Prospero (/ˈprɒspəroʊ/ PROS-pər-o) is a fictional character and the protagonist of William Shakespeare's play The Tempest.Prospero is the rightful Duke of Milan, whose usurping brother, Antonio, had put him (with his three-year-old daughter, Miranda) to sea on a "rotten carcass" of a boat to die, twelve years before the play begins. Prospero and Miranda had survived and found exile on a small island. He has learned sorcery from books, and uses it while on the island to protect Miranda and control the other characters.