Prospero

He was the duke of Milan who (with his daughter, Miranda) was sent off on a boat to die by his brother Antonio so that he could become duke. Prospero and Miranda survived on the boat and found exile on a small island where he learned sorcery. On the island, he became the master of Caliban and Ariel.

By chance, Antonio sails near this island and Prospero conjures a storm that forces him (and other characters) ashore. Prospero regains his dukedom from Antonio through the events of the play.

His final monologue is considered to be one of the most memorable speeches of Shakespeare. Because of his powers, some believe that Prospero represents Shakespeare or God. It is likely that the character was based on or at least inspired by John Dee, a philosopher with a reputation as a magician in Shakespeare's time.

Prospero is a relatively small natural satellite of the planet Uranus named after the Shakespearean character. It was discovered in 1999 by the astrophysicist Matthew Holman. As of 2002, little is known about this irregular satellite.

Because of its small size, recent discovery, and the nature of orbit, there is a lot of conflicting information on Prospero.

• Radius: about 10-20 km
• Orbital period: 1947 days
• Distance from center of Uranus: about 10,000,000 - 25,000,000 km