Calderon de La Barca

Pedro Calderon de la Barca was born in Madrid in 1600 where he will die in 1681, thus showing proof of an exceptional longevity. For the historians of literature the date of his death marks the end of the great period of the Spanish Comedia, and a genre in which he excelled. Born into a family of the minor landed gentry, he studies with the Jesuits in Madrid, then attends the faculties of theology and law in Alcala and Salamanca. It is certain that his education, influenced by the Jesuits, played a major role in the metaphysical thought that he will develop in many of his profane plays as well as in nearly all his autosacrementales. The ideas that he propounds on the problems of repentance, grace, and man's place in the divine project are directly inspired by Jesuit doctrine, but he has nevertheless a very personal stance on these topics. After an eventful period as a student, his father's death marks his life and writing. His theatrical career begins when he is only about twenty years old; very quickly, it leads to success and to the King's service where he becomes the almost exclusive supplier of theatrical entertainment. In 1650, he enters a Franciscan order before being ordained as priest the following year. From then on, he will no longer write for the popular corrales but only autos for the religious festivals, and zarzuelas and mythological comedies for the Court. At his death, Calderon is considered the greatest man of letters in Spain: one admires his genius, but also the wisdom and the discretion that he displayed in the second part of his life.