-1681), was a Spanish playwright and the last great writer of Spain’s Golden Age. Calderón wrote about 200 plays, including more than 70 autos sacramentales (religious plays on the theme of the Eucharist). Calderón dealt with traditional Roman Catholic moral and religious attitudes. He filled his plays with symbolism and elaborate figures of speech. Life Is a Dream (written in 1635; first performed about 1638) is his best-known play. It explores the mysteries of human destiny and the conflict between free will and predestination. Calderón also wrote tragedies based on the Spanish honor code, including The Surgeon of His Honor, and “cloak-and-sword” plays of intrigue.
Calderón was born in Madrid on Jan. 17, 1600. He received a university education in law, logic, and theology. Calderón became a priest at the age of 50. He died on May 25, 1681.
