Pirates in popular culture

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A LEGO Pirate, from the 1989 to 1997 pirate LEGO sets.
A LEGO Pirate, from the 1989 to 1997 pirate LEGO sets.

In American and British popular culture, the modern pirate stereotype owes its tradition mostly to depictions of Captain Hook and his crew in theatrical and film versions of Peter Pan, as well as Robert Newton's portrayal of Long John Silver in the film Treasure Island. Pirates have retained their image through pirate-themed tourist attractions, traditional film and toy portrayals of pirates, and the continued performance and reading of books and plays featuring pirates.

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[edit] Appearance and mannerisms

In films, books, cartoons, and toys, pirates often have an unrefined appearance and symbolizes the rogue personality and adventurous, seafaring lifestyle. They are often shown wearing 17th Century clothing, with a bandana or a feathered tricorne. They sometimes have an eye patch and almost always have a cutlass and a flintlock pistol, or some other swords and guns. They sometimes have scars and battle wounds, rotten or missing teeth (suggesting the effects of scurvy), as well as a hook or wooden stump where a hand or leg has been amputated. Some depictions of pirates also include monkeys or parrots as pets.

Stereotypical pirate accents tend to resemble accents either from Cornwall or Bristol, though they can also be based on Elizabethan era English or other parts of the world. Pirates in film, television and theatre are generally depicted as speaking English in a particular accent and speech pattern that sounds like a cross between a West country accent and an old English accent, similar to that of Robert Newton's performance as Long John Silver in the 1950 film Treasure Island; however, the characteristic speech patterns of fictional pirates appear to pre-date Newton's performance, for example in J. Warren Kerrigan's Irish-accented performance as Peter Blood in the 1924 film Captain Blood[verification needed].

Historical pirates were often sailors or soldiers who'd fallen into misfortune, forced to serve at sea or to plunder goods and ships in order to survive. Depending on the moral content and social context of a piece of pirate literature, the pirate characters in that piece may be represented as having fallen, perhaps resembling a "respectable" person in some way[1]. Alternately, they may be truly corrupt and evil (e.g. Captain Barbossa). Pirates generally quest for buried treasure, which is often stored, after being plundered, in treasure chests. Pirate's treasure is usually gold, often in the form of Doubloons or Pieces of Eight.

[edit] Space pirates

Main article: Space pirate

Space pirates are science fiction character archetypes who operate in outer space, rather than sailing the sea. As traditional seafaring pirates target sailing ships, space pirates capture and plunder spaceships for cargo, money, and occasionally they steal the ship itself. However, their dress and speech corresponds to the particular author's vision of the future.

[edit] Pirate subculture

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In the 1990s, International Talk Like a Pirate Day was invented as a parody holiday celebrated on September 19. This holiday allows people to "let out their inner pirate" and to dress and speak as pirates are stereotypically portrayed to have dressed and spoken. International Talk Like a Pirate Day has been gaining popularity through the Internet since its founders set up a website, which instructs visitors in "pirate slang." A second pirate day on the 1st of October has been known to exist as well.[citation needed]

In the online community, many games, movies, and other media are built upon the premise, thought to have been generated by Real Ultimate Power, that pirates (in the Caribbean buccaneer sense) and ninjas are sworn enemies. The "Pirates versus Ninjas" meme is expressed offline too, through house parties and merchandise found at popular-culture clothing and gift stores.

Pirates also play a central role in the parody religion of Pastafarianism. Established in 2005[2], Pastafarians (members of The Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster) believe that global warming is a result of the severe decrease in pirates.

[edit] Pirates in the arts

See also: List of fictional pirates

[edit] Stage

In 1879 the comic opera, The Pirates of Penzance, was an instant hit in New York, and the original London production in 1880 ran for 363 performances.[3]. The piece, depicting an incompetent band of "tenderhearted" British pirates, is still performed widely today, and obviously corresponds to historical knowledge about the emergency of piracy in the Caribbean.

