Kind of like a treasure island. "Treasure Island" main characters

Africa

“Fifteen men on the dead man's chest–
…Yo-ho-ho, and a bottle of rum!
drink and the devil had done for the rest–
…Yo-ho-ho, and a bottle of rum!”

This year marks the anniversary of the most famous novel about adventures related to the search for treasures hidden by pirates on desert island. Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson is 130 years old.

The novel was first published in 1883, before that, in the period 1881-1882, it was published in series in the children's magazine Young Folks. The writer later recalled how the novel was created: “Once I drew a map of the island; it was painstakingly and (in my opinion) beautifully painted; its curves carried my imagination extraordinarily; there were coves that captivated me like sonnets. And with the thoughtlessness of the doomed, I named my creation Treasure Island. Spyglass Hill, Skeleton Island were marked on the map, bays and bays were drawn ...

Almost on the same day, the writer sketched out a plan for a future novel. It was immediately decided that he would write for boys, and Lloyd should become the prototype of the main character Jim Hawkins ( SamuelLloyd Osborne - the writer's stepson). It should be noted that Stevenson never hid that while working on the book he relied on the works of his predecessors and even named their names. The parrot Captain Flint was borrowed by writer Daniel Defoe's Robinson Crusoe; skeleton pointer - from Edgar Allan Poe; Billy Bones, the events in the tavern and the chest of the dead man - at Washington Irving. Every day after lunch, Stevenson read chapters from a future book to his family. Lloyd was delighted. The novel was written very soon and published in the youth magazine "Young Folks" ("Young Folks") under a pseudonym. Initially, "Treasure Island" was simply not noticed. However, this did not upset the writer, since the novel turned out to be his first completed major work of art - Stevenson could not bring a single work of art to the finale before Treasure Island. When in 1883 the novel was published as a separate edition, the writer suddenly became a celebrity and a wealthy person.

Treasure Island was translated into Russian and published already in 1886. The best translation was made by Nikolai Korneevich Chukovsky (1904-1965).

Fictional and real pirates

Robert Louis Stevenson almost did not invent the characters of Treasure Island.

Prototype Billy Bonsa, for example, became a very real Bones, however, very different from a fictional character. In Stevenson's novel, Bones was the navigator of the legendary Captain Flint, who inherited his map of Treasure Island. The real Bones was pirating under the command of the real-life Captain Bartholomew Roberts and ended his life on the gallows.

	As a good villain John Silver Stevenson portrayed his friend, the poet and critic Williams Hansley. - ... I came up with one thought about John Silver, which promised to bring many funny minutes: take one of my friends, whom I loved and respected very much, discard his refinement and all the dignity of the highest order, leave him nothing but his strength, courage , sharpness and indestructible sociability, and try to find their embodiment somewhere at the level accessible to the uncouth navigator.
	However, some literary scholars and historians argue that Stevenson was cunning in this description of his and that John Silver had a real prototype. Either this is a one-legged pirate, unknown by name, who at the beginning of the 18th century. was landed with the pirate captain England on a desert island (after a few months they managed to escape, but further fate one-legged disappeared into the darkness of time). Either it was famous - the commandant of Fort San Felipe in Cartagena; contemporaries called him "half a man" - in the battles the brave man lost his arm, leg and eye; however, physical handicap did not prevent him from honorably repulsing several attacks on Cartagena. Installed in the city in honor of Blaza de Lezo monument.
Pirate John Silver turned out to be one of the most beloved heroes of world literature. Why? Of course, on the one hand, he is a cruel, treacherous, greedy person, his word is not worth a penny ... But on the other hand, he is a nice, witty, never discouraged person. Silver led the pirates to victory with dignity, but their stupidity and irrepressible greed forced the leader to leave his former comrades and fight for his own life on his own. Was Silver right or not? Do traitors deserve more? The pirate acted worldly wisely ... There is hardly a reader who, at the end of the book, would not rejoice at the flight of John Silver from the ship, and even more so that the one-legged scoundrel took a bag of gold as a reward to himself. “Probably he found his black wife and lives somewhere for his own pleasure with her and Captain Flint. Let's hope so, for his chances of better life in the next world are quite small. Thus ended the story of the one-legged pirate Robert Lewis Stevenson. In the novel Treasure Island, two more pirate captains are mentioned. John Silver recalled his past: "I swam first with England, then with Flint."
	Edward England(? - 1720/1721) - another of the famous pirates, whose true originality and charm of personality is revealed only today. Unlike most corsairs, England did not like to shed blood. He hunted for prey in the Caribbean, in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. His career as a captain was not too long, amounting to about three years. If not for his unusual gentleness of character and some kind of innate mercy for those who, by the will of fate, became his prisoner, England, quite possibly, would have plowed the seas much longer. But he was clearly a black sheep among the pirates, and therefore initially could not count on a long career. England is a pseudonym. The real name of this pirate was Edward Seeger. He was born in Ireland. Seager became a pirate by coincidence (many people could say the same about themselves) when the sloop on which he served as first officer was flying from Jamaica to New Providence ( Bahamas) and fell into the hands of pirates.
	One of the most famous corsairs in the history of piracy is Edward Teach who bore the nickname "Blackbeard". Because of the beard that covered almost the entire face, his appearance was terrifying and there were legends about him as a terrible villain. In the novel "Treasure Island" by Stevenson, Teach became the prototype Pirate Flint. This British corsair became famous for his raids in the Caribbean and Atlantic Ocean. Truly one of the creepiest characters among pirates. Daniel Defoe, the enlightened author of "Robinson Crusoe", was simply obsessed with the topic of pirates and even created a whole study - " General history pirates” dedicated to them; according to his authoritative testimony, Blackbeard was a devil in the flesh, not a man. Defoe writes: “During the battle, he hooked a rifle belt over his shoulder in the manner of a bandaliera, from which three pairs of pistols in holsters hung down, and thrust lit matches under the edges of his hat, and when they illuminated his face from two sides, his eyes seemed truly ferocious. and wild, and all this, taken together, gave him such a look that the human imagination could not give rise to an infernal fury, whose appearance would be more frightening. Most likely, Daniel Defoe exaggerates to some extent. Edward Teach was a man, what can I say, but he was distinguished by high growth, great strength and incredible authority, really terrifying the pirates under his command.
Perhaps it would not be an exaggeration to say that Blackbeard had almost the most well-trained crew, who sacredly honored discipline and unquestioningly obeyed any order of their captain. Apparently, this also affected the results: despite a very short career (only some 15 months!), A fair amount of production allowed Edward Teach to enter the top ten most successful pirates in history. In Treasure Island, Captain Flint hid his treasures on a deserted island before he died. But even before the appearance of the novel, there was a legend that Captain Teach also hid his treasures, which no one ever found, although many were looking for. Perhaps it was this story that prompted Stevenson to create Treasure Island. Blackbeard became the hero not only of Stevenson's novel. He appeared more than once on the pages of other works, four films were made about him. And modern researchers are still puzzling over the question of who this person really was. In 1996, archaeologists found the remains of a ship at the bottom of Boforg Bay, which they considered the famous "Revenge of Queen Anna" Tich. And in North Carolina, many names are still reminiscent of the famous pirate.
Monuments to the author and heroes of the novel "Treasure Island"
	On September 8, 2004 in Edinburgh, Sir Sean Connery unveiled a monument dedicated to his countryman, the English writer of Scottish origin, Robert Louis Stevenson, author of the classic adventure novels Treasure Island, Master of Ballantra and Strange story Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde." Stevenson himself once said that he was against a monument that would depict him personally. Therefore, the sculptural group, created by sculptor Sandy Stoddart, depicts the characters of Stevenson's novel Kidnapped (Kidnapped, or The Adventures of David Balfour) by Alan Breck and David Balfour. The monument is located just in the place where the farewell of the main characters takes place in the novel, namely on Korstorfinsky Hill. Sir Sean said he was delighted to unveil a monument to one of Scotland's most famous writers. This statue is the first thing you see when you arrive in Edinburgh.
monumentsJohn Silver
	The city of Dolgoprudny (Moscow region). The sculpture "Pirate John Silver" in Dolgoprudny was installed for the 55th anniversary of the city (in 2012). The author is the Belarusian sculptor Vladimir Zhbanov.
	The city of Yeysk (Krasnodar Territory). In the summer of 2012 on Azov coast Russia, a 2-meter pirate appeared on the beach of the city of Yeysk.
	Krasnodar city. A sculpture of a one-armed and one-legged pirate next to a chest adorns a recreation park in the city of Krasnodar.
	The location of this monument, unfortunately, has not been established.
Monument to Billy Bones
	Lugansk (Ukraine). A monument to a fictitious pirate, the character of the novel Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson, is installed near the entrance of the Lugansk Regional Puppet Theater.

