En la vida todo es verdad y todo mentira: Calderón's Prince Defined by Faith

Calderón's palace play, En la vida todo es verdad y todo mentira compares two foster brothers and their reactions to different experiences. In this article, the prince's main action is discovered to be his search for identity. It is asserted that Calderón uses the basic romance plot to bind together larger themes, including the Baroque conflict between appearance and reality, rules of courtly behaviour, and religious and philosophical questions of motivation and human values. It is found that through this play, which would appear to be intended for pure entertainment, Calderón's political, philosophical and theological concepts are integrated, through one dramatic action, into a single serious statement. (MH)