In 1904, J.M. Barrie's play Peter Pan, or The Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up was first performed. In the book, Peter's enemy in Neverland is the pirate crew led by Captain Hook. Details on Barrie's conception of Captain Hook are lacking, but it seems he was inspired by at least one historical privateer, and possibly by Robert Louis Stevenson's Long John Silver as well [4]. In film adaptations released in 1924, 1953, and 2003, Hook's dress, as well as the attire of his crew, corresponds to stereotypical notions of pirate appearance.

[edit] Films

Peter Pan was first a book and was adapted many times including the widely known Disney version. Peter and the Starcatchers is a book written by Ridley Pearson. Ridley has written two other sequels to Peter and The Starcatchers (Captain Hook is given a different name in these books). PeterPan was made into a broadway play in the late 1900s. The play is now closed, but the story is still popular. It was made into a ride at the Disney World Resort in Florida. Captain Hook is the villan in Peter Pan and is one of the most commonly known pirates to date. The movie "Hook" was a sequel to Peter Pan made in the 1900s. Disney made it's own sequel to Peter pan a few years ago called "Peter Pan in Return to Neverland" Tinkerbell, Peter's beloved fairy sidekick now has her own book series and a movie called "Tinkerbell" coming to DVD and Blu-Ray late 2008.

The 1950 film adaption of Treasure Island, as well as the 1954 sequel Long John Silver starred Robert Newton, and is considered highly influential on the modern perception of early pirates. [5]

Further information: Category:Pirate films

[edit] Television

[edit] Literature

Further information: Category:Pirate books

[edit] Comics and Manga

  • Terry and the Pirates (1934-1973) by Milton Caniff is an adventure comic strip frequently set among modern-day pirates of China and Southeast Asia, led by the notorious Dragon Lady.
  • Batman: Leatherwing (1994) and Elseworlds comic by Chuck Dixon featuring Batman as a pirate.
  • The Red Seas (2002 onwards), a mix of pirates and strange phenomena by Ian Edginton and Steve Yeowell.
  • One Piece (1997-onwards), set in a fictional world where piracy is at its height, the World Government and its Navy attempt to put it to a stop, and one young man desires to become the next Pirate King. One of the most popular manga to date in Japan.
  • Outlaw Star , the primary antagonists of the series are members of the Pirate's Guild, a large network of space pirate clans throughout the universe.
  • Watchmen features a comic-book inside the comics named Tales of the Black Freighter. The Watchmen comic-book claims that in a world where super-heroes are alive and known, then instead of comics dealing with super-heroes, more comics dealing with pirates would be written.
  • Sea Monsters (2006-) by Gwendolyn Meer is an action/adventure and comedy webcomic starring infamous pirates Anne Bonny, Mary Read, and Calico Jack Rackham (among others) as modern-day pirates in the Mediterranean area.