Sources:
Kopelev, D.N. Real and fictional life of Captain Tich / D.N. Kopelev // Questions of history: monthly. magazine - 2010. - N 1. - S. 126-136.

Plot

The events of the novel take place in the middle of the 18th century, presumably in 1765. In the 16th chapter of the book, Livesey mentions his participation in the historical Battle of Fontenoy, which took place on May 11, 1745, in the diary of Billy Bones there is a date of June 12, 1745, events take place from February to September, July 1754 is put on the map of the island) . They start in the southwest of England, not far from the city of Bristol, in the Admiral Benbow tavern.

One day a new guest settles in a tavern - a former sailor Billy Bones. The guest has a gloomy and unsociable character, besides, he is aggravated by chronic alcoholism. After some time, strange guests begin to come to him. The first is a pirate named Black Dog, an old friend of Billy's. They fight, Bones wounds the Black Dog, but he flees. Billy is then visited by the scary, blind, beggar pirate Pew, who tells him black mark- a formidable warning to those who violate the interests of the team. Billy, having received the mark, decides to urgently leave the inn, but suddenly dies of apoplexy. Jim and his mother, who Billy owes money for staying, search the dead sailor and his belongings. At the bottom of his chest, they find money and a package of papers. From these papers it becomes clear that Bones was a navigator (eng. first mate) on the ship of the famous captain Flint and owned a map of some island.

Jim barely manages to get Flint's papers out from under the nose of the blind Pugh and his pirates, who attack the Admiral Benbow inn at night in order to take possession of the map. Bones, Black Dog, blind Pugh and the rest are former members of the crew of the Walrus, Captain Flint's pirate ship. Suddenly, a detachment of royal customs officers comes to the aid of Jim and his mother. Blind Pew accidentally dies under the horse's hooves, and the rest of the pirates flee - their retreat is covered by the crew of the pirate lugger, on which their accomplices are.

Jim goes to Dr. Livesey and Squire Trelawney and shows them the papers. After studying them, the doctor and the squire come to the conclusion that the map points to the place where Flint buried his treasures. The wealthy Trelawny begins preparations for the voyage and instructs the businessman Blendley to equip a suitable ship for the voyage - the schooner "Hispaniola".

The captain of the Hispaniola, Mr. Smollett, expresses great doubts about the reliability of the team, and in particular does not trust his assistant, the navigator Arrow, but yields to the persuasion of Dr. Livesey and the indulgence of Trelawney. The Hispaniola begins sailing from Bristol to Treasure Island. During the voyage, the navigator Arrow drank a lot and disappears from the ship one rainy night, in addition, Jim manages to eavesdrop on a secret conversation between the sailor Dick, the "second" boatswain Israel Hands and the cook, one-legged John Silver, nicknamed Ham (eng. Barbecue), he is Long John. It turns out that the team that Trelawney hired is mostly made up of Flint's former team, and Silver is the leader of the conspirators, whose goal is to capture the treasure. Jim learns that there are significantly more pirates on the ship than honest people. He hears that Silver and his pirates are going to kill all honest people. The pirates press Silver and urge him to quickly attack Captain Smollett and the others, but Silver understands that the gang will not be able to plot a course on their own, since none of the pirates has the appropriate education. Silver's plan is to wait until the squire, captain, doctor and others find the treasure and load it onto the ship, wait until the experienced Captain Smolett brings the ship "at least to the trade wind" and only then kill them all.

Treasure Island map from the first German edition. Attributed to Stevenson

Meanwhile, the ship sails to Treasure Island. Silver sees that his plan is failing: the pirates are almost openly ignoring the orders of Captain Smollett, behaving rather aggressively. Jim tells the captain, squire and doctor what he heard. The heroes realize that they are in trouble. Smollett decides to defuse the atmosphere and invites the crew to go ashore. The captain's plan is to surprise the pirates left on the ship, attack them and capture the Hispaniola. The captain's plan would have worked if Jim hadn't left on one of the boats with the pirates.

So the captain suggests new plan. On the map, he sees that there is an old Flint fort on the island. The captain offers to move to the fort and fight the pirates on the island. The heroes collect gunpowder, weapons, food, get into a skiff and sail away from the ship. The pirates, taken by surprise by these actions, prepare to fire on the skiff. In the skiff are the captain, doctor, squire, Hunter, Joyce, Redruth and Abraham Gray - a sailor from the team whom the pirates wanted, but could not win over to their side. Hands tries to sink the skiff by shooting her with a cannon. The squire kills one of the pirates. Soon the heroes, having lost their servant, Tom Redruth, who died in battle, get to the fort and settle down in it. The captain distributes positions to each. Heroes are ready for long battles.

