Prospero

Prospero is a fictional character and protagonist in William Shakespeare's play The Tempest.

Prospero Farinacci (30 October 1554 – 30 October 1618) was an Italian lawyer and judge, noted for his harsh sentencing. Farinacci was born and died in Rome. Whilst he was a staunch prosecutor of sodomites, in 1595 he was himself accused of having repeatedly entertained sodomitic relations. He was excused of the crime by Pope Clement VIII, who famously made a pun on Farinacci's name (which alludes to "flour" in Italian) by claiming that "The flour is good, it's the bag that's bad."

Prospero Colonna, Duke of Rignano, Prince of Sonnino (18 July 1858 – 16 September 1937) was an Italian politician and aristocrat. He was twice mayor of Rome (1899–1905, 1914–1919). He served in the Chamber of Deputies and Senate of the Kingdom of Italy.

Prospero Alpini (23 November 1553 – 6 February 1617) was a Venetian physician and botanist. He travelled around Egypt and served as the fourth prefect in charge of the botanical garden of Padua. He wrote several botanical treatises which covered exotic plants of economic and medicinal value. His description of coffee and banana plants are considered the oldest in European literature. The ginger-family genus Alpinia was named in his honour by Carolus Linnaeus.

One of Uranus' smaller moons is named Prospero, after the Shakespeare character.

Prospero Lambertini was the birthname of Pope Benedict XIV (Pontificate between 1740-1758).

A famous bearer of this name, possibly the most famous bearer of this name, is the father of Miranda in Shakespeare's The Tempest. :-)

"The Prospero" is the name of a ship in Daniel Handler's "A Series of Unfortunate Events" novels, specifically featuring in the second book and referred to throughout the series.

One of Uranus' moon bears this name.

I believe Edgar Allen Poe's "The Masque of the Red Death" takes place in Prince Prospero's castle.