Around the World in Eighty Days · Character

Captain Speedy

The stubborn skipper of the Henrietta, whose refusal to sail to Liverpool is overruled when Fogg simply buys his ship and steams off with him aboard.

supporting

Also known as Andrew Speedy

First appearance: In which Phileas Fogg engages in a direct struggle with bad fortune

As a supporting figure in Around the World in Eighty Days, Captain Speedy is not background color—the story leans on what they do once the chapter opens.

Initially refuses to carry passengers but agrees to take Fogg and his party for two thousand dollars each.

In the storyIn which Phileas Fogg engages in a direct struggle with bad fortuneOpen this moment free

See Captain Speedy in In which Phileas Fogg engages in a direct struggle with bad fortune Book page

Free preview opens at this moment — character cards, Character Web, and themes sit beside the text as you read.

Speedy is a practical American mariner with a profitable cargo and no interest in detours, and his blunt resistance to Fogg's demands makes him a comic foil to the unflappable Englishman. Locked out of his own command, he howls in his cabin while Fogg drives the Henrietta through winter gales and dwindling coal, a hostage to a timetable he never agreed to. His presence sharpens the Atlantic crossing into a test of Fogg's nerve and resourcefulness, and his eventual fury foreshadows the reckoning awaiting them in Liverpool.

Continue beside the text

The fuller portrait of Captain Speedy sits in Reading Lens — open the free preview to keep reading with notes on the page.

See Captain Speedy in In which Phileas Fogg engages in a direct struggle with bad fortune

Character Web

6 connections

A slice of how Captain Speedy sits in the book — open the reader for the full interactive map.

Relationship types

Rivalry
Social
Other

Character groups

Fogg's traveling companions
Protagonist
Reform Club members

+1 more in the full Character Web

Open in reader

Narrative arc

Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Falling action.

Setup
Escalation
Breaking point
Aftermath
Closing

This chapter marks the dramatic climax because it presents the highest physical and symbolic point of the jour…

Full beat labels and climax notes unlock in the reader.

Follow the arc while reading

Relationships

Phileas Fogg
rivalry · negative
Captain Speedy clashes with Fogg over control of the ship, leading to a tense… How this plays out →
Sir Francis Cromarty
social · ambivalent
Phileas Fogg
rivalry · negative
Captain Speedy clashes with Fogg over control of the ship, leading to a tense… How this plays out →
Sir Francis Cromarty
social · ambivalent
Phileas Fogg
rivalry · negative
Captain Speedy clashes with Fogg over control of the ship, leading to a tense… How this plays out →

Phileas Fogg
Captain Speedy clashes with Fogg over control of the ship, leading to a tense confrontation and eventual forced cooperation.
Sir Francis Cromarty
Captain Speedy and Sir Francis Cromarty have brief, professional interactions as ship captain and passenger.
Phileas Fogg
Captain Speedy clashes with Fogg over control of the ship, leading to a tense confrontation and eventual forced cooperation.
Sir Francis Cromarty
Captain Speedy and Sir Francis Cromarty have brief, professional interactions as ship captain and passenger.
Phileas Fogg
Captain Speedy clashes with Fogg over control of the ship, leading to a tense confrontation and eventual forced cooperation.

Relationship notes

How these ties play out is in the reading companion — open the free preview.

See Captain Speedy in In which Phileas Fogg engages in a direct struggle with bad fortune

In the story

Captain Speedy appears across 3 companion beats. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.

Chapter companion notes

Spoil-light check-ins for Captain Speedy unlock in the free preview.

See Captain Speedy in In which Phileas Fogg engages in a direct struggle with bad fortune