1. So you want to be a pirate? Kelsey Mezzina

2. The Mythic Pirate The Hollywood pirate is a construct. Components of the pirate mystique match with reality although many do not. In fact, many of the things that we consider essential to a pirate’s appeal or character are false…

3. Glorious Misconceptions Walking the plank One legged pirates Talking parrots “Shiver me timbers” Traditional pirate songs

4. Origin? Treasure Island Written by Robert Lewis Stevenson First published in 1883 Made into a film in 1918 10+ remakes have been done since the films original debut Popularized many misconceptions about pirates

5. A Modern Day Treasure Island? Pirates of the Caribbean first released in 2003 Based off of the Disney theme park ride Pirates of the Caribbean Heavily promoted the idea that ‘anyone can be a pirate’ Popularized the quirky, fun- loving pirate (i.e. Johnny Depp)

6. Disney’s Cast of Pirates…

7. Captain Barbossa

8. Captain Jack Sparrow

9. Will Turner?

10. Elizabeth Swann?

11. Anyone can be a pirate… Weatherby: So... this is the path you've chosen, is it? After all... he is a blacksmith. Elizabeth: No. He's a pirate.

12. Do I want to be a pirate? Hollywood equates pirates with freedom, adventure, and bravery. Although pirates were historically the ‘bad guys’ (those that weren’t commissioned by the government, anyway) they are depicted as an ideal to aspire towards. Pirates are big business. The Pirates of the Caribbean franchise reportedly made over 1.6 billion in the years leading up to and including 2011. That total doesn’t even include not PotC sales.

13. People want to be pirates… and Disney wants nothing more than to make their dreams come true.

16. Capitalizing on the Idealized Pirate In our society it is possible to purchase pirate merchandise and, through the merchandise, a pirate lifestyle. Pirate merchandise ads claim that, for costs as low as 30 dollars, you too can become a pirate- even if it’s only for a night. Advertisements heavily reinforce the idealized pirate through written and visual content.

20. Bibliography Apestegui, Cruz. Pirates of the Caribbean: Buccaneers, Privateers, Freebooters and Filibusters 1493-1720. NPR. Fact and Fiction on the High Seas, Web. 20 Apr. 2015. http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=554202http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=554202 Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl. Dir. Gore Verbinski. 2003. Film Szalai, Georg. "Pirates of the Caribbean Has Hit 1.6 Billion Dollars in Sales." The Hollywood Reporter. Web. 20 Apr. 2015.. "Treasure Island." Wikipedia. Web. 20 Apr. 2015.. "Pirate Earring and Eye Patch Set." Party City. Web. 20 Apr. 2015..