The Golden Age Of Piracy Essay
Introduction
The Golden Age of Piracy is the subject of many Hollywood films. One of the most popular film series in recent years is the series Pirates of the Caribbean. But how accurately does the movie capture the Golden Age of Piracy that spanned from the 1650’s to the 1730’s? In order to answer this question, my team of researchers and I examined how accurately Jack Sparrow was portrayed, the myths and superstitions, the weapons, and the pirate code used in the movie Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl. The movie is about a pirate named Captain Jack Sparrow who arrives alone at Port Royal in Jamaica. Later that evening, the town is ransacked and attacked by a pirate ship called the Black Pearl, which is run by dead ghosts, and they kidnap the governor’s daughter, Elizabeth, who owns a valuable coin that transforms the pirates on the Black Pearl into the undead. The pirates promise never to return to Port Royal again if she gives them the coin, so she does, and a blacksmith named William Turner teams up with Jack Sparrow to save Elizabeth. After our research, we all agree that as a whole, the movie series Pirates of the Caribbean accurately portrays the Golden Age of Piracy.
Pirates of the Caribbean: Myths and Superstitions …show more content…
In the film series, “Pirates of the Caribbean” there many of references to sea myths, superstitions, and the supernatural. Some of these myths are put front and center while others are just glossed over. Because the screenwriter wanted this film to be historically accurate, very close attention to detail was paid. However, there were some instances of inaccurate myths, and although not all of the traditional elements of
the sea myths and superstitions are preserved, they do provide the foundation for the myths referenced in the movie.
For example, the ship used by Captain Barbossa, the Black Pearl, was a ghost ship run by a crew of the dead, who were cursed to live forever. This was a very clear nod to the pirate myth of the ship, Flying Dutchman. The Flying Dutchman was a real ship that never returned to a port. Legend says the Dutchman was also a ghost ship run by Captain Hendrick and the dead crew, who were cursed to roam the ocean forever. These two ships are very similar, which makes it an obvious reference. However, the Black Pearl was not called the Flying Dutchman, nor was it run by Captain Hendrick, which makes it inaccurate to pirate lore.
Another accurate myth portrayed in the movie that they touched upon was Davy Jones and his Locker. In the movie, when the two pirates were talking about William Turner’s dead father William Turner (also known as Bill Turner or Bootstrap Bill), they mentioned that they killed him by tying a chain to his leg and pushing him overboard. Then, they said that old Bootstrap was in Davy Jones’s Locker. This is historically (or mythologically) accurate because the pirates did believe that if you died by being drowned or sunk, you would end up in Davy Jones’s Locker.
Weapons
Weaponry used in the movie series, Pirates of the Caribbean, was used frequently throughout the movies. Weaponry, commonly associated with pirates, was used frequently back in the days of the Age of Piracy. Weapons were helpful items for all pirates because they used them to kill others that threatened them. Weapons came
in all shapes and sizes, but they had to be used in the correct way. In the Pirates of the Caribbean, most of the weapons are portrayed correctly.
Some weapons in the Pirates of the Caribbean that were often used include the flintlock pistols and short swords, known as cutlasses. The cutlass’s main purpose was to make the enemy surrender, and it was used to duel multiple enemies at a time. In the movie, the cutlass is seen when Jack Sparrow goes into a blacksmith shop and spots a cutlass by a nearby table. Many pirates fought with cutlasses in tight spaces to get rid of one another, and although swords were used in the Age of Piracy, in the movie, they portrayed the sword inaccurately. In one scene, Jack Sparrow was shown fighting other pirates on deck with a long sword. In reality, pirates used swords on land so they would have more space rather than fighting on deck, and pirates that used swords on board ships used much shorter swords than the ones used in the movie.
Flintlock pistols were small guns used for close up shots, and were not very good shooting long range. This weapon is portrayed accurately because in one of the first scenes, Jack Sparrow tried to steal a boat and escape from Port Royal, but saw that Elizabeth was drowning, so then he jumped into the water and saved her. When the soldiers found out that he was a pirate, they all used pistols and tried to shoot him while he was swinging on the ropes, but they missed him because he was too far away for the pistols to shoot accurately.
