Work Text:
Dramatis Personae, in Order of Appearance
BONNY, a pirate
MAX, a lady
VANE, Captain of the Ranger
FEATHERSTONE, a clerk
JACK, a quartermaster
GUTHRIE, a merchant
ROGERS, Governor of Nassau
FLINT, Captain of the Walrus
BILLY, a pirate
TEACH, Captain of the Queen Anne’s Revenge
SILVER, a stranger
MIRANDA, a ghost
HORNIGOLD, a pirate hunter
PIRATES, MERCHANTS, SAILORS, etc.
SCENE I
exterior, a beach at night
[Enter BONNY, MAX, and MERCHANTS.]
BONNY
My tongue is not accustomed to your speech
And I too long have played the silent part;
Yet by the sword I’ve cut the tongues of men
And by the knife I settle my accounts.
Here now- another boorish, drunken cry
Of feverish disorder. I have not the sense
For business, yet my eyes can see aright
And pierce the heart of any grunting ape.
Here we have a wastrel of renown,
Who cheated, lied, and stole all he possessed.
A pirate in his deeds, if not in name
And yet he is the merchant, I the savage.
MAX
I hope that we have shown you how our girls
May pleasure those who see our interests met.
Observe the scale while I inspect the pearls,
A moment now, you’ll have your payment yet.
MERCHANT
Remarkable that such as you can read
And discourse as a fairer lady might.
BONNY
I should have him draw, if he be man enough.
MAX
Peace. It is well with the accounts.
MERCHANT
A just determination. If you should flee
The governor’s approach, let it be known
I offer you my patronage.
MAX
Governor? I cry you, tell me more.
BONNY (aside)
Another man would already be dead.
As lover’s boon, I’ll gladly spare his head.
[Exeunt BONNY, MAX, and MERCHANTS.]
SCENE II
interior, a tavern
[Enter MAX, JACK, VANE, FEATHERSTONE, and BONNY.]
MAX
Damn the governor to hell
And seven-hundred soldiers to a man.
He comes to challenge us.
VANE
How now, when will they arrive?
MAX
Twelve days, methinks.
VANE
Twelve days, and here we lie with scant defense.
FEATHERSTONE
Peace, peace. How many Men o’ War?
MAX
I know not.
FEATHERSTONE
How many guns?
MAX
Fie, I know not.
VANE
A Man o’ War’s a pretty set of fangs.
It matters not the number, nor the cause.
They will not rest till every pirate hangs.
Six guns alone will only give them pause.
Instead, let us avail ourselves of crews
That know the taste of blood and feel no fear.
A show of steel, a massive show of force.
By strength alone will we commit them here.
Let splinters be a laurel, smoke a wreath,
And fill the harbor’s mouth with bloodied teeth.
JACK
A thousand men or more, now there’s the way.
If Flint does not return, I’ll take command.
The governor will know, if he’s to stay,
He’ll risk humiliation by our hand.
FEATHERSTONE
I trust you, Jack. I think it can be done.
JACK
I’ll go at once. The battle’s far from won.
[Exeunt MAX, JACK, VANE, FEATHERSTONE, and BONNY.]
SCENE III
interior, the Governor’s flagship
[Enter GUTHRIE and ROGERS.]
GUTHRIE
What is this?
ROGERS
Attend- you’ll find here my address
To the inhabitants of Nassau.
GUTHRIE
By this address you mean
To sail into the harbor, lay your anchor
And read this piece aloud?
ROGERS
Will that not do?
GUTHRIE
It will not.
ROGERS
By this I mean to offer them a boon.
A pardon, law and order, legal trade,
And civil commerce, all commencing soon.
If they accept, no man need draw a blade.
GUTHRIE
You need not fear an organized defense.
In this, at least, dear Hornigold was right.
Flint’s their only man not lacking sense,
Though Vane may yet be tricky in a fight.
In truth, you have them backed up in a corner.
Attack them now. Your siege is done in days.
Now watch my pen- I’ve struck out law and order.
You’ll find those men embittered by the phrase.
ROGERS
Clear them out? You fool, if I should strike,
Then when the Navy lands, I am undone.
