Dread Pirate Roberts

From Free net encyclopedia

The Dread Pirate Roberts was a fictional pirate in the novel and movie, The Princess Bride. It is likely that the character Dread Pirate Roberts is based in part on the historical pirate Bartholomew Roberts.

In The Princess Bride, the only thing known to the outside world concerning the Dread Pirate Roberts is that he never left captives alive. Presumably, then, his profound reputation was established solely by tales from former sailors on his ship, the Revenge.

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

Roberts actually was a series of different men. Approximately every five years, the current holder of the name chose a member of his crew to bestow the name upon. Everyone except the lucky pirate was released at a convienent port, a new crew was hired, and the former Roberts stayed aboard as first mate. The constant reference to "Captain Roberts" established the new Roberts' persona. After the crew was convinced, the former Roberts departed the ship, retrieved five years' worth of plunder, and retired in splendor.

Westley, the hero of The Princess Bride, was a sailor captured by "the Dread Pirate"'s ship after pleading with "Roberts" himself to let him live so he could return to his true love, Buttercup. "Roberts" was so moved by Westley's description of Buttercup's beauty that he not only let the young man live, but ultimately let him in on the secret of Roberts' identity, confessing that his name was in fact Ryan and that he was given the mantle of Dread Pirate, as had the "Roberts" before him, a man named Cummerbund. Westley eventually inherited the title himself after a few years.

The entire system worked, as Westley relates to Buttercup, because Roberts' notoriety operated entirely on fear. Ships would immediately surrender and send over their wealth rather than be captured by the Dread Pirate Roberts, whereas no one would surrender to the Dread Pirate Westley.

Westley retired after reuniting with Buttercup and passed the title onto his friend, Inigo Montoya.

Holders of the title Dread Pirate Roberts included:

  • The original Roberts, retired fifteen years in Patagonia at the time of the novel
  • Cummerbund, retired ten years
  • Ryan, retired five years
  • Westley, retires at the end of the novel
  • Inigo Montoya (presumed)

The fictional Dread Pirate Roberts may have been inspired by the historical pirate Bart Roberts (or Black Bart).

[edit]

Trivia

  • Likely as an inside joke, writers of the 2004 remake of Sid Meier's Pirates! have the character of Bart Roberts saying "Fear the dread pirate Bart Roberts!"
  • The MMO game Yohoho! Puzzle Pirates default crew charter makes mention of the Dread Pirate Roberts as the greatest pirate ever.
  • The John Hiatt song "Only the Song Survives" contains the lines "well don't you remember/ they put a patch on your eye/ like dread pirate roberts /you looked so unplanned"
Retrieved from "http://www.netipedia.com/index.php/Dread_Pirate_Roberts"