Meanwhile, Jim reaches the shore with the pirates and escapes. After some time, he witnesses the murder of honest sailor Tom by John Silver. From a wild cry, it becomes clear that another honest sailor Alan was also killed by pirates. Jim runs without knowing the road and meets a man dressed in goat skins and acting very strange. This man reports that he is a repentant former pirate named Ben Gunn. Ben asks Jim to arrange a meeting with the doctor. Jim sees the British flag over the fort and hurries to his friends.

The next day, Silver comes to the fort with a white flag. Captain Smollett comes out to negotiate. Silver offers to give him a map in exchange for the fact that the pirates will leave people alone and send them the first ship they come across to rescue them. Smollett firmly refuses Silver and warns that all negotiations are over. Captain Silver leaves, promising that in an hour those "who remain alive will envy the dead." During the attack, hand-to-hand combat ensued, after which the pirates had to retreat, many of them were killed. Among the defenders of the fort, there were also losses - Hunter and Joyce were killed, Captain Smollett received two gunshot wounds.

Jim relays Ben Gunn's request to the doctor. The doctor takes his pistols and his dagger, puts a map in his pocket, hangs a musket over his shoulder, and leaves. Unable to bear being in the fort, Jim takes a supply of crackers, two pistols, a knife and makes a sortie. He comes ashore and decides to see what is happening on the Hispaniola. Jim finds Ben Gunn's shuttle and, after waiting for low tide, swims up to the ship. Jim reaches the ship and realizes that the boatswain Hands and the Irishman O'Brien, who are left to guard the ship, are drunk. He cuts the anchor line and climbs aboard. In the morning, he finds an injured Hands and a dead O'Brien. Under the leadership of Hands, Jim leads the ship to the North parking lot, now no one knows about the whereabouts of the ship. Hands tries to kill Jim, but Jim accidentally shoots him with his pistols. Hands falls into the water and drowns.

Jim returns to the fort, but discovers pirates there and becomes a hostage. Silver refuses to kill Jim, explaining to the pirates that killing a hostage is not allowed. The behavior of Silver, who is playing a double game, angers the pirates. Silver is given a "black mark" and demanded the re-election of the captain. However, Silver explains his behavior. He made an agreement with Dr. Livesey: in exchange for a map, food supplies and a fort, the pirates let the heroes go. No one can understand why this was necessary. Silver remains the leader, his authority only increases.

The next day Dr. Livesey comes for a visit. He examines and treats the feverish pirates and asks Silver for permission to talk to Jim. Silver releases Jim to talk to the doctor, taking his word of honor that he will not run away. The doctor persuades Jim to run, but he refuses. Jim tells the doctor where the ship is hidden.

The pirates, taking Jim with them, go looking for treasure. Soon they come across a skeleton. Silver realizes it's a pointer - one of Flint's witticisms. Suddenly, the pirates hear Flint's voice. Terrified, they stop. Silver convinces everyone that this is the voice of a living person, since everyone heard the echo. The pirates soon recognize Ben Gunn's voice. The pirates continue on their way and find a huge hole. It becomes clear that the treasure has already been found, and it is for this reason that the doctor gave the map. They are about to attack Silver and Jim, but Dr. Livesey, Abraham Gray and Ben Gunn ambush the pirates and kill Pirate Dirk, a pirate with a bandaged head. George Merry is shot by Silver, the rest take flight.

It turned out that Gann had found the treasure a long time ago and moved it to his cave. For several days, the heroes dragged the treasures to the ship. Soon they sailed away from the island, leaving the three surviving pirates there. Silver manages to disappear into one of the ports, taking some of the treasure. Ben Gunn helped to do this, as he was mortally afraid of him.

Returning to England, the heroes became rich people, each disposing of his share in his own way: someone with a mind, like Gray, who took up the study of maritime affairs and became a navigator and co-owner of a ship. And only Ben Gunn spent his thousand pounds in just nineteen days. Trelawny hired him as a gatekeeper in the park.

Characters

Main characters

Jim Hawkins(eng. Jim hawkins) - a young man, a cabin boy on the Hispaniola, the main character, on whose behalf (with the exception of a few chapters on behalf of Dr. Livesey) the story is being told. It is his actions that spin the plot of Stevenson's novel. Jim Hawkins is actively involved in all events: it was the pirate Billy Bones who settled in the tavern of his parents, it was he who stole the map of Treasure Island from the chest of this pirate, which he handed over to Dr. Livesey and Squire Trelawny; he discovered a conspiracy on the ship, found Ben Gunn, killed Israel Hands, took the pirate ship to the North Parking Lot and became a bone of contention in the confrontation between John Silver and the remnants of his gang.
Billy Bones(Eng. Billy Bones) - Captain Flint's former navigator, an old pirate. After the death of Captain Flint, he got a map of Treasure Island and fled to England, thereby becoming a target for the rest of the pirates. The appearance of Billy Bones in the Admiral Benbow inn actually marked the beginning of all the adventures of Jim Hawkins. Billy drank a lot and had a very nasty and overbearing character. In the tavern he was called "Captain". He swore, ordered to drink with him and listen to terrible stories about pirates and their crimes. Billy was afraid of publicity and authorities. Therefore, Dr. Livesey quickly put him in his place, threatening bailiffs. Bones lived in constant fear of his former comrades, who eventually found him and brought him to a stroke with a black mark, from which Bones died, bringing so much anxiety and enormous wealth to the heroes of the book. The story of Billy Bones is described in detail by Robert Stevenson in the novel Piasters. Piasters!!!".
Dr. David Livesey(eng. Dr. David Livesey) - a gentleman, doctor and judge, a man of amazing courage and heroism, ready to fulfill his professional and human duty without hesitation. Once he served in the army of the Duke of Cumberland and was wounded at the Battle of Fontenoy (1745). After storming the fort and wounding Captain Smollett, he became the leader of a detachment of honest people.
Squire John Trelawney(Eng. Squire John Trelawney) - a rich, flighty, frivolous landowner who financed the voyage for the treasures of Flint. Height over six feet (183 cm). Initially claimed leadership; however, his talkativeness and incompetence caused the majority of the crew of the Hispaniola to be Captain Flint's pirates. He ceded command to Captain Smollett when he learned of the impending mutiny. Excellent shooter. He took on board three disciplined and loyal servants who showed themselves well in battles with robbers. After swimming, he became a member of parliament for his district and still hunted partridges and shot them with his usual accuracy, until he died of the last disease.
Captain Alexander Smollett(eng. Captain Alexander Smollett) - the courageous, brave captain of the Hispaniola. He is a demanding and dry person. Smollett is six feet tall. Captain Smollett was hired by Squire Trelawny. He organized the flight from the ship and the defense of the fort. Great organizer and leader. He shoots badly, but fights remarkably with melee weapons. During the battle with the pirates for the fort, he received two gunshot wounds and could not move independently. Upon returning to England, the captain leaves the naval service.
John Silver, (eng. John Silver) - he is Lanky John, he is Ham- a cook on the Hispaniola, then the captain of the rebellious pirates. Age - 50 years (according to Silver himself). It was said that "in his youth he was a schoolboy and, if he wants, he can talk like a book." On the Walrus, Flint served as quartermaster. Lost a leg in action under Captain England. His left leg is amputated at the hip, so Silver walks with a crutch. He saved up money and opened his own tavern "Spyglass" in the city of Bristol. The wife is "not of the white race." Took a parrot named Captain Flint. At the end of the novel, he not only remained alive, having defected to the side of the squire in time, but also hid from them in one of the ports, not without the help of Ben Gunn, taking with him as much money as he could carry. About Silver's life before the events of Treasure Island, Dennis Jude wrote the novel The Adventures of Lanky John Silver.