Don’t you know that like allies with like?
I’ll lose the trust of every single one!
It could take months to cut the serpent’s head
And grind it into dust beneath my heel.
A war of force results in hundreds dead-
GUTHRIE
-How now, what rush? What drive to have them kneel?
Even with the fortunes of your kin,
It worries you- the time it takes to win.
ROGERS
There were, perhaps, a few to whom I made
Some promises to garner their support.
Some businesses in credit, stock, and trade
With whom I called in favors, built rapport.
And many of these parties, as you know-
My creditors, investors, and the bank-
The interest rates, they only grow and grow
Even for a man of stable rank.
But deadlines may be pushed, and bargains made
With institutions found on native soil.
In time, even the steepest debts are paid
So long as one puts in the work and toil.
Nassau is my Charybdis- yet they lack
The breath of Spain the Scylla at my back.
GUTHRIE
Fie, Spain.
ROGERS
I swore to them that I would seize the fort,
Secure what yet remains of Urca’s gold
And bring it whole, still bleeding, back to court.
If I do not- the thought still leaves me cold.
GUTHRIE (aside)
Aye, there’s the rub. Uncertainty and doubt.
If he strike quick and true, then all be fine,
For Vane’s the only hand to carry out
the dirty work, and Flint’s the only mind.
[Exeunt GUTHRIE and ROGERS.]
SCENE IV
exterior, the Doldrums
[Enter PIRATE.]
PIRATE
We are dead, and thusly we are bound
To linger here in darkness and in doubt.
Afloat a thousand miles from the ground,
Surrounded by the ocean, and in draught.
We are dead, and thus consigned to Hell,
A place where even angels fear to walk.
Our pace is naught. Our sails refuse to swell.
Our throats close up till we can barely talk.
We are dead, and thus we simply lie
In our own excrement until we choke.
Beneath our Father God’s indifferent eye,
Our spirits bend and bow till they are broke.
As one we weep and wail from dusk to dawn.
In such a place is this, all hope is gone.
[Exit PIRATE. Enter BILLY and FLINT.]
FLINT
I warn you, boy, to keep a watchful eye
On Silver, for the man is not himself.
A belly-pinch plays tricks upon the mind,
And capers with the senses, makes them weak,
Confounds, confuses, and otherwise dulls them.
Silver, should the Furies then conspire
To have their way with him, will speak in tongues
And contrariwise visions. The man holds council
With goblins, and conjures spirits from the air.
BILLY
The men will claim- at least, so I have heard-
It is his role to contradict your word.
FLINT
My word is this- what little food we have
Must yet endure until we come ashore.
So to this end, I tally up the names
Of every man we have, and blacken half.
In striking out the name, I strike the man,
And so I fill our bellies, let us live.
Our quartermaster thinks that I’ve gone mad.
That Charlestown has thusly made it so- that I
Have trimmed my wits at either end, the fool.
My peace of mind is like a brimming cup.
[Exit FLINT.]
BILLY
What Silver could not do, Miranda did.
That cup is balanced on her coffin’s lid.
[Exit BILLY.]
SCENE V
interior, a tavern
[Enter JACK, FEATHERSTONE, VANE, and PIRATES.]
JACK
Alack, I’ve had enough! I bid you sit
And think. If you continue playing babes
In absence of your mother’s blushing breast,
Then I shall play the father’s role with grace
And strike you round the ears to clear your heads.
What hast cooled your blood hath mine enflamed.
Children, have you also lost your manhoods?
It stands to reason that if we propose
Constricting English ships in Nassau’s throat,
We’d best prepare to swallow.
PIRATE
Fie, you rogue.
You posit every ship must join our cause
If we have any hope of saving face?
JACK
You will recall the business deals I forged
Have generously filled your coffers full.
Each capture sees you plump, your holds engorged
With more than any navy captain’s pull.
PIRATE
But all this without Flint? It can’t be done.
JACK
Give me but a pen, a list of names
And I’ll arouse your men to such a state
That failure to deliver conjures shame
In every breast from whore to caulker's mate.
A vocal opposition- fie, for what?
