CAPTAIN JAMES HOOK
THE LONGEST LIST OF THE LONGEST STUFF AT THE LONGEST DOMAIN NAME AT LONG LAST

Who was Captain James 'Jas' Hook?

On eof literature's most multi-faceted and intriguing pirates, Captain Jas Hook dominated any scene he appears in, be it on paper, on stage or on screen.

Hook was said to be Blackbeard's boatswain and his boatswain in turn is the mild Mr. Smee.

Mr. Starkey was his first mate aboard the 'Jolly Roger' and Hook is popularly said to be the only man fellow pirate Long John Silver feared.

Hook's nature is a study in complexity. A veritable gentleman the Captain of the 'Jolly Roger' has beautiful manners, wonderful diction, sensitivity, poise and a regal manner of dressing. Few pirates have this much class. Hook has been witnessed to be moved to tears by beautiful music and is often gripped by periods of deep melancholy.

Narcissistic by nature, he gently chides himself for this fault. It is something Peter Pan (who along with his gang of 'Lost Boys' is his arch enemy in the work he first makes his appearance 'Peter Pan') suffers from as well. He is deeply respectful of women as is shown by his gentle treatment of Wendy Darling even though she is brought on board his craft as a prisoner. Counting poetry and flowers among his favorite things conversely nothing thrills him more than plunging his hook into a victim.

It might seem a bit of a coincidence but in reality 'Hook' is not the captain's true name. His creator, playwright James. M Barrie (with whom he shares his first name), refuses to reveal his identity "lest he cause a furor in the country.” Many hints are dropped throughout 'Peter Pan' as to his true identity. His alma mater is revealed to be Eton. The name 'Hook' stems from the fact that the Captain possesses in place of his right hand a silver hook. Peter Pan had long ago cut off his hand and thrown it to a Crocodile in the Never land lagoon. The crocodile enjoyed that one taste of Hook so much that he continues to follow Hook for the rest of his life.

Fortunately for Hook the crocodile had also inadvertently swallowed a clock which continued to tick loudly from inside its belly which warns Hook whenever it is approaching. However at the end of the play Peter Pan succeeds in throwing the Captain to the crocodile and thus Jas Hook meets his end.

A popular tradition in almost every reincarnation of 'Peter Pan' is to have the same actor portray both Wendy's father and Captain Hook which was followed through even in the Disney version and the recent Peter Pan movie.

This is an enormously interesting character having attracted many great personalities over the years. Actors who have played Hook range from Dame Daphne du Maurier's father, Gerald Du Maurier (who was the uncle of the Lewellyn Davies boys, JM Barrie's primary inspiration for 'Peter Pan') to Dustin Hoffman, Jason Issacs (famous for his role as Lucius Malfoy in the 'Harry Potter' movies) and even Johnny Depp (who adopted the persona briefly in 'Finding Neverland').

Jack Sparrow's father, Captain Teague (played by Keith Richards) greatly resembled James Hook in his cameo in 'Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End').

Hook has made a brief appearance in 'Shrek 2' and was even said to be present as a member of the Brethren Court in 'Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End' but was never shown.

 

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