The Constant Prince

play by Calderón

Also known as: “El príncipe constante”

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June 24, 2026

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"The Constant Prince" is a religious play by Pedro Calderón de la Barca, a prominent Spanish playwright of the Golden Age. Written around 1629, the play dramatizes the martyrdom of Prince Ferdinand of Portugal. It explores themes of faith, suffering, and divine redemption, contrasting natural values with supernatural ones. The play is considered a significant example of Calderón's religious dramas, which often focused on conversion, saintliness, and Christian dogma. Calderón's work brought the tradition of the medieval morality play to a high artistic level, using formal abstractions and symbols to convey complex theological ideas.12

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Pedro Calderón de la Barca
Religious plays of Pedro Calderón de la Barca
…is El príncipe constante (1629; The Constant Prince), which dramatizes the martyrdom of Prince Ferdinand of Portugal. El mágico prodigioso (1637; The Wonder-Working Magician) is a more complex religious play. Los dos amantes del cielo (The Two Lovers of Heaven) and El Joséf de las mujeres (c. 1640; “The Joseph…
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…is El príncipe constante (1629; The Constant Prince), which dramatizes the martyrdom of Prince Ferdinand of Portugal. El mágico prodigioso (1637; The Wonder-Working Magician) is a more complex religious play. Los dos amantes del cielo (The Two Lovers of Heaven) and El Joséf de las mujeres (c. 1640; “The Joseph…
Read More