Pedro Calderon De La Barca Essay

542 Words2 Pages

Throughout the Neoclassical Age, logic, simplicity and concord infiltrated all parts of society. In writing, it was implied that works should be rational and able to promote logical standards to the public. In spite of the fact that this movement was not viable in Spain like in France, there were works that incredibly showed neoclassical esteems. One well-known example of such works was Pedro Calderon de la Barca's Life Is a Dream (La vida es sueno). The play recounts the tale of Segismundo who was detained by his father, King Basilio, due to an astrological prophecy that he will grow up to be cruel and a rebel against the king. He is attended and guarded just by Clotaldo in a cave, where he is jailed, The play began when he is found by Rosaura …show more content…

Since it is the era of the revival or appropriation of classical works in then "new" times, the essence of its derivation should be considered. During the days of Greeks and Romans, astrology and duty are much of a talk as well. These themes are also present in the play. The character who exhibited the act of reasoning is Segismundo. From beastly, he became human when he let Costaldo off the hook instead of killing him. He changed after Clotaldo once reminded him that even in dreams, one should do great. Segismundo believed what Clotaldo has said and assured himself to control his wrath since maybe everything is a dream and life is a deception. He pondered deeply on what had happened to him in the court; he made a decision out of reasoning. King Basilio embodied the classical belief in the stars. Based of the philosophy of the Greek scholar Empedocles, nature affects human lives; involved four components or classical elements: earth, air, fire, and water. Astral bodies manifest the impact of these elements and, in turn, as far as anyone knows, direct a man’s destiny. The horscope reading demonstrated an omen when King Basilio examined the stars before Segismundo’s birth. King Basilio thought that it is right for him, as Poland’s king and Segismundo’s father, to take action and had his son jailed to control his

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