Minor characters

Benjamin "Ben" Gunn(eng. Ben gunn) - a former pirate, sailed on the Walrus. During his stay on the island, he built a shuttle, on which Jim Hawkins later managed to swim to the Hispaniola. After Flint's death, he sailed on another pirate ship, but quarreled with the sailors and was left on Treasure Island as punishment. During his three-year life on the island, he repented of his crimes; found the bulk of Flint's treasure and moved it to his cave. About his adventures on the island, the English writer R. F. Delderfield wrote the book The Adventures of Ben Gunn. After returning, he spent his share of the treasure in nineteen days, after which he worked for the squire as a porter in the park.
Tom Redruth(eng. Tom redruth) - the old huntsman, servant and countryman of the squire; killed in the first action at the palisade by a pistol shot by Job Anderson on the day the schooner arrived on the island.
John Hunter(eng. John hunter) - a servant and countryman of the squire, died during the assault on the fort. Pirate George Merry snatched the musket out of his hands and, putting it into the loophole, dealt him a terrible blow, which broke his ribs. Hunter fell and crushed his skull. From these wounds he died in the evening of the same day.
Richard Joyce(eng. Richard Joyce) - a servant and countryman of the squire, died during the storming of the fort - boatswain Israel Hands shot him in the head.
Abraham "Abe" Gray(eng. Abraham gray) - carpenter's assistant, along with Dick, Alan and Tom (not to be confused with Tom Morgan) was one of the four honest sailors whom Silver wanted to win over to his side. Heeding the call of Captain Smollet, he went over to his side, fighting off five angry pirates who wounded him in the face. Later he took an active part in the battles with pirates, killed the boatswain Job Anderson, who was trying to kill Jim. After returning, he spent the received part of the treasures on his studies and as a result became a navigator and co-owner of a small ship.
Job Anderson(eng. Job Anderson) - tall, strong, brave and energetic boatswain "Hispaniola". The natural leader of Silver's gang. On the "Walrus" he acted as a boatswain. After the death of Arrow, he acted as first mate on the schooner. The second most important pirate on the Hispaniola after Silver, he was an excellent swordsman and shot a pistol. During the landing on the island, he killed the sailor Alan, commanded seven pirates in the first battle with the team of Captain Smollett, and shot the servant of Tom Redruth with a pistol. During the assault on the fort, he tried to break into the log house, wounded Captain Smollett at the very beginning of the battle and died in a duel with Abraham Gray, before trying to kill Jim
Israel Hands(eng. Israel Hands) - boatswain's assistant, after the death of navigator Arrow and the promotion of Job Anderson, he began to act as boatswain. Shoots well from a cannon. Together with Silver, Anderson, Merry and the ship's carpenter, he formed the core of the conspirators who planned to mutiny on the Hispaniol and take possession of the map. On the Walrus, Flint was a gunner. Participated in the storming of the fort, shot his servant Joyce in the head. Was left to guard the Hispaniola. Shot and killed by Jim aboard the Hispaniola while attempting to attack him.
George Murray(Eng. George Merry) - 35 years old, a tall pirate who caught a malignant fever on the island, which explains his sickly appearance. Participated in the storming of the fort, wounded Hunter and Captain Smollett. After the death of Anderson, Hands and the carpenter, he became the informal leader of a gang of pirates and an instigator against Silver. Was killed by John Silver while attacked by Dr. Livesey, Abraham Gray and Ben Gunn
Tom Morgan(Eng. Tom Morgan) - the oldest pirate from the gang of rebels, was left by Captain Smollett and company to atone for their sins on Treasure Island. The young pirates Dick and Red Fowler stayed with him.
O'Brien(eng. O "Brien) - a pirate, a bald Irishman who wore a red sleeping cap on his head. Participated in the storming of the fort, after the retreat of the pirates he climbed over the stockade last, the defenders of the fort did not shoot at him. He was left with Hands to guard the Hispaniola. Was killed on board the Hispaniola in a drunken fight with Israel Hands, having previously wounded the boatswain in the thigh.In Dennis Jude's story "The Adventures of Lanky John Silver" is named Michael.
Harry- a frequenter of the tavern "Spyglass". A pirate who, along with Ben Long Legs, was sent by John Silver to catch up with the Black Dog. Killed during the storming of the fort.
Long Legs Ben- a frequenter of John Silver's tavern "Spyglass". One of the six pirates left behind by Silver on the Hispaniola. Was shot dead by Squire Trelawny at the cannon. R. F. Delderfield's book mentions that a pirate named Dick was mortally wounded at the cannon.
John Fowler- one of the three surviving pirates left on the island. It has no name in the original author's text, it received a name only in L. Delderfield's story "The Adventures of Ben Gunn". It states that Fowler was not a pirate and a member of the crew of the Walrus, but joined John Silver after the Hispaniola left England.
dirk- one of those robbers who, together with Pew and the Black Dog, defeated the Admiral Benbow inn. In the words of the blind Pugh, he was always a blockhead and a coward. Killed in the storming of the fort. In Dennis Jude's story "The Adventures of Long John Silver" is Campbell's surname.
Johnny- one of those robbers who, together with Pew and the Black Dog, defeated the Admiral Benbow inn. He was wounded in the head during the assault on the fort and was killed by Dr. Livesey in the last fight. He liked to sing the song "Lillibulero".
The carpenter of the Hispaniola is a strong and dangerous pirate. He was killed in his sleep by Ben Gunn. In the Soviet film, his name was Jack.
Dick "Pastor" Johnson- a young sailor; Initially, Dick was not a robber, like the pirates from the crew of the Walrus. He joined the pirates under the influence of Silver's golden words. Dick did not part with the Bible. Left on the island with Tom Morgan and John Fowler.