Other weapons that were used throughout the movie include the bar-shot, chain-shot, round-shot, grenadoe, cutlery, blunderbuss, flags, and swords. Bar-shots and chain-shots were made to destroy the riggings and the sails of ships. They were used when Jack Sparrow was battling Barbossa. A grenadoe is an explosive weapon used to
clear the deck. It was used in every battle scene in the Pirates of the Caribbean, and even cutlery such as forks, spoons, and knives were put into cannons to shoot at opponents! In the movie, one of the forks shot out of the cannon landed into one of the men’s eyes aboard the Black Pearl!
The blunderbuss was a gun that was not accurate, but it cleared out the deck and caused a ton of damage. This weapon was also used in every battle between the ships. Lastly, the flags were used to threaten other pirates, induce fear, and hope that when the other ship saw them, would surrender. The flags were used to represent the captain and crew’s fierce nature. In the beginning of the movie, the flag was displayed on the ship that Elizabeth was on when she first discovered William Turner.
Real Life Pirates
In the movie series, the Pirates of the Caribbean, the character of Jack Sparrow is based on actual real pirates. Despite the fact that the character Jack Sparrow is not based on one actual pirate from the period, he is actually a mixture of different famous pirates. He cares about his looks, especially his hat, just like Calico Jack did. That may also have been where they got the idea for his first name, Jack. Another similarity was that Jack Sparrow allowed two women onto his ship, which at the time was considered bad luck. Similarly, Calico Jack allowed two women, Anne and Mary, onto his ship as well.
Calico Jack also deceived the English by making him think he was helping them, when in reality he was getting the pirates to secretly attack the English ship that was unprepared for battle. Bart Roberts did a similar thing and tricked English boats into getting close to his ship and getting the other English men out of battle positions on their
ship. Jack Sparrow was active in the Caribbean just as many other pirates were, but a slight difference was that he could swim, which is not very accurate, because many pirates could not swim back then. He also was English, which was a common country to come from if you were a pirate. Jack wanted everyone to know who he was, and Blackbeard wanted everyone to see him and surrender immediately. They both wanted worldwide fame. He also wanted the world to be his, just as Bart Roberts and another pirate declared war on the world.
In the movie, Jack Sparrow was supposed to be hanged, but he escaped. A few other pirates also escaped the noose, like Anne Bonnie and Mary Read. Jack Sparrow is very similar to Edward England, because both got marooned, and both escaped. Edward England’s ship, the Pearl, is closely named to Jack’s ship, The Black Pearl. Also, both got marooned from their boats because they weren’t good captains. For example, both were not big killers. Edward England let an English officer who hanged pirates live, and Jack would rather run from a war than get involved in one.
Jack’s flag was two swords crossed together beneath a skull, which was exactly like another ship’s flag, named the Jolly Roger. Also, a common place where pirates would roam was called Tortuga, which is accurately portrayed in the movie. This was the place where Jack flattered women and could get drunk. Jack loved rum just like many other pirates did. Only one pirate did not like rum -- Bart Roberts. During the movie, Jack and Elizabeth were stranded on an island with a secret storage of buried rum. Lastly, on Isla De Muerta (known as Island of the Dead, and where Hernan Cortez stored his 882 pieces of Aztec gold), where the Black Pearl had sailed to retrieve all of the scattered gold pieces that they had given away, there were tons of gold hidden
within the island’s taverns. The only pirate ever known to bury or hide treasure was William Kidd. Based on all of my findings, Jack Sparrow was indeed based on real pirates and accurately portrayed.
Pirate Code
The pirate code in the movie Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl is a fairly accurate reflection of the code followed by actual pirates. The pirate code was a code of conduct and a set of rules that pirates operated under, and each member on the ship had to sign this document. Pirates were to be elected captain by the crew members, and these rules mainly focused on discipline, sharing treasure, and compensation of injury.
For example, regarding of compensation of injury, if you lost a limb, you would receive anywhere between six hundred and eight hundred pieces of eight, (which is a Spanish dollar equivalent to 8 reals), and for an injury, about four hundred pieces of eight.
