Elizabeth Swann



"One word love&hellip;curiosity. You long for freedom. You long to do what you want to do because you want it. To act on selfish impulse. You want to see what it's like. One day you won't be able to resist."

- Jack Sparrow to Elizabeth Swann

Elizabeth Swann was born in England to Weatherby Swann. She made the crossing from England to Port Royal in the Caribbean when she was twelve years old.

The crossing from England
"I'm watching over you, Will."

- Elizabeth Swann

The Swanns set sail for the Caribbean onboard HMS Dauntless, accompanied by Joshamee Gibbs and Lieutenant James Norrington. During the voyage, Elizabeth spotted a boy floating atop a piece of driftwood, who it was later learned was the only survivor of a pirate attack against a vessel that had also been making the crossing from England. Her father asked Elizabeth to watch over the boy, which she did dutifully. She learned his name, Will Turner, and, to her surprise, that he had in his possession a pirate medallion. Fearing the consequences for the boy if Norrington learned of the boy's apparent status, Elizabeth took and hid the medallion.

It was during this voyage that Elizabeth, studying the medallion now in her possession, caught a glimpse of a pirate ship with torn, black sails&mdash;the Black Pearl. This image would haunt Elizabeth for years to come.

The Governor's daughter
"I think it would be rather exciting to meet a pirate."

- Elizabeth Swann to James Norrington



Upon arrival at Port Royal, Governor Swann set himself up in a mansion overlooking the harbor town. Elizabeth made her home there also, while Will started work at a blacksmith's forge in the town. He and Elizabeth became good friends over the next eight years, although Elizabeth's high status appeared to draw a divide between them, making Will reluctant to show his true feelings for her. Both had fallen in love, but neither were prepared to admit it.

By this time, Elizabeth and Will had both turned twenty, and Elizabeth still carried the medallion with her. She attended James Norrington's promotion ceremony at Fort Charles, wearing a corset that was far too tight for her, and spent much of the time trying to keep herself from fainting. After the ceremony, James asked for a moment alone with Elizabeth out on the battlements, during which he proposed to her, having realized that all he was missing in his life was marriage to a fine woman. Elizabeth was surprised, and this, coupled with the constricting corset, caused her to faint and topple over the battlements. She plunged into the water far below, narrowly missing the rocks, and sank to the sea bed.

Fortunately for her, Captain Jack Sparrow had arrived in Port Royal, and, witnessing Elizabeth's fall, dived into the water to save her. Bringing her up to the dock, Sparrow cut off her corset, and Elizabeth took a gulp of welcome fresh air. Sparrow also noticed her medallion, and seemed highly interested in it. Before he could say more, Norrington and his men arrived to arrest the pirate, despite Elizabeth's protests. However, Jack suddenly turned on Elizabeth, holding her hostage while his effects were returned to him, before making a spectacular escape. Shaken, Elizabeth returned to the mansion, where she reflected on the day's harrowing, yet exciting, events.



Behind the scenes

 * Elizabeth Swann was portrayed as a twelve-year-old girl in The Curse of the Black Pearl by Lucinda Dryzek, and as an older woman by Keira Knightly for the remainder of the film and its sequels. She was voiced by Eliza Schneider in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Legend of Jack Sparrow and Kingdom Hearts II. Saori Yumiba provides her voice in the Japanese version of the latter.

Appearances

 * Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
 * Pirates of the Caribbean: The Legend of Jack Sparrow
 * Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
 * Pirates of the Caribbean 3
 * Kingdom Hearts II