Pedro Calderón de la Barca

Calderón was born into an upper-middle class family in Madrid, Spain, in 1600. His mother died when he was just 10 years old, and his father, a member of the Spanish nobility and secretary to the treasury, died when Calderón was 15. Calderón studied at the Jesuit College in Madrid, and he later studied law at Salamanca, a university west of Madrid. From 1625 to 1635, Calderón served in Italy with the Spanish army, and in 1636, he was made a knight in the Order of Santiago—a religious and military order—by Philip IV, King of Spain and Portugal. Calderón fathered a son, Pedro José, during the late 1640s, but the boy’s mother died not long after giving birth. Calderón then entrusted his brother with the infant’s care before joining the priesthood. Throughout the course of his life, Calderón was a prolific writer, and he is generally accepted as one of the foremost playwrights of the Spanish Golden Age, a period of increased artistic expression that coincided with Spain’s emergence as a European power. Calderón began writing poetry, and he won several contests in the city of Madrid. He then moved on to playwriting, and by the time he was in his 40s, Calderón had penned over 70 plays, including Life is a Dream, The Phantom Lady, and The Mayor of Zalamea. He wrote both religious and secular plays, and even wrote an opera, Celos aun del aire matan (translation: Jealousy, even groundless, still kills) in 1660. Calderón is known most for his complex plots, rich characters, and poetic imagery. He was a staunch observer of the Christian faith, and his plays often promote moral integrity and instruction. Claderón wrote his last play in 1680 before dying just a year later at the age of 81.