Although in the film, there is no compensation for injured pirates, real life pirates offered pirates compensation schemes. The treasure on the ship was usually one-and-a-half to two shares for the captain, while the crew only got one share. On board the ship, there was absolutely no stealing or striking another man, or else you would be punished by getting lashes, having your nose or ears slit off, getting shot, or being marooned with a bottle of rum, a rifle, and one
bullet.
In Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, the characters frequently said that the pirate code was more of a guideline, not actually a code that the pirates were supposed to follow, which is untrue. In the movie, the code, “Whoever falls behind is left behind,” was not followed. Jack Sparrow was left behind several times,
but was allowed to rejoin his crew every time. First, when Jack was fighting William Turner in the cave, the other pirates were too scared to go back and save him, so William Turner knocked Jack Sparrow unconscious so that he could save Elizabeth. Once William rescued Elizabeth, they set off, while Jack went and found his crew members.
Another instance where the code “any man who falls behind stays behind” was not accurately portrayed was when Elizabeth tried to tell the crew members to go save Jack when he was fighting Barbossa, but they did not, so she went on her own to save Jack so he could return to the ship. Also, Elizabeth and Jack “walked the plank,” which was not very true to pirate code because the only pirate that ever walked the plank was Stede Bonnet.
Another inaccurate code discovered in the movie was that the pirates in the movie had the right of parlay, which means that any member on board had the right to speak to the captain. This was not accurate because not many real pirate ships allowed their members to speak to the captain, for if they did, they would be sent away. However, a few of the other pirate codes were accurate, such as “money is divided up, not discussed,” when the men aboard the Black Pearl marooned Jack on an island with Elizabeth because he was dishonest (which was a very common punishment for these types of things.), and when the men on board kept on saying that is was frightful bad luck to have a woman on board.
Conclusion
All in all, my team of researchers and I strongly believe that Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl is fairly accurate to real pirates in real life.
First of all, the myths and superstitions used in the movie were accurate because the Black Pearl was very similar to the Flying Dutchman, because both were run by ghosts that were cursed to roam the ocean forever. Another myth portrayed in the movie was Davy Jones and his Locker, which was used when two pirates mentioned that they killed William Turner’s dead father Bill Turner by tying a chain to his leg and pushing him overboard. Then, they said that old Bootstrap was in Davy Jones’s locker.
Second, the weapons used in the movie were very accurate, especially the flintlock pistols and cutlasses. However, certain long swords were not portrayed correctly because pirates that used swords on board ships used much shorter swords than the ones they used in the movie.
Next, the character Jack Sparrow was indeed an accurate pirate, and was not only based on one pirate, but a combination of many. Jack, of course, loved rum and was English, which was a very common country to come from if you were a pirate. He was also shown in Tortuga, a common place where pirates would get drunk and flatter women. Jack Sparrow was part Calico Jack because he cared about his clothes and looks, and he also allowed two women on board with him. Jack Sparrow was also a touch of Edward England because they both got marooned and escaped, and Edward’s ship name, the Pearl is very similar to Jack Sparrow’s ship name, The Black Pearl. Jack was also part Blackbeard, because they both wanted everyone to know who they were and surrender immediately once other pirates saw his flag, and achieve worldwide fame.
Lastly, some of the pirate codes depicted in the movie were accurate, while others were not. For example, Jack Sparrow was left behind several times but was able
to rejoin the crew, which would not follow the code, “Any man left behind stays behind.” Also, throughout the movie, the characters said throughout the movie that the code was more of a guideline, not actually a code that the pirates were supposed to follow, which is untrue. Another inaccuracy in the movie was that crew members had the right of parlay, which means that any member on board had the right to speak to the captain. However, the movie was true to pirate code in other instances, such as when Captain Barbossa said, “money is divided up, not discussed,” when the men aboard the Black Pearl marooned Jack on an island with Elizabeth because he was dishonest, and when the men on board kept on saying that is was frightful bad luck to have a woman on board.
As you can see, these are the reasons why as a whole, my teammates and I strongly believe that the movie Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl is an accurate reference to pirates in real life.
