Learn English – What does ‘made on’ mean here

meaning

What does 'dreams are made on' mean here? Is 'made on' a phrasal verb?

We are such stuff as dreams are made on.

(A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle)

Best Answer

The ordinary phrase would be what "dreams are made of", but this is a quotation from Shakespeare.

In The Tempest, Prospero, a sorcerer, says:

We are such stuff
As dreams are made on, and our little life
Is rounded with a sleep.

It means essentially the same as "made of".

Remember that very few native speakers can read Shakespeare without help, and that most poetic usage has unusual and overlaid meanings.

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