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Life
is a Dream
by Pedro Calderón de la Barca, translated by John Clifford
Burton Taylor until Saturday 9th March
This play is set in the royal court in Poland,
though this is only the setting. The play itself is about political
tyranny and intrigue in Spain during a particularly turbulent period
of its history. The stage set comprises a single chair in a blackened
room. Only haunting musical interludes relax the intimate atmosphere
between actors and audience, who surround the stage.
Segismundo has been chained up in a tower by his father, King Basilio,
since the day he was born. He is gripped by mental torture and the
lunacy of feeling that being alive is a crime. He craves the freedom
which he sees in nature, but which is denied to men. The king was
guided by the stars and superstition to imprison his son and he feared
Segismundo would overthrow and enslave him. Now he is caught in a
conflict of Gods prophecy, and his power, against his sons
freedom. Basilio decides to set Segismundo free for just one day,
which happens to be the day Rosaura, who has turned up seeking revenge
over her lover, stumbles upon the secret prince and so faces death
herself.
The question central to the father/son conflict, and the play as a
whole, is to what extent human beings may guide their own lives freely,
and whether they are able to use the power, that follows, wisely,
and with humility. On release, Segismundos first act is to kill
a man and almost rape Rosaura. Yet it soon becomes clear that his
lack of restraint stems from imprisonment. In the end, the people
come out on the streets in favour of Segismundo over the king and
his tyranny. He brings his father and the old political regime to
his feet, but refrains from taking revenge.
The play delivers a strong Christian message that there is little
wisdom in revenge or further provocation or cruelty. Now the insurrection
has passed there is no time or space for the traitors and rebels who
must remain locked in the tower. Only forgiveness, the real expression
of Segismundos power, and the restoration of a belief in human
goodness will bring about the possibility of permanent happiness and
freedom.
In prison Segismundo was only able to dream of possibilities and ambitions
in the world, not live them. It is only at the end of the play that
he concedes that life, although shaped and driven by dreams, may be
more than just the fiction and illusion he once conceived it to be.
It takes Clarin, the fool, and on stage and in a world of madness,
the voice of reason, to point out that without dreams and ambition
there can be no real change.
Life is a Dream is a 17th century play
from the Golden age of Spanish literature. This is a courageous choice
of play for an end of term student production, and the actors, many
of whom are at Magdalen college, deliver a courageous and sustained
performance. The play seemingly offers little time or reason for laughter,
although Clarin, the enlightened fool, is an inspired exception. The
players, with some notable individual performances, engage an appreciative
audience in plot, ideals and passions of the period, and demonstrate
they still have currency today.
Stephanie Kitchen 05.03.02
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