The Golden Age of Piracy is the subject of many Hollywood films. One of the most popular film series in recent years is the series Pirates of the Caribbean. But how accurately does the movie capture the Golden Age of Piracy that spanned from the 1650’s to the 1730’s? In order to answer this question, my team of researchers and I examined how accurately Jack Sparrow was portrayed, the myths and superstitions, the weapons, and the pirate code used in the movie Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl. The movie is about a pirate named Captain Jack Sparrow who arrives alone at Port Royal in Jamaica. Later that evening, the town is ransacked and attacked by a pirate ship called the Black Pearl, which is run by dead ghosts, and they kidnap the governor’s daughter, Elizabeth, who owns a valuable coin that transforms the pirates on the Black Pearl into the undead. The pirates promise never to return to Port Royal again if she gives them the coin, so she does, and a blacksmith named William Turner teams up with Jack Sparrow to save Elizabeth. After our research, we all agree that as a whole, the movie series Pirates of the Caribbean accurately portrays the Golden Age of Piracy.
Pirates of the Caribbean: Myths and Superstitions …show more content…
In the film series, “Pirates of the Caribbean” there many of references to sea myths, superstitions, and the supernatural. Some of these myths are put front and center while others are just glossed over. Because the screenwriter wanted this film to be historically accurate, very close attention to detail was paid. However, there were some instances of inaccurate myths, and although not all of the traditional elements of
the sea myths and superstitions are preserved, they do provide the foundation for the myths referenced in the movie.
For example, the ship used by Captain Barbossa, the Black Pearl, was a ghost ship run by a crew of the dead, who were cursed to live forever. This was a very clear nod to the pirate myth of the ship, Flying Dutchman. The Flying Dutchman was a real ship that never returned to a port. Legend says the Dutchman was also a ghost ship run by Captain Hendrick and the dead crew, who were cursed to roam the ocean forever. These two ships are very similar, which makes it an obvious reference. However, the Black Pearl was not called the Flying Dutchman, nor was it run by Captain Hendrick, which makes it inaccurate to pirate lore.
Another accurate myth portrayed in the movie that they touched upon was Davy Jones and his Locker. In the movie, when the two pirates were talking about William Turner’s dead father William Turner (also known as Bill Turner or Bootstrap Bill), they mentioned that they killed him by tying a chain to his leg and pushing him overboard. Then, they said that old Bootstrap was in Davy Jones’s Locker. This is historically (or mythologically) accurate because the pirates did believe that if you died by being drowned or sunk, you would end up in Davy Jones’s Locker.
Weapons
Weaponry used in the movie series, Pirates of the Caribbean, was used frequently throughout the movies. Weaponry, commonly associated with pirates, was used frequently back in the days of the Age of Piracy. Weapons were helpful items for all pirates because they used them to kill others that threatened them. Weapons came
in all shapes and sizes, but they had to be used in the correct way. In the Pirates of the Caribbean, most of the weapons are portrayed correctly.
Some weapons in the Pirates of the Caribbean that were often used include the flintlock pistols and short swords, known as cutlasses. The cutlass’s main purpose was to make the enemy surrender, and it was used to duel multiple enemies at a time. In the movie, the cutlass is seen when Jack Sparrow goes into a blacksmith shop and spots a cutlass by a nearby table. Many pirates fought with cutlasses in tight spaces to get rid of one another, and although swords were used in the Age of Piracy, in the movie, they portrayed the sword inaccurately. In one scene, Jack Sparrow was shown fighting other pirates on deck with a long sword. In reality, pirates used swords on land so they would have more space rather than fighting on deck, and pirates that used swords on board ships used much shorter swords than the ones used in the movie.
Flintlock pistols were small guns used for close up shots, and were not very good shooting long range. This weapon is portrayed accurately because in one of the first scenes, Jack Sparrow tried to steal a boat and escape from Port Royal, but saw that Elizabeth was drowning, so then he jumped into the water and saved her. When the soldiers found out that he was a pirate, they all used pistols and tried to shoot him while he was swinging on the ropes, but they missed him because he was too far away for the pistols to shoot accurately.
