- "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 is 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).
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
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. After the Battle of the Isla de Muerta, Governor Weatherby Swann granted clemency to Will Turner, who had engaged in piracy prior to the battle.[1] Around the War Against Piracy, Lord Cutler Beckett attempted to give Jack Sparrow a full pardon with the Letters of Marque,[2] and later did so while meeting with Jack aboard the Endeavour.[3] Hector Barbossa would later accept a Royal Pardon from King George II[4] and became a privateer prior to the quest for the Fountain of Youth.[5]
Behind the scenes[]
- "Jack Sparrow's reprieve is ended."
- ―Davy Jones
- In Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio's early screenplay draft for Pirates of the Caribbean: 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.[6]
- 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.[7] 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.[8]
- In Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio's screenplay for 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.[9] The scene never made it to the final cut of the film but was retained in the film's junior novelization as well as the deleted scene "It's Just Good Business" featured in Blu-ray releases beginning in 2011.[10]
- In Terry Rossio's 2012 screenplay draft for 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.[11] 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.[12]
Appearances[]
- Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (First appearance)
- Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
- Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End: The Movie Storybook (Mentioned only)
- Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
Sources[]
- Pirates of the Caribbean (film series)
- Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides: The Visual Guide
External links[]
Notes and references[]
- ↑ Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
- ↑ Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
- ↑ Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (junior novelization), p99.
- ↑ Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides: The Visual Guide, p45.
- ↑ Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
- ↑ Wordplayer.com: PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: THE CURSE OF THE BLACK PEARL by Ted Elliott & Terry Rossio
- ↑ Wordplayer.com: PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MAN'S CHEST by Ted Elliott & Terry Rossio
- ↑ Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest Deleted Scene: "Not So Fortunate"
- ↑ Wordplayer.com: PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: AT WORLD'S END by Ted Elliott & Terry Rossio
- ↑ Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest Deleted Scene: "It's Just Good Business"
- ↑ Wordplayer.com: PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MEN TELL NO TALES by Terry Rossio
- ↑ P5 Annotations by Terry Rossio