• Introduction
  • Summary of Life is a Dream
  • Connections of Life is a Dream to fairytales
    • Definition of a folktale vs fairytale
• Mikaela talks about Polish folktales
  • Introduction of different Polish folktales
  • The Princess of the Brazen Mountain + Life is a Dream
• Cait talks about Spanish folktales
  • The Enchanted Castle in the Sea + Life is a Dream
• Ecocriticism
  • How does nature act as a cage for people in these folktales and in Life is a Dream
  • Excerpt of Segismundo’s monologue
• Takeaway
  • Why does this matter?
  • Is it impacting translations or designs? 
  • Is the fairytale influence shown in production history?

Episode Transcript and Bibliography available here.

• Background context and narrative summary of Life is a Dream
  • Reading of selected text from Life is a Dream: A New Vintage – Act 1 Scene 1 
• 1 minute explanations of both Ecocriticism and Darwin’s Stages of Evolution 
• Analysis of evolution in Life is a Dream
  • Segismundo’s progression
  • Rosaura’s character progressions 
• Connection to names as a form of evolution
• Takeaway and wrap up

Episode Transcript and Bibliography available here.

• The Spanish Golden Age and Calderón de la Barca
  • Theatre in the period
  • Genres and structures
  • Religious implications
• Themes, Scopes, and Tropes:
  • Honor
  • Mythology
  • Legends
  • Religion
  • Feminism
• Connection between de la Barca’s Life is a Dream and Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko’s animated television series Avatar: The Last Airbender
• Dramatic reading of dialogue from Act III, Scene 8
  • Molly Martinez-Collins as Rosaura and Chris Johnston as Clotaldo
• Analysis of Rosaura’s quest for restitution of her honor, relationships between characters, and men’s honor vs. women’s honor

Episode Transcript and Bibliography available here.