Believe Care Invest Blockbuster Week: Pirates of the Caribbean

Well, guys, I feel we still haven’t found the perfect witty line from the first ten minutes uttered by the hero, so if you could keep those suggestions coming in, I’d appreciate it! In the meantime:

Young Elizabeth Swann sails from England to the Caribbean with her father. They come across a burning shipwreck and rescue a boy, Will Turner. Cut to ten years later. Will is now a swordmaker delivering a sword to Elizabeth’s father. Her father wants to gift both the sword and Elizabeth to the local Commodore. Meanwhile pirate Jack Sparrow arrives in town in a sinking ship. He tries to steal a new ship, but has to save Elizabeth, who has fainted and fallen in the water. Jack is caught as a result, but gets away. He goes to Will’s shop to steal a sword, and they end up having a sword fight.

Elizabeth Swann

Why Elizabeth might be hard to identify with: Looks pretty gorgeous in her sleep. And because it’s not clear who the hero is.

Believe

• Distinctive piece of jewelry.
• Beliefs: “I would like to meet a pirate.”
• Secret: Only she knows Will was a pirate.

Care

• Forced to wear a corset. “I’m told it’s the latest fashion in London.” “Well women in London must have learned not to breathe.”
• Unrequited love for Will. Father expects her to marry for social advancement instead of for love.

Invest

• Only she spots Will floating in the sea, and only she spots the pirate ship
• She can handle herself around pirates just because she’s booksmart about them. She knows to say “parler”
• She’s snarky to her dad.

Strength Flaw: Booksmart about pirates / naïve about life, love, and the reality of pirates
Will Turner

Why Will might be hard to identify with: He’s pretty lovable, but again, we’re not sure if we should identify with him because we’re not sure who the hero is.

Believe

• He speaks the jargon of his craft: “Perfectly balanced. The tang is nearly the full width of the blade.”

Care

• As he waits in Elizabeth’s house, he admires a light fixture on the wall, but breaks off a piece of it when he touches it. He hastily hides the broken piece when they’re approaching.
• He has to hear his boss get credit for his work. When the Governor tells him to pass on his compliments about the bland, Will can only say “A craftsman is always pleased to hear his work is appreciated.”
• He has unrequited love. He can see, though Elizabeth can’t, that they’re not equals. “Will, how many times must I ask you to call me Elizabeth?” “At least once more, Miss Swann. As always.” The governor says, “See? At least the boy has a sense of propriety.”

Invest

• He’s a master swordmaker:
• He does well in a sword fight.
• He has secret honor: Makes the swords and let’s someone else take the credit.

Strength Flaw: Honorable and hard-working / Hesitant to go after what he wants.
Jack Sparrow

Why Jack might be hard to identify with: He’s almost too bizarre to be believable, and we’re not sure who the hero is.

Believe

• A wonderfully unique look, including odd stuff in his beard.
• Physical mark: He has a P brand, burned there by the East India Company to show he’s a pirate.
• He has an odd object: A compass that doesn’t point north.

Care

• He has a fantasy that’s brought down to reality: We meet him standing atop a crows nest like a majestic pirate, then realize he’s on a tiny ship that’s sinking.
• Worry: He sees bodies hung with “Pirates ye be warned” sign.
• He’s ironically arrested. He never would have been caught if he hadn’t stopped stealing the ship to save the governor’s daughter’s life, and this is his reward.

Invest

• He has confidence: He walks off the crow’s nest of his sinking ship onto the dock. “Hold up there,
• It’s a shilling to tie up your boat at the dock. And I shall need to know your name.” “What do you say to three shillings, and we forget the name?” “Welcome to Port Royal, Mr. Smith” Then he steals the man’s changepurse to get his money back.
• Again again with the men guarding another dock: “This dock is off limits to civilians.” “I’m terribly sorry, I didn’t know. If I see one, I shall inform you immediately.” He then gets them distracted and goes onto one of the boats:
• “Hey! You! Get away from there! You don’t have permission to be about there, mate”
• “I’m sorry, it’s just, it’s such a pretty boat.”
• “What’s your name?”
• “Smith. Or Smithie, if you like”
• “What’s your purpose in Port Royal, Mr. Smith?”
• “Yeah, and no lies.”
• “All right then, I confess. It is my intention to commandeer one of these ships, pick up a crew in Tortuga, raid, pillage, plunder and otherwise pilfer my weasely black guts out.”
• “I said no lies.”
• “I think he’s telling the truth.”
• “If he was telling the truth, he wouldn’t have told us.”
• “Unless of course, he knew you wouldn’t believe the truth, even if he told it to you.”
• He saves Elizabeth’s life even though it puts him in grave danger.
• He has a reputation: Commodore says to him: “You are without a doubt the worst pirate I’ve ever heard of.” “But you have heard of me!”
• And then shortly: “You will always remember this as the day you almost caught Captain Jack Sparrow
• He does well in a sword fight.

Strength Flaw: Confidant / Scoundrel