Other weapons that were used throughout the movie include the bar-shot, chain-shot, round-shot, grenadoe, cutlery, blunderbuss, flags, and swords. Bar-shots and chain-shots were made to destroy the riggings and the sails of ships. They were used when Jack Sparrow was battling Barbossa. A grenadoe is an explosive weapon used to
clear the deck. It was used in every battle scene in the Pirates of the Caribbean, and even cutlery such as forks, spoons, and knives were put into cannons to shoot at opponents! In the movie, one of the forks shot out of the cannon landed into one of the men’s eyes aboard the Black Pearl!
The blunderbuss was a gun that was not accurate, but it cleared out the deck and caused a ton of damage. This weapon was also used in every battle between the ships. Lastly, the flags were used to threaten other pirates, induce fear, and hope that when the other ship saw them, would surrender. The flags were used to represent the captain and crew’s fierce nature. In the beginning of the movie, the flag was displayed on the ship that Elizabeth was on when she first discovered William Turner.
Real Life Pirates
In the movie series, the Pirates of the Caribbean, the character of Jack Sparrow is based on actual real pirates. Despite the fact that the character Jack Sparrow is not based on one actual pirate from the period, he is actually a mixture of different famous pirates. He cares about his looks, especially his hat, just like Calico Jack did. That may also have been where they got the idea for his first name, Jack. Another similarity was that Jack Sparrow allowed two women onto his ship, which at the time was considered bad luck. Similarly, Calico Jack allowed two women, Anne and Mary, onto his ship as well.
Calico Jack also deceived the English by making him think he was helping them, when in reality he was getting the pirates to secretly attack the English ship that was unprepared for battle. Bart Roberts did a similar thing and tricked English boats into getting close to his ship and getting the other English men out of battle positions on their
ship. Jack Sparrow was active in the Caribbean just as many other pirates were, but a slight difference was that he could swim, which is not very accurate, because many pirates could not swim back then. He also was English, which was a common country to come from if you were a pirate. Jack wanted everyone to know who he was, and Blackbeard wanted everyone to see him and surrender immediately. They both wanted worldwide fame. He also wanted the world to be his, just as Bart Roberts and another pirate declared war on the world.
In the movie, Jack Sparrow was supposed to be hanged, but he escaped. A few other pirates also escaped the noose, like Anne Bonnie and Mary Read. Jack Sparrow is very similar to Edward England, because both got marooned, and both escaped. Edward England’s ship, the Pearl, is closely named to Jack’s ship, The Black Pearl. Also, both got marooned from their boats because they weren’t good captains. For example, both were not big killers. Edward England let an English officer who hanged pirates live, and Jack would rather run from a war than get involved in one.
Jack’s flag was two swords crossed together beneath a skull, which was exactly like another ship’s flag, named the Jolly Roger. Also, a common place where pirates would roam was called Tortuga, which is accurately portrayed in the movie. This was the place where Jack flattered women and could get drunk. Jack loved rum just like many other pirates did. Only one pirate did not like rum -- Bart Roberts. During the movie, Jack and Elizabeth were stranded on an island with a secret storage of buried rum. Lastly, on Isla De Muerta (known as Island of the Dead, and where Hernan Cortez stored his 882 pieces of Aztec gold), where the Black Pearl had sailed to retrieve all of the scattered gold pieces that they had given away, there were tons of gold hidden
within the island’s taverns. The only pirate ever known to bury or hide treasure was William Kidd. Based on all of my findings, Jack Sparrow was indeed based on real pirates and accurately portrayed.
Pirate Code
The pirate code in the movie Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl is a fairly accurate reflection of the code followed by actual pirates. The pirate code was a code of conduct and a set of rules that pirates operated under, and each member on the ship had to sign this document. Pirates were to be elected captain by the crew members, and these rules mainly focused on discipline, sharing treasure, and compensation of injury.
For example, regarding of compensation of injury, if you lost a limb, you would receive anywhere between six hundred and eight hundred pieces of eight, (which is a Spanish dollar equivalent to 8 reals), and for an injury, about four hundred pieces of eight.
