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Calderón Plays One: The Surgeon of Honour; Life is a Dream; Three Judgements in One
In recent years, the English-language theatre has rediscovered Pedro Calderon De La Barca and a number of highly successful productions have been staged. These translations by Gwynne Edwards capture the ferocious spirit of his work in sharp and speakable translation.
The three plays included in Calderon Plays 1 represent Calderon's most celebrated work, in which he explores the extent of man's freedom in a hierarchical society often bound by anachronistic codes of conduct. The plays are The Surgeon of Honour, described by Michael Billington as 'one of the most disquieting plays in all world drama … a dark masterpiece', Life is a Dream, Calderón's most famous play, and Three Judgements in One, less well-known but one of his finest works.
"Calderon excels all modern dramatists with the exception of Shakespeare, whom he resembles in the depth of thought and subtlety of his writings" (Shelley)
The three plays included in Calderon Plays 1 represent Calderon's most celebrated work, in which he explores the extent of man's freedom in a hierarchical society often bound by anachronistic codes of conduct. The plays are The Surgeon of Honour, described by Michael Billington as 'one of the most disquieting plays in all world drama … a dark masterpiece', Life is a Dream, Calderón's most famous play, and Three Judgements in One, less well-known but one of his finest works.
"Calderon excels all modern dramatists with the exception of Shakespeare, whom he resembles in the depth of thought and subtlety of his writings" (Shelley)
336 pages, Paperback
First published March 11, 1991
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About the author
Pedro Calderón de la Barca
1,768 books281 followersPedro Calderón de la Barca y Henao was a dramatist of the Spanish Golden Age.
Calderón initiated what has been called the second cycle of Spanish Golden Age theatre. Whereas his predecessor, Lope de Vega, pioneered the dramatic forms and genres of Spanish Golden Age theatre, Calderón polished and perfected them. Whereas Lope's strength lay in the sponteneity and naturalness of his work, Calderón's strength lay in his capacity for poetic beauty, dramatic structure and philosophical depth. Calderón was a perfectionist who often revisited and reworked his plays, even long after they debuted. This perfectionism was not just limited to his own work: many of his plays rework existing plays or scenes by other dramatists, improving their depth, complexity, and unity. (Many European playwrights of the time, such as Molière, Corneille and Shakespeare, reworked old plays in this way.) Calderón excelled above all others in the genre of the "auto sacramental", in which he showed a seemingly inexhaustible capacity to giving new dramatic forms to a given set of theological constructs. Calderón wrote 120 "comedias", 80 "autos sacramentales" and 20 short comedic works called "entremeses"
Calderón initiated what has been called the second cycle of Spanish Golden Age theatre. Whereas his predecessor, Lope de Vega, pioneered the dramatic forms and genres of Spanish Golden Age theatre, Calderón polished and perfected them. Whereas Lope's strength lay in the sponteneity and naturalness of his work, Calderón's strength lay in his capacity for poetic beauty, dramatic structure and philosophical depth. Calderón was a perfectionist who often revisited and reworked his plays, even long after they debuted. This perfectionism was not just limited to his own work: many of his plays rework existing plays or scenes by other dramatists, improving their depth, complexity, and unity. (Many European playwrights of the time, such as Molière, Corneille and Shakespeare, reworked old plays in this way.) Calderón excelled above all others in the genre of the "auto sacramental", in which he showed a seemingly inexhaustible capacity to giving new dramatic forms to a given set of theological constructs. Calderón wrote 120 "comedias", 80 "autos sacramentales" and 20 short comedic works called "entremeses"
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
October 19, 2012
Causes one to consider the consequences of actions: if Fate or Free will is the master of one's future. Many philosophical enigmas to consider. Well written with humor and good rhythm. Memorable for it's thematic concepts.
March 2, 2015
Beautifully written and thought-provoking.
November 4, 2024
Three of Calderon's hundreds of plays. These are some of the best ones. "The Surgeon of Honour" details how a man essentially destroys his reputation by going behind his daughter's back during her love affair. "Life is a Dream" follows a man locked away in a tower who, upon being place on the throne one day, becomes a tyrant as he thinks himself asleep. However, the people decide to replace the real tyrant king and the imprisoned man tries to act honorably at the head of their rebel force knowing that this is now reality. "Three Judgments in One" has a complicated plotline but essentially ties together multiple persons so that the king may strike justice against three people with one blow.
This edition has a longer introduction than some other English editions of Calderon but has fewer plays than most and not translated as well.
This edition has a longer introduction than some other English editions of Calderon but has fewer plays than most and not translated as well.
November 14, 2023
very thin stuff but being as magnanimous as i am i will attribute it entirely to the translator, besides the obviously modern bits much of it read simply as explication, a shame calderon is so poorly treated in english that there's not much to compare it to (and the same culprit is responsible for the most widely available edition of lope de vega)
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews