About the work
Cloak-and-dagger comedy by Pedro Calderón de la Barca, premiered in Madrid in 1629 and first printed in 1636; it reworks a now-lost play by Tirso de Molina.
Plot
The young widow Doña Angela is closely guarded by her brothers and barely allowed to appear in public. When a friend of the family, Don Manuel, is lodged in the house, she and her maid use a hidden door between their rooms to make him believe the house is haunted. After a series of mix-ups and a near duel, the misunderstandings are resolved and Angela and Don Manuel come together.
Cultural significance
The Phantom Lady is among Calderón's most frequently staged plays in the German-speaking world, with translations appearing from 1817 onward. Hugo von Hofmannsthal's adaptation, staged by Max Reinhardt at Berlin's Deutsches Theater in 1920, greatly boosted its popularity.