The thought of losing? Baseless, cringing fear?
For flinching men, the whorehouse doors will shut;
They'll ne'er again find wife or woman here.
Mark me, I'm committed. As is Vane,
And so is Flint, when he returns again.
[Exeunt JACK and PIRATES. Enter TEACH.]
TEACH
How now, it seems I see your courtly clown
Has filled their ears with so much sound and fury.
It comes to naught- I hear that Flint went down
Somewhere off St. Kitts, or that’s the story.
We must be in agreement, worthy Vane,
That should you coax the men with naught in hand,
Each crew will turn, reject you as their thane,
And bend the knee to none of Jack’s demands.
VANE
And how do you propose we stay the course?
TEACH
I’ll take up arms by Flint’s abandoned throne.
I’ll unify the men- by show of force
Consume their strength and count it as my own.
I’ll rid you of the burden of this place.
A better mind than Flint’s must set the pace.
VANE
You ne’r did listen, ne’r did bend an ear,
And here I speak so rarely. Hear me now;
I call it not a burden. To this land
And to this people, I commit myself.
TEACH
I know your mind- you are the loping dog
That walks among the timber, bloodied teeth
From cutting down cruel men. I know you well.
Commitment weighs upon you like a chain
And makes of free men, slavers. You are made
To beg your peers for service, or for swords
Yet none would risk their lives to save your skin.
VANE
Jack would. Jack has.
TEACH
Of course the fool would do.
How else does such as he survive out here,
Except to cleave to better men than he
And suckle like remora at their blood.
I myself am made of sterner stuff
And cleave myself to no one, for no cause.
I ask you for your partnership, and that
Is everything and all, I ask no more.
Eight years I’ve been away, and in this time
My wives have come and gone, and left me naught.
I am a blunted sword, I long to cut
A place out for myself, and for my line-
Nature has denied me what it takes
To carry on my name, but not the need.
My Charles, who was ever dear to me,
Now that you know my reason and my curse,
What say you?
[Exeunt VANE and TEACH.]
SCENE VI
interior, the Walrus
[Enter SILVER and BILLY.]
BILLY
I hear you have been fasting unannounced.
SILVER
I will not give him satisfaction thus.
You know the very man of whom I speak;
The man who wrings the souls of better men
As I now wring the blood from meager eels.
If I would be respected by the crew
I dare not come before them, hat in hand
At fullest strength while they all waste away.
BILLY
That tyrant Flint would see the crew cut short.
Your strength must hold. You must give your retort.
SILVER
Ignorance, thy name is Billy Bones.
Truly you are rarer than a pearl,
And like your father, agitate the oyster.
Know you not that no man can pretend
To serve a king sometimes, and sometimes not?
BILLY
Hold your tongue, and know you have
A role among the men-
SILVER
-o, fie my role!
If I did stand against him, as you say,
And in the sight of all assembled crew,
The very ship would crumble at the sight,
And thus, an impotent, I must sit by.
Woe to all who ever came by Flint!
Again he’s done as he has done before
And turned the very earth to his design.
BILLY (aside)
How now, it seems he thinks that Flint’s a witch
In coarser terms, the man’s a tricky bitch
SILVER
I do not fear whatever wily sprite
Did conjure from the air that fateful storm,
For Flint’s a rarer sorcerer of night.
The man’s desires give the world its form.
When Flint evoked the tempest’s awful wrath
And turned us loose with murderous intent,
He forced our hands, confounded every path
Until the very best of us were spent.
I knew he dwelt within a darkness vast.
The movement of the spheres is all his will.
He’ll drink our very souls down to the last
And now, while crewmen starve, he eats his fill.
O villain! He that conjured up the spell
That made of Nassau heaven, England hell!
BILLY
The men abhor a vain self-sacrifice
Now drink your cup, I will not ask you twice
SCENE VII
interior, a cave at night
[Enter MAX and BONNY.]
BONNY
What have you there?
MAX
It is a balance.
BONNY
Pray, look at me.
MAX
Our time grows short, and I must be about
The business of dividing our accounts.
BONNY
Do not ask me to cleave myself from you.
