Does mutiny and ship ownership make any sense for pirates in Pirates of the Caribbean?
Jack Sparrow complains of the mutiny against him and the taking of his ship, but who enforces him being captain or ownership of the ship, if not the crew itself? So why would he talk in such terms?
I've read that with pirates IRL, they would vote on where to go and what to do, and a captain would be chosen for times of battle, and if the captain did poorly, they would just pick another, no big deal. And the bounty would be split mostly equally, with I think a bit more for the captain. A mutiny in the Royal Navy is a mutiny because the Royal Navy says so and enforces rank and ownership of the ship (or with the help of other government forces), even if, say, the captain doesn't complain about being left on an island.
It seems in the movie it's imposing norms from their own society on a culture which had no such devices. Or am I missing something here where a mutiny on a pirate ship would somehow be applicable? Did the movies make any sense of this that I missed? Like saying there was some pirate organization that made such actions punishable? Or did someone at some point at least point out the ridiculousness of his mentioning mutiny and claiming the ship as his, whereas it's obviously the whole crew's ship and decision (something similar could have been said to Barbossa)?
Best Answer
Your question is built on the premise that just because someone can't enforce their ownership, that they somehow shouldn't complain that they lost that ownership which they couldn't enforce.
What's your basis for that premise? People can complain all they want, about whatever they want. Doesn't make them right, but doesn't make them unable (nor unwilling) to complain either.
if the captain did poorly, they would just pick another, no big deal
What you call "no big deal" is actually one of the biggest deals there could be on a ship.
Even forgetting the lawlessness of pirates for a second, mutiny is one of the few acts punishable by immediate death even on a "legal" ship (in that same time period as POTC).
In cases where a group of people ventures out into the great big yonder and rely on cooperation for survival, those that upset the necessary cooperation are effectively endangering a large part of the (if not the entire) crew.
The general lawlessness of pirates on top makes them even more likely to just outright kill mutineers.
A mutiny in the Royal Navy is a mutiny because the Royal Navy says so and enforces rank and ownership of the ship
When you're out on the ocean, the captain is the highest authority. The captain has no superiors to rely on. When the captain is being mutinied, there is no one else to enforce rank or ownership.
When that ship docks back and the Royal Navy finds out, of course they are going to punish that mutiny. Those crewmen have shown to violently overthrow their superiors. Of course their superiors are not going to let that fly without consequence.
That being said, context applies. If, for example, the captain perverts their ship's mission and the crewmen relieve him of his duty specifivally to continue the original mission, then the Royal Navy is likely not going to see that as a malevolent mutiny.
I've read that with pirates IRL
At no point does Pirates of the Caribbean claim to be historically accurate. You're holding the movie to a standard that it did not hold itself to.
We're talking about a movie centered on magical immortal skeleton "arrr matey" pirates, and you're trying to find the historical accuracy.
Pictures about "Does mutiny and ship ownership make any sense for pirates in Pirates of the Caribbean?"
What does mutiny mean in Pirates of the Caribbean?
During the Golden Age of Piracy, mutiny particularly meant open rebellion against the captain of a ship. When Jack Sparrow captained the Black Pearl and Hector Barbossa was his first mate, Barbossa led a mutiny that overtook the ship and left Sparrow to die on a deserted island.What was the mutiny against Jack Sparrow?
A mutiny occurred on board the infamous pirate ship Black Pearl while the crew was searching for the treasure of Cort\xe9s. Three days into the voyage, the first mate of the Pearl, Hector Barbossa, tricked Captain Jack Sparrow into giving up the bearings to Isla de Muerta.Did the Black Pearl belong to Jack Sparrow?
It's the Black Pearl! In the world that exists in the films, the original name of the Black Pearl was the Wicked Wench, captained by Jack Sparrow. At the time, Sparrow was in the employ of Lord Beckett, with the ship being owned by the East India Trading Co.Why did Jack throw will of the ship?
Jack wants Will to succeed, he wants to make sure Cutler Beckett sees Will as the one who betrayed the pirates and believe he is the type of guy who'll do anything for himself; and that Will can be useful against pirates.Jack's Compass Plot Hole Explained | Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales
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