Captain John Flint(eng. Captain flint) - the legendary captain of the pirates, an ally of Pew. On his old Walrus, Billy Bones was navigator, John Silver was quartermaster, Israel Hands was gunner, Job Anderson was boatswain. The book is only mentioned in conversations, as the action of the novel takes place after his death.
Blind Pew(Eng. Blind Pew) is a blind pirate who is known to have lost his sight in the same battle in which John Silver lost his leg. Together with Flint, John Silver and Billy Bones, he made up the four most ferocious and dangerous pirates operating in Stevenson's novel. He died under the hooves of a horse after a pogrom in the tavern "Admiral Benbow". His influence on the rest of the pirates is enormous. Even being blind, he brought the black mark to Billy Bones. It was he who led the attack on the Admiral Benbow Inn. As repeatedly repeated in the novel, Billy Bones was the navigator on Flint's ship, and John Silver was the quartermaster (eng. quarter deck master), who Pugh was is unknown.
Black Dog(eng. Black Dog) - one of the most dangerous pirates from Captain Flint's team, he was missing two fingers on his left hand. Came to a tavern and was wounded in a fight with Billy Bones. Participated in the attack on the tavern Admiral Benbow. He could not participate in the voyage of the Hispaniola, as he was known to Jim Hawkins as a pirate and treasure hunter.
Nick Allardyce- a pirate with red hair, along with five other pirates, was taken by Flint to the island to bury treasures and was killed there. He took the knife of the pirate Tom Morgan with him to the island and owed him. From the body of Allardyce, Captain Flint made a compass that indicated where the treasures lay. In L. R. Delderfield's book The Adventures of Ben Gunn (where the name was invented, only the surname was known in the author's text), he was Ben Gunn's best friend and mentor.
Darby McGraw- a pirate, and probably the bodyguard of Captain Flint. Mentioned by Ben Gunn when he portrayed the dying Captain Flint.
Navigator Arrow(eng. Arrow) - the first navigator of Hispaniola. He was recommended by Silver, did not enjoy authority and respect from the team. He turned out to be a drunkard, drank a lot on the voyage, and John Silver supplied him with alcohol from his hiding place, which, apparently, was part of the conspirators' plan. One stormy night, he disappeared from the ship under unclear circumstances. Captain Smollett thought the navigator had fallen overboard. What really happened to Arrow is never explained, but Job Anderson became the new navigator.
Alan and Volume- honest sailors killed by pirates on the first day of the rebellion. Tom was killed by John Silver, Alan by Job Anderson.
Jim Hawkins mother- the mistress of the tavern "Admiral Benbow".

Jimmy Hawkins near the treasure. Illustration for the 1885 French edition by artist Georges Roux.

Treasure Island prototype

Treasure Island was long thought to be a story entirely fictionalized by Stevenson, including the description of Treasure Island. However, in the 1940s, a surprising resemblance of the fictional island to the island of Pinos (modern Youventud), located 70 km south of Cuba, was discovered, which for 300 years was a haven for pirates.

Russian editions and translations

Having won wide popularity in Europe almost immediately after its publication, the novel attracted the attention of Russian publishers quite early, quickly entering the traditional circle of children's reading. The first adapted translation from the French edition of 1885 was published in Moscow in 1886, in the printing house of the brothers E. and M. Werner, as an appendix to the magazine Vokrug Sveta. It fully reproduced the illustrations of the French artist Georges Roux. The most popular before the revolution was considered the translation of O. A. Grigorieva, published in 1904 in the series "Library of novels (Adventures on land and at sea)" by the publishing house of P. P. Soikin. In the USSR, the most accessible was the translation of N. K. Chukovsky, made in the first half of the 1930s, edited by K. I. Chukovsky and published by the Association of State Book and Magazine Publishing Houses (OGIZ) under the People's Commissariat of Education of the RSFSR in 1935, almost simultaneously with the more accurate , but less well-known translation by M. A. Zenkevich, published by the publishing house "Young Guard". It was in the translation of N. K. Chukovsky that the novel was repeatedly reprinted in the series " Library of Adventures", " Library of Adventures and Science Fiction", " Library of World Literature for Children" by the publishing house "Children's Literature", as well as in separate editions. In the 1990s and 2000s, new translations by M. I. Kan, I. Smirnov and V. Kaydalov were published, which to a greater extent corresponded to the norms of the modern Russian language, but were not widely known.

Literary parodies and sequels

Treasure Island spawned a number of literary parodies and sequels.

One of these parodies was written by John Lennon (published in the book In His Own Write, 1964) . Entitled Treasure Ivan- a play on words (Ivan - possibly referring to his school friend Ivan Vaughan). In the Russian translation by Alexei Kurbanovsky, the parody is called "Osip Sokrovich"
In 1973, the magazine Around the World published R. Delderfield's novel The Adventures of Ben Gunn, written partly on behalf of D. Hawkins, but mostly on behalf of Ben Gunn himself.
In 2001, Irish writer Frank Delaney (under the pseudonym Francis Bryan) wrote a sequel novel, Jim Hawkins and the Curse of Treasure Island. (English)Russian».
About Silver's life before the events of Treasure Island, Dennis Jude wrote the novel The Adventures of Lanky John Silver.
John Drake. "Captain Silver's Odyssey"
Edward Chupak. "John Silver: Return to Treasure Island"
Bjorn Larsson. "Lanky John Silver: A True and Captivating Tale of My Free Life as a Gentleman of Fortune and an Enemy of Mankind"
In 2013, the Russian writer V.P. Tochinov released an “investigative novel” “The Island without Treasures”, in which he proves that the apparent plot inconsistencies of the novel turn out to be finely thought out plot moves, behind which the true face of the characters is hidden. In particular, it is alleged that the parents of Jim Hawkins traded in smuggling, the proceeds of which were received by Squire Trelawney, Dr. Livesey was a Jacobite spy, the pirates on the Hispaniola did not plot a rebellion at all, John Silver sailed on a ship in 1719-1720

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Plot

The events of the novel take place around the middle of the 18th century (at the beginning of the book, Livesey mentions his participation in the historical battle of Fontenoy, which took place on May 11, 1745, in the diary of Billy Bones there is a date of June 12, 1745, events take place from February to September, on the map the island is affixed July 1754). They begin in the southwest of England, not far from the city of Bristol, in the Admiral Benbow inn, in 1765.