Although in the film, there is no compensation for injured pirates, real life pirates offered pirates compensation schemes. The treasure on the ship was usually one-and-a-half to two shares for the captain, while the crew only got one share. On board the ship, there was absolutely no stealing or striking another man, or else you would be punished by getting lashes, having your nose or ears slit off, getting shot, or being marooned with a bottle of rum, a rifle, and one
bullet.
In Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, the characters frequently said that the pirate code was more of a guideline, not actually a code that the pirates were supposed to follow, which is untrue. In the movie, the code, “Whoever falls behind is left behind,” was not followed. Jack Sparrow was left behind several times,
but was allowed to rejoin his crew every time. First, when Jack was fighting William Turner in the cave, the other pirates were too scared to go back and save him, so William Turner knocked Jack Sparrow unconscious so that he could save Elizabeth. Once William rescued Elizabeth, they set off, while Jack went and found his crew members.
Another instance where the code “any man who falls behind stays behind” was not accurately portrayed was when Elizabeth tried to tell the crew members to go save Jack when he was fighting Barbossa, but they did not, so she went on her own to save Jack so he could return to the ship. Also, Elizabeth and Jack “walked the plank,” which was not very true to pirate code because the only pirate that ever walked the plank was Stede Bonnet.
Another inaccurate code discovered in the movie was that the pirates in the movie had the right of parlay, which means that any member on board had the right to speak to the captain. This was not accurate because not many real pirate ships allowed their members to speak to the captain, for if they did, they would be sent away. However, a few of the other pirate codes were accurate, such as “money is divided up, not discussed,” when the men aboard the Black Pearl marooned Jack on an island with Elizabeth because he was dishonest (which was a very common punishment for these types of things.), and when the men on board kept on saying that is was frightful bad luck to have a woman on board.
Conclusion
All in all, my team of researchers and I strongly believe that Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl is fairly accurate to real pirates in real life.
First of all, the myths and superstitions used in the movie were accurate because the Black Pearl was very similar to the Flying Dutchman, because both were run by ghosts that were cursed to roam the ocean forever. Another myth portrayed in the movie was Davy Jones and his Locker, which was used when two pirates mentioned that they killed William Turner’s dead father Bill Turner by tying a chain to his leg and pushing him overboard. Then, they said that old Bootstrap was in Davy Jones’s locker.
Second, the weapons used in the movie were very accurate, especially the flintlock pistols and cutlasses. However, certain long swords were not portrayed correctly because pirates that used swords on board ships used much shorter swords than the ones they used in the movie.
Next, the character Jack Sparrow was indeed an accurate pirate, and was not only based on one pirate, but a combination of many. Jack, of course, loved rum and was English, which was a very common country to come from if you were a pirate. He was also shown in Tortuga, a common place where pirates would get drunk and flatter women. Jack Sparrow was part Calico Jack because he cared about his clothes and looks, and he also allowed two women on board with him. Jack Sparrow was also a touch of Edward England because they both got marooned and escaped, and Edward’s ship name, the Pearl is very similar to Jack Sparrow’s ship name, The Black Pearl. Jack was also part Blackbeard, because they both wanted everyone to know who they were and surrender immediately once other pirates saw his flag, and achieve worldwide fame.
Lastly, some of the pirate codes depicted in the movie were accurate, while others were not. For example, Jack Sparrow was left behind several times but was able
to rejoin the crew, which would not follow the code, “Any man left behind stays behind.” Also, throughout the movie, the characters said throughout the movie that the code was more of a guideline, not actually a code that the pirates were supposed to follow, which is untrue. Another inaccuracy in the movie was that crew members had the right of parlay, which means that any member on board had the right to speak to the captain. However, the movie was true to pirate code in other instances, such as when Captain Barbossa said, “money is divided up, not discussed,” when the men aboard the Black Pearl marooned Jack on an island with Elizabeth because he was dishonest, and when the men on board kept on saying that is was frightful bad luck to have a woman on board.
As you can see, these are the reasons why as a whole, my teammates and I strongly believe that the movie Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl is an accurate reference to pirates in real life.