And yet, if you but ask, this I will do.
MAX
I know you will. When I was small
My father’s house looked very tall.
The windowpane was cold and gray.
I watched her sing and sleep and play
And never work or cry at all.
The fireplace, the parlor wall.
My father’s laugh, her birthday doll.
I learned what love was like that day.
I know you will.
Climactic rise and steeper fall.
I’m learning life. I have the gall
To make it work. There’s no delay.
You have to go. You cannot stay.
So trust that I will weigh it all-
BONNY
I know you will.
SCENE VIII
exterior, the Doldrums
[Enter SILVER, ROS, GUIL, FLINT, and PIRATES.]
SILVER
You stand accused of stealing our reserve,
A crime which no confession can redeem.
You broke the bond of trust we must preserve.
The penalty must therefore be extreme.
Each of you were told to do your part
In watching over stores left in your care.
A full day’s ration gone- yet still you doubt
That in my judgement, I am just and fair?
Whichever is the guilty man, confess,
Though each accuse the other of the crime.
I ask for honest answers, nothing less,
So speak, before I ask a final time.
Repair in some small part this broken trust
Between us all, or I’ll do what I must.
ROS
Not I, good sir, I swear it-
GUIL
-fie, look here!
I ask you, does my conduct not ring true?
You’ve seen me live these last few weeks in fear,
Yet weathered this along with all of you.
I’ve never cried, nor blubbered, sniveled, whined,
So count me not a liar, cheat, or cur.
I’m nothing like this coward and his kind.
I cry you, Captain, take me at my word.
[FLINT loads weapon, shoots GUIL. FLINT begins to reload.]
ROS
Bless you, sir, I knew you’d see the truth.
Captain- God in Heaven. Please don’t shoot.
[FLINT shoots ROS. Exit SILVER. Exeunt ROS and GUIL carried by PIRATES.]
FLINT
Does everyone understand?
Does anyone have anything to say?
[FLINT begins to weep. Exit FLINT.]
SCENE IX
interior, the Unknown
[Enter MIRANDA, holding a candle.]
MIRANDA
Mark me.
The hour has come when I must walk by night
With Specter Death, if only for a while,
Until dawnlight breaks and I must go
And render myself up unto the sea.
[Enter FLINT.]
MIRANDA
He approaches.
FLINT
O, Miranda…
MIRANDA
Be not afraid.
FLINT
When Thomas died, I made the world his pyre
For you, my grief eclipsed my soul entire
MIRANDA
When first I met you there, you were unformed,
And when I bade you cast aside your shame
You did, and lo, our Captain Flint was born,
Slipped dripping from my womb, as yet unnamed.
Then for a time I played the lover’s part,
Though you and I found we were suited ill.
Then soon I played the wife to soothe your heart,
Which is, in part, the role I’m playing still.
I love you like no other, I will guide
Your steel aright, you face a Stygian shore;
But God regards; His pupil dilates wide
Until you make a shovel of an oar.
[MIRANDA blows out the candle. Exeunt MIRANDA and FLINT.]
SCENE X
exterior, the Doldrums
[Enter FLINT and SILVER.]
SILVER
The rotting whale must rise, so too do ghosts
Draw near the surface of the rotting mind,
For ghosts do not decay except in dreams.
It’s hard to tell the scale of what we see,
Nor what may lie in wait beneath the waves.
It has not moved since first we saw her hull;
The broadside of a body, not long dead.
FLINT
She will sustain us. Ready me a launch,
I’ll see to it myself.
SILVER
Fie, you will not.
You devil, you know full as well as I
That only I have strength to pull the oar,
Return you to your ship, so I will go.
I will not hear a word against my will.
[Change in lighting to resemble the Unknown.]
SILVER
I took it from you.
FLINT
Aye?
SILVER
The Urca gold.
The Spanish came to intercept the cache.
Our movements were confounded, you were told.
I lied to you. I burned your plan to ash,
Engaged the scouts and oversaw the sale
To Rackham’s men, and I conceived it all.
I saw it through. I knew your plan must fail.
I’m not like them. I’m not your fucking thrall.