One day, a new guest settles in a tavern - a former sailor Billy Bones. The guest has a gloomy and unsociable character, besides, he is aggravated by chronic alcoholism. After some time, strange guests begin to come to him. The first is a pirate named Black Dog, an old friend of Billy's. They fight, Bones inflicts an injury to Black Dog, but he flees. Billy is then visited by the scary, blind, beggar pirate Pew, who tells him black mark- a formidable warning to those who violate the interests of the team. Billy, having received the mark, decides to urgently leave the tavern, but suddenly dies of apoplexy. Jim and his mother, who Billy owes money for staying, search the dead sailor and his belongings. At the bottom of his chest, they find money and a package of papers. From these papers it becomes clear that Bones was the navigator (eng. first mate) on the ship of the famous captain Flint and owned a map of the island where Flint buried his treasures.

Jim goes to Dr. Livesey and Squire Trelawny and shows them the papers and papers. The wealthy Trelawny begins preparations for the voyage and instructs the businessman Blendley to equip a suitable ship for the voyage - the schooner "Hispaniola".

The captain of the Hispaniola, Mr. Smollett, expresses great doubts about the reliability of the team, and in particular does not trust his assistant, navigator Arrow, but yields to the persuasion of Dr. Livesey and Trelawney's indulgence. The Hispaniola begins sailing from Bristol to Treasure Island. During the voyage, the navigator Arrow drank a lot and disappears from the ship on one rainy night, in addition, Jim manages to overhear a secret conversation between sailor Dick, the “second” boatswain Israel Hands and cook, one-legged John Silver, nicknamed Barbecue, he or Long John. It turns out that the team that Trelawney hired is mostly made up of Flint's former team, and Silver is the captain of the conspirators whose goal is to capture the treasure. Jim learns that there are significantly more pirates on the ship than honest people. He hears that Silver and his pirates are going to kill all honest people. The pirates press Silver and urge him to quickly attack Captain Smollett and the others, but Silver understands that the gang will not be able to plot a course on their own, since none of the pirates has the appropriate education. Silver's plan is to wait until the squire, the captain, the doctor and others find the treasure and load it onto the ship, wait until the experienced captain Smolett brings the ship "at least to the trade wind" and only then kill all the goodies.

Meanwhile, the ship sails to Treasure Island. Silver sees that his plan is starting to unravel. Pirates almost openly ignore the orders of Captain Smollett, behave quite aggressively. Jim tells the captain, squire and doctor what he heard. The heroes realize that they are in trouble. Smollett decides to defuse the atmosphere and invites the crew to go ashore. The captain's plan is to surprise the pirates left on the ship, attack them and capture the Hispaniola. The captain's plan would have worked if Jim hadn't left on one of the boats with the pirates. So the captain comes up with a new plan. On the map, he sees that there is an old Flint fort on the island. The captain offers to move to the fort and fight the pirates on the island. The heroes collect gunpowder, weapons, food, get into a skiff and sail away from the ship. The pirates, taken by surprise by these actions, prepare to fire on the skiff. In the skiff are the captain, doctor, squire, Hunter, Joyce, Redruth and Abraham Gray - a sailor from the team whom the pirates wanted, but could not win over to their side. Hands tries to sink the skiff by shooting her with a cannon. The squire kills one of the pirates. Soon the heroes, having lost the servant of Tom Redruth, who died in battle, get to the fort and settle down in it. The captain distributes positions to each. Heroes are ready for long battles.

Meanwhile, Jim reaches the shore with the pirates and escapes. After some time, he witnesses the murder of honest sailor Tom by John Silver. From the wild cry, it becomes clear that another honest sailor, Alan, was also killed by pirates. Jim runs without knowing the road and meets a man dressed in goat skins and acting very strange. This man reports that he is a repentant former pirate named Ben Gunn. Ben asks Jim to arrange a meeting with the doctor. Jim sees the flying British flag and hurries to his friends.

The next day, Silver comes to the fort with a white flag. Captain Smollett comes out to negotiate. Silver offers to give him a map in exchange for the fact that the pirates will leave people alone and send them the first ship they come across to rescue them. Smollett firmly refuses Silver and warns that all negotiations are over. Captain Silver leaves, promising that in an hour they will attack. The pirates attacked the fort. A shootout began. The pirates climbed over the palisade. It came to melee. As a result, the pirates had to retreat, many of them were killed. Among the defenders of the fort, there were also losses - Hunter and Joyce were killed, Captain Smollett received two gunshot wounds.

Jim relays Ben Gunn's request to the doctor. The doctor takes his pistols and his dagger, puts a map in his pocket, hangs a musket over his shoulder, and leaves. Unable to bear being in the fort, Jim takes a supply of crackers, two pistols, a knife and makes a sortie. He comes ashore and decides to see what is happening on the Hispaniola. Jim finds Ben Gunn's shuttle and, after waiting for low tide, swims up to the ship. Jim reaches the ship and realizes that Bosun Hands and the Irishman O'Brien, who are left to guard the ship, are drunk. He cuts the anchor line and climbs aboard. In the morning, he finds an injured Hands and a dead O'Brien. Under the leadership of Hands, Jim leads the ship to the North parking lot, now no one knows about the whereabouts of the ship. Hands tries to kill Jim, but Jim accidentally shoots him with his pistols. Hands falls into the water and drowns.

Jim returns to the fort, but discovers pirates there and becomes a hostage. Silver refuses to kill Jim, explaining to the pirates that killing a hostage is not allowed. The behavior of Silver, who is clearly playing a double game, outrages the pirates. Silver is given a "black mark" and demanded the re-election of the captain. However, Silver explains his behavior. He made a pact with Captain Smollett: in exchange for a map, food supplies, and a fort, the pirates let the heroes go. No one can understand why this was necessary. Silver remains the leader, his authority only increases.

The pirates, taking Jim with them, go looking for treasure. Soon they come across a skeleton. Silver realizes it's a compass - one of Flint's witticisms. Suddenly, the pirates hear Flint's voice. Terrified, they stop. Silver convinces everyone that this is the voice of a living person, since everyone heard the echo. The pirates soon recognize Ben Gunn's voice. The pirates continue on their way and find a huge hole. It becomes clear that the treasure has already been found, and it is for this reason that the doctor gave the map. They are about to attack Silver and Jim, but Dr. Livesey, Abraham Gray and Ben Gunn ambush the pirates and kill the bandaged pirate Dirk. George Merry is shot by Silver, the rest take flight.

Returning to England, the heroes became rich people. Only Ben Gunn squandered all his treasures in a few days. Trelawny hired him as a gatekeeper in the park.

