Pedro Calderón de la Barca: Master of Spanish Golden Age Drama

Pedro Calderón de la Barca: Dramatic Genius

The dramatic production of Pedro Calderón de la Barca includes more than a hundred works. To this number must be added his autos sacramentales (morality plays) and mythological or religious dramas.

Key Themes and Works in Calderón's Drama

Calderón's extensive repertoire can be categorized by theme:

• Spanish History and Legend: The Mayor of Zalamea (El alcalde de Zalamea).
• Swashbuckling Plots (Comedies of Intrigue): House with Two Doors Is Difficult to Guard (Casa con dos puertas, mala es de guardar); The Phantom Lady (La dama duende).
• Philosophical Dramas: Where the idea matters more than the action: Life Is a Dream (La vida es sueño).
• Honor and Jealousy: A Secret Grievance, Secret Revenge (A secreto agravio, secreta venganza); The Physician of His Honor (El médico de su honra).
• Mythological and Religious Affairs: Andromeda and Perseus (Andrómeda y Perseo); Absalom's Hair (Los cabellos de Absalón).

Autos Sacramentales (Morality Plays)

Calderón de la Barca wrote more than sixty autos sacramentales, acting as a poet and playwright, not as a theologian. It was he who gave the auto sacramental its final form, imbuing it with superior beauty, quality, and greater religious and theological depth. In these autos, Calderón reaches the fullness of his dramatic symbolism.

Notable examples of his autos sacramentales include:

• Philosophical and Theological: The Great World Theater (El gran teatro del mundo).
• Mythological: The Charms of Blame (Los encantos de la culpa).
• Based on the Old Testament: Belshazzar's Feast (La cena del rey Baltasar).
• Based on the New Testament: To Your Neighbor as Yourself (A tu prójimo como a ti mismo).
• Historical and Legendary: The Devotion of the Mass (La devoción de la misa).

Defining Characteristics of Calderón's Comedies

Structure and Intellectual Depth

• Structure: Compared to the comedies of Lope de Vega, Calderón's works tend to be more reflective and possess a more profound and successful structure.
• Intellectual Depth: His plays possess increased intellectual and ideological depth, often prioritizing the idea over the facts, thus restraining the dramatic action itself.

Language, Versification, and Characterization

• Language and Versification: Calderón's dramatic language is more elaborate and Baroque than Lope's, and his verse is always rich and expressive.
• Personality and Symbolism: Calderonian theater is also distinguished by the strength of its characters. Some characters acquire universal value, representing the strength of human character (Pedro Crespo in The Mayor of Zalamea) or serving as symbols (Segismundo, a symbol of freedom, in Life Is a Dream). Often, his characters are embodiments of ideas rather than individual personalities.

Legacy and Value of Calderonian Theater

Calderón's works are endowed with extraordinary dramatic power and a profound moral sense. Most of his works prominently feature three of the most important sentiments of 17th-century Spain: the religious, the monarchist, and honor—themes Calderón staged better than any of his contemporaries.

During the eighteenth century, the author fell into oblivion. The required dramatic didacticism of the moment made the 18th century very unfavorable to Spanish classical theater in general.

However, in the nineteenth century, Spanish and German Romantics (Herder, Schiller, the Schlegel brothers, Goethe, etc.) rediscovered Calderón de la Barca, whom they admired and extolled for his many values, elevating him even above Shakespeare.