by Pedro Calderon de la Barca

Pedro Calderon de la Barca (1600-81) shared with Lope de Vega the distinction of being one of Spain’s two most celebrated playwrights during its Golden Age (1550-1650). He was the third of six children born to Diego Calderon and Ana María de Henao. Educated at the Jesuit Colegio Imperial, Calderon studied logic and rhetoric at the University of Alcalá (1614-15) and canon law at the University of Salamanca (1615-21). He served in Spanish campaigns in Italy and the Netherlands, and also became embroiled in personal disputes. In 1621 Calderon and two brothers faced murder charges for having killed an adversary in an argument. A couple of years later Calderon staged his first play Love, Honor, and Power (1623) in the royal palace. King Philip IV, extremely devoted to Calderon, gave him a royal pension, encouraged him...