Prospero, the exiled rightful duke of Milan and a master magician in Shakespeare’s The Tempest. Prospero has used the experience of shipwreck on an enchanted island to master all sorts of supernatural powers. He uses this knowledge to transform the island and its inhabitants and eventually to reconcile with his usurping brother Antonio. Prospero delivers one of Shakespeare’s best-known speeches, declaring
We are such stuff
As dreams are made on, and our little life
Is rounded with a sleep.
The character has been said to embody Shakespeare’s own philosophy.