Ariel

... is rescued by Prospero from imprisonment by Sycorax, the mother of the savage and deformed slave Caliban. Sycorax, a vicious and powerful witch, doesn't actually appear in the play, having died long before Prospero and Miranda arrive on the island.

Ariel is often played by female actors. He has given his name to

•	the BBC in–house magazine (via a sculpture that stands over the entrance to Broadcasting House)
•	a British motorcycle manufacturer that was bought by BSA in 1951 and last used in 1967
•	the main character in Disney's The Little Mermaid
•	a washing powder

... among many other things!