The Tempest, Act 4, Scene 1
We are such stuff as dreams are made on” appears in William Shakespeare’s The Tempest in Act IV, Scene 1. It is spoken by one of the most important characters in the play—Prospero and is directed at Ferdinand, the young man who has fallen in love with Prospero’s daughter, Miranda.
He means that life is an illusion and a fleeting one. Eventually, everything that one knows, including that which is going on within the play, the play itself, and the life of audience members and readers, is going to fade away. Temples, buildings, and palaces are all going to disappear.
Michael Fenner is an actor, coach and painter. He picked this quote and was very specific about the location in Crossbones Graveyard due to the poignancy of the words.
A former post-medieval burial ground, Crossbones Graveyard & Garden of Remembrance is believed to be the last resting place of an estimated 15,000 paupers, many of whom were sex workers and children.
For years the site was almost forgotten, hiding its history behind hoardings and under rubble. But since 1996 local writer John Constable with the Friends of Crossbones have championed Crossbones, protecting the site and promoting its important history.
The garden, led by local people, is designed to respect the outcast dead who are buried beneath. It provides a sensitive, contemplative environment for all who would spend time here.
