Pardon

Cutler Beckett holding Letters of Marque that granted a full pardon.

"Letters of Marque. You will offer what amounts to a full pardon. Jack will be free, a privateer in the employ of England."

―Cutler Beckett to Will Turner

A Royal Pardon, often shortened to a pardon, was the forgiveness of a crime and the cancellation of the relevant penalty; it was usually granted by a head of state (such as a King or Lord) or by acts of a parliament or a religious authority. Clemency means the forgiveness of a crime or the cancellation (in whole or in part) of the penalty associated with it. A reprieve is the temporary postponement of punishment, often with a view to a pardon or other review of the sentence (such as when the reprieving authority has no power to grant an immediate pardon). During the Age of Piracy, letters of marque were used to offer what amounts to a full pardon, freedom, and employment, usually for pirates to be commissioned as privateers.

History

"You've brought me this. I owe you a pardon and commission. So I am offering you a job. In the employ of the East India Trading Company. Working for me."

―Cutler Beckett to Jack Sparrow, on his compass

After an unsuccessful pirate hunting expedition in the Indian Ocean, the privateer William Kidd took two ships bearing French commissions. One was the rich Quedagh Merchant, riding low in the water laden with treasure. Kidd sold the Quedagh Merchant, sailed to New York, and disposed of his treasure on Gardiner's Island. He sought a pardon from the governor of New York, the Earl of Bellomont, who was responsible for Kidd's original commission as a privateer. But instead, Kidd was arrested and sent to England to stand trial, for the murder of his crew member William Moore and on five counts of piracy. He was the only pirate to be tried before the House of Commons. Kidd was condemned to death and hanged in chains. The two French commissions, oddly enough, never turned up at the trial to prove his innocence.

Blackbeard accepted a Royal Pardon from Governor Charles Eden in 1718. Calico Jack Rackham accepted a Pardon from Governor Woodes Rogers in 1719, though he returned to piracy after he met Anne Bonny.

Following the Battle of the Isla de Muerta, Governor Weatherby Swann granted clemency to Will Turner, who had previously engaged in piracy with Jack Sparrow prior to the rescue of his daughter Elizabeth. Around the War Against Piracy, Lord Cutler Beckett attempted to give Jack Sparrow a full pardon with the Letters of Marque, and later did so while meeting with Jack aboard the Endeavour. Hector Barbossa would later accept a Royal Pardon from King George II and became a privateer prior to the quest for the Fountain of Youth.

Behind the scenes

"Jack Sparrow's reprieve is ended."

―Davy Jones

Pardons first appeared, identified as "clemency", in Irene Trimble's junior novelization for the 2003 film Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl. The term "pardon" was first used in Trimble's junior novelization for the 2006 film Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, while "Royal Pardon" was first used in Glenn Dakin's reference book Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides: The Visual Guide for the 2011 film Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides.

In Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio's early screenplay draft for The Curse of the Black Pearl, Will Turner was put on trial after the battle of Isla de Muerta for his acts of piracy. Commodore Norrington presided over Will's trial, but Governor Weatherby Swann stepped in and spoke on the boy's behalf, deciding to grant him a pardon.

In Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio's screenplay for Dead Man's Chest, Davy Jones stated that Jack Sparrow's reprieve had ended prior to the attack on the Edinburgh Trader. Jones then dealt with Bootstrap Bill Turner before summoning the Kraken. The scene never made it to the final cut of the film but was retained in the deleted scene "Not So Fortunate" featured in Blu-ray releases beginning in 2011.

In Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio's screenplay for Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, Cutler Beckett once again attempted to give Jack Sparrow a pardon and commission while Jack was aboard the Endeavour. However, Jack still refused, in which Beckett told him to enjoy the gallows. The scene never made it to the final cut of the film but was retained in T.T. Sutherland's junior novelization, as well as the deleted scene "It's Just Good Business" featured in Blu-ray releases beginning in 2011.

In Terry Rossio's original 2012 screenplay draft for Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, Admiral John Benbow offers the King's free pardon to all pirates who surrender to the British authorities and agree to serve in the Royal Navy for one year or fight on behalf of the British in one battle under his command. In the annotations for the script, the full text of Benbow's proclamation shows Captains Kidd, Teague, Sparrow, Hornigold, Culliford and Tew were excepted from the pardon.

Appearances

• Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
  • Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003 junior novelization) (First appearance)
• Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
  • Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (junior novelization) (First identified as pardon)
  • Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (comic)
• Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End: The Movie Storybook (Mentioned only)
• Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides

Sources

• Walt Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean: The Story of the Robust Adventure in Disneyland and Walt Disney World (First mentioned)
• Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides: The Visual Guide (First identified as Royal Pardon)

External links

• Pardon on Wikipedia