Calderon de la Barca, Pedro, kahl duh ROHN dehl uh BAHR kuh, PAY droh (1600-1681), was a Spanish playwright, and the last great writer of Spain's Golden Age. Calderon wrote about 200 plays, including more than 70 autos sacramentales (religious plays on the theme of the Eucharist). Calderon dealt with traditional Roman Catholic moral and religious attitudes. He filled his plays with symbolism and elaborate figures of speech. Life Is a Dream (1635), his best-known play, explores the mysteries of human destiny and the conflict between free will and predestination. Calderon also wrote tragedies based on the Spanish honor code, including The Surgeon of His Honor, and "cloak-and-sword" plays of intrigue.