Characters

Goodies

Jim Hawkins(eng. Jim hawkins) - a boy, a cabin boy in Hispaniola, the main character, on whose behalf (with the exception of a few chapters on behalf of Dr. Livesey) the story is being told. It is his actions that spin the plot of Stevenson's novel. Jim Hawkins is actively involved in all events: it was he who made friends with the pirate Billy Bones, stole the map of Treasure Island from the chest of this pirate, which he handed over to Dr. Livesey and Squire Trelawny; he discovered a conspiracy on the ship, found Ben Gunn, killed Israel Hands, took the pirate ship to the North Parking Lot and became a bone of contention in the confrontation between John Silver and the remnants of his gang.
Jim Hawkins mother- the mistress of the tavern "Admiral Benbow".
Dr. David Livesey(Eng. Dr. David Livesey) - a gentleman, doctor and judge, a man of amazing courage, ready to fulfill his professional and human duty without hesitation. Once he served in the army of the Duke of Cumberland and was wounded in the battle of Fontenoy (1745). Due to the injury of Captain Smollett, he became the leader of a detachment of honest people. After swimming, he left with his sister for Tonten.
Squire John Trelawney(eng. squire john trelawney) - a rich, eccentric, frivolous landowner who financed the voyage for the treasures of Flint. Height over six feet (183 cm). Initially claimed leadership; however, his talkativeness and incompetence caused the majority of the crew of the Hispaniola to be the late Flint's outlaws. He ceded command to Captain Smollett when he learned of the impending mutiny. Excellent shooter. He took on board three disciplined and loyal servants who showed themselves well in battles with robbers. After swimming, he became a member of parliament for his district and still hunted partridges and shot them with his usual accuracy until he died of the last illness.
Captain Alexander Smollett(eng. Captain Alexander Smollett) - the courageous, honest captain of the Hispaniola. A professional sailor who has knowledge not only in navigation, but also in the organization of ship life. A dry and demanding man, he organized the flight from the ship and the defense of the fort. Bad shooter. During the battle for the fort, he perfectly positioned the people, received two gunshot wounds from the boatswain Job Anderson and the pirate George Merry. Height over six feet (183 cm). After returning to England, he left the naval service. He was again called up by the war for service, participated in the glorious battle of Admiral Rodney against the French at Saints in 1782. The French squadron was defeated and the West Indies was saved, but the captain died - the ball hit him in the chest.
Tom Redruth(eng. Tom redruth) - an old servant and countryman of the squire; killed in the first action at the palisade by a pistol shot by Job Anderson on the day the schooner arrived on the island.
John Hunter(eng. John hunter) - a servant and countryman of the squire, died during the assault on the fort. Pirate George Merry snatched the musket out of his hands and, putting it into the loophole, dealt him a terrible blow, which broke his ribs. Hunter fell and crushed his skull. From these wounds he died in the evening of the same day.
Richard Joyce(eng. Richard Joyce) - a servant and countryman of the squire, died during the storming of the fort - boatswain Israel Hands shot him in the head.
Abraham "Abe" Gray(eng. Abraham gray) - carpenter's assistant, along with Dick, Alan and Tom (not to be confused with Tom Morgan) was one of the four honest sailors whom Silver wanted to win over to his side. Heeding the call of Captain Smollet, he went over to his side, fighting off five angry pirates who wounded him in the face. Later he took an active part in the battles with pirates, killed the boatswain Job Anderson, who was trying to kill Jim. After returning, he spent the received part of the treasures on his studies and as a result became a navigator and co-owner of a small ship.
Benjamin "Ben" Gunn(eng. Ben gunn) - a former pirate, sailed on the Walrus. During his stay on the island, he built a shuttle, on which Jim Hawkins later managed to swim to the Hispaniola. After Flint's death, he sailed on another pirate ship, but quarreled with the sailors and was left on Treasure Island as punishment. During his three-year life on the island, he repented of his crimes; found the bulk of Flint's treasure and moved it to his cave. About his adventures on the island, the English writer R. F. Delderfield wrote the book The Adventures of Ben Gunn. After returning, he spent his share of the treasure in nineteen days, after which he worked for the squire as a porter in the park.
Alan and Volume- honest sailors killed by pirates on the first day of the rebellion. Tom was killed by Silver, Alan by Job Anderson.

In 1973, the magazine Around the World published R. Delderfield's novel The Adventures of Ben Gunn, also written partly on behalf of D. Hawkins, but mostly on behalf of Ben Gunn

Based Treasure Island written by Yuri Alikov
David Cherkassky production designer Radna Sakhaltuev Roles voiced Valery Chiglyaev
Viktor Andrienko
Armen Dzhigarkhanyan
Valery Bessarab
Evgeny Paperny
Boris Voznyuk
Yuri Yakovlev
Georgy Kishko
Vladimir Zadneprovsky
Grigory Tolchinsky Composer Vladimir Bystryakov Studio Kievnauchfilm
Creative Association of Artistic Animation The country Distributor Kievnauchfilm Language Russian Duration 107 minutes Premiere IMDb ID 0465041 Animator.ru ID 6756

"Treasure Island"- Soviet full-length animated and game television film, created by order of the USSR State Radio and Television at the Kievnauchfilm studio, directed by David Cherkassky based on the novel of the same name by Robert Louis Stevenson. Consists of two parts: Captain Flint's Map (1986) and Captain Flint's Treasures (1988).

In this film, animated scenes are interspersed with musical numbers and game scenes filmed with actors and illustrating the events of the cartoon or dealing with certain problems associated with the lifestyle of pirates: for example, greed, smoking or alcoholism. At the same time, the manner of filming musical numbers and game episodes differs in different episodes: somewhere the image is in color, somewhere in black and white. One game scene mimics a silent movie using intertitles, and in some sequences live footage is combined with animation.

Plot [ | ]

Dossier on heroes [ | ]

In the cartoon, when introducing pirates and other characters to the audience, the director's "dossier" technique from the TV movie "Seventeen Moments of Spring" (1973) is used. It is noteworthy that the version written on the screen does not always coincide with the voiced one.

Character	Description	Character	Family status
Billy Bones(aka "Captain")	The owner of the Treasure Island map that started it all. He drinks a lot and always has a cold.	Bad	Not married
Black Dog	Friend of Captain Flint. Hunts for a map of Treasure Island.	Secretive
Dr. Livesey	A very good and funny person.	Communicative
Blind Pew	Also an old pirate and friend of Captain Flint. Cunning and greedy. For the sake of money, he will do anything.	Vile
Jim Hawkins	Very, very good and polite boy. Modest, kind and truthful. He listens to his mother and does exercises every morning.	Very soft
Squire Trelawny	Dumb, greedy, gluttonous, arrogant, cowardly and lazy.	Is absent	Not married
John Silver(aka "Ham", he is "One-legged")	The most terrible pirate, but pretends to be kind, which, however, he succeeds.	Secretive
Captain Smollett	Old sailor and soldier. He likes to tell the truth to everyone, which is why he suffers.	nasty
	As a child, he was a well-bred boy, but he began to play toss, contacted the pirates and rolled.	Soft

Performers and crew[ | ]

Voice acting [ | ]

Valery Bessarab - Jim Hawkins
Armen Dzhigarkhanyan - John Silver
Viktor Andrienko - Captain Alexander Smollett / Billy Bones / John Silver (one line) [the significance of the fact? ]
Evgeny Paperny - Dr. Livesey / voice-over ("dossier")
Boris Vozniuk - Squire Trelawny

Robert Stevenson described the pirates of the 18th century very plausibly. This is a vicious, stupid and drunken rabble, devoid of any organization. Alexey Durnovo spoke about real people and facts that are used in famous novel"Treasure Island".

