Abstract

In Calderón’s sacramental plays, we frequently find stage effects of dreaming, in which the characters sleep or dream different actions. The author of this article divides these effects in two types: dreamers and sleepers. We can not consider this theatrical operation as a simple aesthetic ornament, but it constitutes a way of joining two levels of allegory: to dream with celestial or infernal visions constitutes the place where the opposing forces can fight, and this confrontation is important to develop the plot and anticipate the resolution of conflicts. In the case of characters sleeping on stage, this activity is always loaded with further meanings that help to clarify the plot according to the scheme accurately outlined by allegory.