t Ursula. The stories of the New World and the Indies stimulated adventurers like Pissaro and Cortez; and inspired writers, poets and artists. Take Prospero's islan in Shakespeare's Tempest, Robinson Crusoe, Treasure Island, Swiss Family Robinson, the dreams of Gauguin and the stories of R L Stephenson

It wilt be a day, in the words of Caliban, of 'sounds,"sweet airs' and 'a thousand twangling instruments', as represented in the V&A's collections. Prospero's art — the imaginative world of wizards, spells and demigods banned by the Elizabethan church but alive in people's fears and fantasies — will be l

n of The Lion King. In 2010 she directed a film version of The Tempest starring Helen Mitten as Prospers a female incarnation of Shakespeare's mage Prospero. While details of the new production have not yet been announced, it's fair to expect a visual feast given Taymor's reputation for lavish design. C

n of The Lion King. In 2010 she directed a film version of The Tempest starring Helen Mirren as Prospers a female incarnation of Shakespeare's mage Prospero. While details of the new production have not yet been announced, it's fair to expect a visual feast given Taymor's reputation for lavish design. C