[edit] Pirates in music

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  • Pop stars have long been drawn towards pirate culture, due to its disestablishmentism and motley dress. An early 1960s British pop group called itself Johnny Kidd and the Pirates, and wore eye patches while they performed. Keith Moon, drummer of The Who, was a fan of Robert Newton. Flogging Molly, The Briggs, Dropkick Murphys, The LeperKhanz, The Coral, The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra, Bullets And Octane, Mad Caddies, The Vandals, Gnarkill, Armored Saint, Jimmy Buffett, and Stephen Malkmus have pirate-themed songs as well.
  • Easily the most elaborate example of songs in this Rock sub genre is "Pirates" by Emerson, Lake & Palmer a massive, 13 minute long performance piece from their 1977 tour, it features the Orchestra de L'Opera de Paris. The piece can be found on the album "Works, volume 1"
  • German metal band Running Wild adopted a "pirate metal" image in 1987, with its third album.. The Texas punk group Employer, Employee was considered "pirate rock" by its fans, as its lyrics often contained themes of piracy ("One Count of Mutiny"), as well as the 16th-century New World in general.
  • The Sex Pistols adapted the saucy song "Good Ship Venus" as their hit "Friggin' in the Rigging". Fellow Malcolm McLaren protegée Adam Ant took the pirate image further. One of the tracks on the album Kings of the Wild Frontier was called "Jolly Roger".
  • In 1986, The Beastie Boys paid homage to the pirate lifestyle on their Licensed to Ill album with the song "Rhymin' and Stealin'". The song is filled with piratical and nautical phrasing liberally mixed with 1980s hip-hop references.
  • Mutiny is an Australian pirate themed folk-punk band with releases on Fistolo Records.
  • Pirate imagery has also been adopted by many anarchists, possibly due to the origins of the black flag of anarchism in the pirate flag, and due to books like The Many Headed Hydra by Marcus Rediker, about the early resistance to capitalism and colonialism, and Pirate Utopias, by Paul Lamborn Wilson, otherwise known as Hakim Bey. According to several authors, the pirate ship was among the most democratic institutions of the colonial age.
  • Pirates also occasionally rival vampires as themes for goth music, fashion, and imagery. Goth musician/comedian Voltaire illustrates the sometimes humorous rivalry between vampiric and pirate camps of goths in the song "Vampire Club" from the album Boo Hoo (2002).
  • The Jolly Rogers is a pirate-themed Renaissance Faire musical troupe based in Kansas City.
  • The hardcore/pop punk band Set Your Goals will soon be releasing their first, pirate themed, full length album, Mutiny!.
  • The Ska/Punk band the Aquabats recorded a song entitled "Captain Hampton and the Midget Pirates", which told the story of Jim, a young boy who joins a pirate-hunting crew headed by Captain Hampton.
  • The Pirate, a musical starring Judy Garland and Gene Kelly, has a number of songs about piracy in general, and the dread pirate "Mack the Black" Macoco in particular.
  • Relient K released a single covering the song "The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything" for the children's show VeggieTales. It was originally recorded by the cast of VeggieTales, and Relient K's version of the song was later included in the 2003 compilation album called Veggie Rocks!
  • There is a metal band from Calgary, Alberta, Canada called Verbal Deception that base their music on pirates and life at sea. They have recently released their debut album called "AURUM AETUS PIRATICUS".
  • Scottish pirate metal band Alestorm are a band who use pirates as their main theme. The band play such songs as "Captain Morgan's Revenge", "No Quarter", "Set Sail and Conquer" and "Terror on the High Seas".
  • Irish-American Rebel Rock band The Bleeding Irish have numerous songs referring to Pirate history and Piracy in general, most notably their latest hit "Tale of Anne Bonney". A song about the life and death of female Irish Pirate Anne Bonney and her love affair with Calico Jack Rackham.
  • British metal band, "Peglegger", base their lyrics and riffs upon that of old pirate tales and folk music. Another example of the genre of pirate metal. "Peglegger"s most notable song is "Battle Cry".
  • Leeds - UK based pirate metal band "Skull Branded Pirates" again use pirates as their main musical theme, with a style more akin to a blend of NWOBHM and Thrash metal than the power metal style used by other bands. "Skull Branded Pirates" currently available songs are "Stormed and Cursed Seas" and "Far Beyond Forever"
  • Captain Dan & the Scurvy Crew make pirate-themed rap music.
  • Latvia entered with " Pirates Of The Sea ", sung by " Wolfes Of The Sea " in Eurovision Song Contest 2008.

[edit] Video games

[edit] Pirates in sports

Because pirate ships connote fearsomeness, loyalty and teamwork, many professional and amateur sports teams are named "Pirates." The most famous of these in the United States is the Pittsburgh Pirates, a Major League Baseball team that has used the nickname since 1891.

Teams:

[edit] References

  1. ^ http://www.literarytraveler.com/authors/captain_hook.aspx The Real Life and Fictional Characters Who Inspired J.M. Barrie's Captain Hook
  2. ^ Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster
  3. ^ http://www.hcs.harvard.edu/hrgsp/old/productions/pir00/pir00hist.htm harvard.edu
  4. ^ http://www.literarytraveler.com/authors/captain_hook.aspx The Real Life and Fictional Characters Who Inspired J.M. Barrie's Captain Hook
  5. ^ Bonanos, Christopher (2007-06-05). Did Pirates Really Say "Arrrr"? The origin of Hollywood's high-seas slang.. Slate. Washington Post Newsweek Interactive Co. Retrieved on 2008-03-23.

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

[edit] Roleplaying, Reenactments, and Other Games

[edit] Pirate Accent