Life is a Dream (MacCarthy Translation)

The greatest philosophical drama ever written in the Spanish language, Life is a Dream asks a question that haunts every waking moment: how do we know what is real? Prince Sigismund has been imprisoned from birth in a tower by his father, King Basilius, who once glimpsed a terrifying prophecy his son would bring ruin to the kingdom. When Basilius dares to test fate by freeing Sigismund for one day, the prince's violence confirms the worst fears and the king tells him it was all a dream. But which version is true? Or are both illusions? Calderón constructs his masterpiece as a ruthless inquiry into free will, honor, and the boundaries of reality itself. When Sigismund finally rises in armed rebellion, the play poses its final, unbearable question: if life is a dream, what kind of person will you choose to be within it?