Pedro Calderän de la Barca

Pedro Calderón de la Barca (1600–1681) was a Spanish playwright and poet of the Siglo de Oro (Spanish Golden Age). Born in Madrid, he became one of the leading dramatists of 17th-century Spain, writing both secular comedias and religious autos sacramentales. His best-known play, *La vida es sueño* (*Life Is a Dream*), explores themes of fate, free will, and the nature of reality and remains a landmark of Baroque drama. Calderón also wrote court spectacles for the Spanish monarchy and was closely associated with Madrid’s theatrical culture. He died in Madrid in 1681.