Silver, Flint, Billy Bones and Blind Pew are, of course, fictional characters, but they have a lot in common with people who actually existed. Even some of the facts mentioned in the book took place in reality.

Collective image

The famous dialogue at the barrel of apples, from which Jim Hawkins learns that a conspiracy is brewing on the ship, is literally full of references to real events.

“It was amputated for me by a scientist-surgeon - he went to college and knew all Latin by heart. And yet he did not get away from the gallows - he was hung up in Corso Castle, like a dog, to dry in the sun ... next to others. Yes! They were Roberts' men, and they died because they changed the names of their ships."

John Silver speaks of the famous Captain Bart Roberts, who terrorized the seas of the New World and Africa for several years. Black Bart himself died in battle, but the pirates from his crew were actually hanged in the fortress of Corso Castle.

A drunkard, a thug, but a coward - that's a true pirate

As for the name of the ships, changing it was indeed considered a bad omen, not only among superstitious pirates, but even in the English fleet. A little later in the same dialogue, Silver will mention Howell Davis, the same one, after whose death Roberts became the captain of the Rover ship and began his "career".

There are a lot of such references in the text of the novel. Blind Pew will say that he lost his sight in the battles for King George. The surviving pirates who returned to land often described themselves as former sailors of the Royal Navy.

Silver, dreaming of being rich, will mention that he wants to be a lord and ride in a carriage. This is quite consistent with the ideas of pirates about a rich life. Everyone who has money, of course, is a member of parliament and does nothing but go around in a carriage.

However, the main thing, of course, is the collective image of a pirate. A completely wild, very angry, moreover, armed to the teeth man who is ready at the first opportunity to bite into the throat of his own comrade - that's what a real pirate is. They have been sailing the seas for many years, but they do not know how to manage it at all. Silver does not want to kill Captain Smollett and the others right away, because he knows for sure that without them he is not like before England, before neighboring island will not get. And the pirates, of course, set up camp in the middle of the swamp. Because their heads are not burdened with any superfluous knowledge. Like the fact that insects dangerous to health and life are found in swamps.

Captain Flint

The prototype of the fictional Flint is considered to be Blackbeard. We have already written about Blackbeard. He was not a devil in the flesh and a fiend, he was a man who loved to inspire fear in others. This is exactly how Flint appears before us, with all the abundance of terrible stories that are told about him. Blackbeard was most feared by his own people. In the same way, even the name of Flint is feared by the pirates who went with him on the Walrus.

Blackbeard - the likely prototype of Captain Flint
Flint and Edward Teach are related, and another character is Israel Hands. In the book, he is the second boatswain, who, according to Abraham Gray, was Flint's gunner. This seems to be the only case when a real person appears among the characters. Hands was in Tich's team and was either a navigator or a boatswain there. When Blackbeard died in the battle off Ocracoke Island, Hands was not with him. Shortly before that story, Teach shot his officer in the knee during a drinking bout. There was no good reason for such cruelty. Teach explained his act by the need to maintain discipline on board. The mutilated Hands settled in Carolina, escaped death and even the gallows. In Treasure Island, he is killed by Jim Hawkins. At the same time, in the novel, Hands appears as the most unpleasant and disgusting of pirates - cruel, arrogant and treacherous. At the same time, he knows how to handle the ship, which for a pirate without the necessary education is already an achievement.

Billy Bones

Bones is a bit of an atypical pirate. Just a little. He, just like any other sea robber, abuses rum and grabs a knife on the first occasion, but there are important differences in his image.

First, he is a navigator. And this ship position requires special skills and knowledge that you can’t get anywhere. Anyone can be a boatswain and quartermaster, it is enough for a gunner to be able to handle guns, and this skill can be acquired in practice. Doctors and navigators were worth their weight in gold on pirate ships. People trained in medicine and navigation. Calculating the course involves knowledge of the starry sky, the ability to use complex instruments to determine the height of bodies, as well as an understanding of the basics of mathematics and geometry. For understanding: many pirates did not know where the north was and where the south was, most did not know how to read and write.

Knowledge of navigation is a huge rarity for a pirate

Bones has no problem with that. He is not only educated (albeit minimally), he also has a habit of writing down behind himself. A likely prototype could be someone Blaise Kennedy, who was navigator for Captain Edward England, and then fled from him.

John Silver

From all other pirates, Silver is distinguished by enterprise and the presence of charm. He does not drink away his share, like Blind Pew or Ben Gunn, but tries to invest it in the business. He has his own tavern and a wife with savings. To put it bluntly, such thrifty and enterprising people were not liked among the pirates. The idea of drinking everything all at once came not so much from savagery as from the thought that sooner or later you would be hanged anyway. It's a shame to hang out in a loop when there is a lot of money in your pockets.

In fact, in the middle of the XVIII century the situation was just that. Almost all pirates ended their lives on the gallows, some were lucky to fall in battle. The English laws of those times did not allow pirates not only to spend the loot otherwise than in taverns, but also to return to civilian life. The time for amnesties had already passed by then.

Silver, with his "Spyglass" and the old woman who waits in the appointed place, is undoubtedly different from the gray mass. He looks like a pirate in a completely different way. First, for all his intelligence, he is still stupid. He chooses the right strategy for himself, but the wrong one for the common cause. Dr. Livesey will deceive him with the exchange of a card for a ship, and Silver will not suspect a dirty trick. A typical feature of the 18th century pirate is self-confidence based on nothing. Overconfidence and lack of critical thinking.

Thrift was not welcome among pirates

Silver is brutally cruel, which can be seen in the last chapter. Jim experienced this first hand at the moment when Silver thought he was about to find the treasure. Treasures were not there, Jim again became needed by the old pirate, and he again stood up for him. But to finish off a dying comrade who doubted his authority with a shot is quite a trait of a pirate. And Silver does just that.

Finally, there are external attributes. A wooden leg, a parrot, nautical words - it's all in the piggy bank of the classic image of a pirate. You can also add Silver's nickname to it. He, if you forgot, "Ham". The origin of the nickname is not explained anywhere, the matter, apparently, is in the color of the skin. Over the years of wandering in the tropics and subtropics, she had become weathered, coarsened and turned brownish, exactly like a chicken roasted on an open fire.