Segismundo/Philip IV: The Politics of Astrology in La vida es sueño

La vida es sueño points to three specific celestial events in the casting of Segismundo's horoscope: the 1605 solar eclipse in Scorpio, the 1604 nova in the constellation of Ophiuchus, and the 1603 Jupiter-Saturn conjunction in Sagittarius. The many prophecies related to these events pointed to the new king. Some claimed that a new tyrant would arise; others hailed this new ruler as heaven-sent. Calderón's play refers to these events and prophecies in order to point to the birth and future rulership of Philip IV of Spain. La vida es sueño, then, is built upon a rather thorny premise—that Segismundo/Philip IV will reflect the heavenly writings, both positive and negative. The play is an astro-political experiment that looks at the predictions years after the event, when Segismundo has grown up, when Philip IV has become king.