So fight me, kill me, haul yourself alone.
Go back. You’re not the man you claim to be.
Or else agree our partnership is stone.
By God, you cur, you will account for me.
FLINT
You did this?
SILVER
Aye.
FLINT
You dog, you did it all?
And where’d you lay your claim?
SILVER
I gave it up. I could not yet retain
What portion of the treasure was my own,
Betray those on this ship, and still remain.
Without them I’m a cripple, nothing more,
Yet in their eyes, they look at me as though
They’ve seen me put my head in Delphi’s vapors
And breathe in.
FLINT
Delphi has a rank and baseless smell
That turns men’s stomaches, beyond even this;
How now, the carcass.
SILVER
Wretched thing. See there,
The vast and sightless eye, the splitting flesh,
The bowel’s gaping maw. Yet that which dies
Brings predators to feast upon the carrion.
It seems our luck may set still turn around.
We need not eat the offal. Look below.
[Exeunt FLINT and SILVER, pursued by a shark.]
SCENE XI
interior, the Governor’s flagship
[Enter GUTHRIE, ROGERS, and SAILORS.]
ROGERS
Report.
SAILOR
Their ships do compass the horizon.
I know not their banners.
ROGERS
Ready the line. The harbor mouth is wide
And bristling with masts.
SAILOR
Captain Teach, it seems, is every bit
The strategist reports suggest he is.
ROGERS
Be silent. Lock
Your tongue behind your teeth, or else prepare
To offer something more than base critique.
SAILOR
Regretfully, my lord, I must protest.
I see no means by which our naval force,
Substantial though it be, may claim the beach
And suffer not a devastating loss
Of capital, our assets set to plunge.
ROGERS
I see. Then I myself will go alone
And parley with the men upon the sand.
Ready me a launch, and I will go
And make of Nassau town an English pulpit.
SAILOR
It will not do.
ROGERS
Oh, it will not?
SAILOR
Ever it has been my sacred charge
To guard your mortal flesh, and so therein
Protect your each endeavor from all harm.
GUTHRIE
If you would speak, enlist another mouth.
SAILOR
Remove her, I will not abide a wagging tongue
Nor yet a woman’s wailing.
ROGERS
Peace, I’ll hear her.
Will you go in my stead?
GUTHRIE
I will not.
My enemies betwixt the beach and here
Would twice the world compass, stacked end to end.
ROGERS
Than whom?
GUTHRIE
The pirate hunter- here, now heed my will-
Nassau owes his gray beard such a debt
That in his age they hold him in esteem
The loudest wagging tongue, if ‘er he speaks
Is stilled. They give him high consideration.
He walks by his own council, like the moon,
And like the moon, his years have turned him white.
Let not the rub escape you- should he fail
It will be no great loss to you and yours.
[Exeunt GUTHRIE, ROGERS, and SAILORS. Enter PIRATE.]
SCENE XII
exterior, Nassau town
[Enter TEACH and PIRATES.]
PIRATE
How now, I see good Hornigold’s approach
Yet no man stands between nor halts his march.
TEACH
How soon the viperous youth, with serpent sting
Turn and bite the heels of their gray elders.
See how he flies the banner? Should he fall
While under such a flag, blades will draw.
[Exeunt TEACH and PIRATES. Enter HORNIGOLD.]
HORNIGOLD
In the name of the governor of New Providence Island, the Honorable Woodes Rogers.
The time has come to bring a wayward child back into the fold. An island that rejected its parent empire, but that must long for the embrace of civilization once again.
Be it proclaimed that any man on this island who will accept that embrace- who will renounce violence against the crown, who will renounce piracy- that man will be offered a full, complete, and unqualified pardon. No matter what you've done, no matter how irredeemable you believe it to be, your king and your governor wish to offer you a clean slate, a new beginning here in Nassau.
All of you, that is, but one. One so committed to disorder and chaos that his presence is incompatible with civilized society.
Be it known there shall be a bounty of 10,000 pounds sterling for the capture of the pirate Charles Vane, dead or alive.
[Exit HORNIGOLD.]
[Curtain.]