The story follows , the Prince of Poland, who has been imprisoned in a remote tower since birth by his father, King Basilio. Basilio took this action following an astrological prophecy that Segismundo would grow into a tyrant and bring disaster to the kingdom.
The central thesis of the play is that life is transient and illusory, similar to a dream. This leads to Segismundo’s famous realization: La vita ГЁ un sogno
: To protect the state, he is drugged again and returned to his tower. When he wakes, his jailer, Clotaldo, convinces him that his time in the palace was merely a dream. The "Life is a Dream" Philosophy The story follows , the Prince of Poland,
: Fearing he has acted unjustly, Basilio decides to test his son. Segismundo is drugged and brought to the palace, where he awakens as a prince. This leads to Segismundo’s famous realization: : To