Sycorax (The Tempest – A Work in Progress)

Sycorax was a character in William Shakespeare's play The Tempest.

She was a witch, taking her name from the alien species of the same name. (PROSE: The Tempest – A Work in Progress)

Fictional biography
During the early stages of writing the play, Shakespeare struggled for ideas, ultimately culminating in the Tenth Doctor sending him a battery-powered Blu-ray player and a copy of Forbidden Planet to draw inspiration from. The Doctor claimed this was "not stealing" because the film had been based upon the version of The Tempest which Shakespeare was about to write.

Shakespeare's first idea with regards to a "baddie" for the piece was a monster and ancient alien which built a machine, though he soon changed his mind to a witch who had been exiled to the island. Another character, provisionally named Canibal, was her servant and son, with the witch also creating Ariel. At some point after this, the witch died, leaving Canibal alone on the island. Shakespeare was initially unusure exactly what became of Ariel but eventually settled on him becoming trapped in a magic tree after considering being buried in either fathoms of the Earth or in the sea five fathoms deep as alternatives. Shakespeare also briefly detailed in his notes a "big show-down" between Prospero and the witch at the play's end, featuring "duelling magic staffs, lots of explosions, smoke [and] trapdoor business".

Believing that The Tempest might have been his last play, when thinking of a name for the witch Shakespeare decided he would use one of the Doctor's suggestions as a "little thank you" and call her Sycorax. (PROSE: The Tempest – A Work in Progress) In fact, Shakespeare had declared "Nice word, I'll have that off you as well" after the Doctor compared an animal skull in the props store of the Globe Theatre to the Sycorax during his visit to 1599 with Martha Jones. (TV: The Shakespeare Code)