Captain Blood · Characters
Character guide
Key figures in Captain Blood by Rafael Sabatini.
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Captain Peter Blood
major
Also known as Captain Blood, Peter Blood, Mr. Blood, Dr. Blood, Governor Blood
Blood commands the Arabella under buccaneer articles that bind him to plunder he half-dislikes, and he will not suffer violence done to a Dutchman in his presence. Paired with the ruthless Levasseur, he must outmaneuver a partner already scheming to betray their agreement. His blend of scruple and cunning sets the moral compass of the early–middle voyage.
Jeremy Pitt
supporting
Also known as Jeremiah Pitt, Pitt, Master Pitt, Mr. Pitt, Viscount Pitt
Still healing from a lacerated back aboard the Cinco Llagas, Pitt takes the night air on deck and reads the heavens with a seaman's instinct. When he points out that the North Star sits wrongly for Curaçao, he hands Blood the first proof of Don Diego's deceit. His steady friendship and sharp navigation anchor Blood's trust in the early chapters.
Lord Julian Wade
supporting
Also known as Julian Wade
Lord Julian moves between Colonel Bishop's bluster and Arabella's quiet grief, carrying Blood's pledged word that no harm will come to Bishop if the Arabella passes the fort. His aristocratic melancholy gives way to open disgust at the Deputy-Governor's drunken threats. As he falls for Arabella, his loyalties begin to tilt away from the crown that sent him.
Colonel Bishop
supporting
Also known as Tom Bishop, Colonel, the Colonel
Bishop owes his life to Blood's word, yet spends his supper cursing him and promising hideous vengeance while the drink loosens his tongue. His coarse threats drive Arabella from the table in tears, and even Lord Julian finds him unbearable. His obsessive hunt for Blood supplies the pressure that forces the buccaneers into their boldest gambits.
Arabella Bishop
supporting
Also known as Miss Arabella Bishop, Miss Bishop, Miss Arabella
Arabella waits anxiously for her uncle's return, then hears from Lord Julian that Blood's word alone guaranteed his safety — a fact that colors her cheeks. She endures Bishop's drunken rages with a composure that awes even him. Her wistfulness and growing regard for Blood quietly reshape the loyalties of everyone around her.
Captain Levasseur
supporting
Also known as Levasseur
Levasseur conceals from Blood that his real quarry is Mademoiselle d'Ogeron, sister of the Governor of Tortuga's son, and fixes a ransom of twenty thousand pieces to mask his intent. When Blood invokes the articles and demands the prize be shared, Levasseur's rage barely contains itself. His treachery forces Blood to choose between the code they sail under and the partner who has already broken it.
M. le Baron de Rivarol
supporting
Also known as de Rivarol, Rivarol, the Baron
Rivarol arrives in the Caribbean as supreme commander of France's naval and land forces in America, expecting buccaneers to stand while he sits and doff their hats while he wears his. He meets instead Captain Blood, whose flawless courtesy is a weapon, and the two men duel over rank, prize shares, and who controls the expedition. His hauteur and Blood's quiet insolence make every council scene a contest, and his refusal to bend sets the fleet on a collision course long before Cartagena.
Don Diego de Espinosa y Valdez
supporting
Also known as Don Diego, Diego, young Espinosa
Taken captive by Blood, Don Diego belongs to the great Espinosa family of Castile, but the admiral who shares his name will not pay to redeem him. He must broker his own ransom through intermediaries and parole, caught between Spanish pride and the practical arithmetic of survival. His captivity draws Blood deeper into the Espinosa feud, making the young man both a bargaining chip and a mirror of the code that separates gentlemen from pirates.
Wolverstone
supporting
Also known as Old Wolverstone, the Old Wolf, Captain Wolverstone
Wolverstone is the old wolf of Blood's crew, a veteran of Monmouth's rebellion whose loyalty to his captain is absolute and whose temper is not. When a French officer offers gross provocation, Wolverstone fells him with a blow and lands himself under arrest in the castle, forcing Blood to confront Rivarol directly. His arrest becomes the flashpoint that exposes the fault line between the buccaneers and the French command, and his presence gives Blood's following its muscle and its memory of shared exile.
Nathaniel Hagthorpe
supporting
Also known as Hagthorpe, Captain Hagthorpe
Hagthorpe is one of the few captains Blood trusts without reservation, a man of naval training and gentlemanly bearing who lends the buccaneer fleet a thin veneer of legitimacy. He is appointed to command the Elizabeth and proves steady in the squabbles that erupt on the steps of the church at Maracaybo, siding with Wolverstone and Pitt against Cahusac's uneasiness. His loyalty matters because it shows that Blood's authority rests on more than fear, and that among the Brethren of the Coast there are men who can be relied upon when the enterprise turns precarious.
Don Miguel de Espinosa
supporting
Also known as Don Miguel, the Admiral, old Don Miguel
Don Miguel is a great gentleman of Castile and an admiral of Spain whose disasters at Blood's hands cost him his honor and his reason. Refusing his own son's ransom, he turns his fleet into a weapon of pure vengeance, falling on English and French shipping alike and becoming a pirate in his turn. His obsession gives the novel its pursuing shadow, and the trap he springs at Maracaybo becomes the stage on which Blood's tactical genius is most shiningly displayed.
Cahusac
minor
Also known as Cahusac
A French pirate serving under Levasseur; treacherous and greedy.
Mr. James Nuttall
minor
Also known as Nuttall, Mr. Nuttall
A merchant and pirate; one of Blood's crew.
Mademoiselle d'Ogeron
minor
Also known as Mademoiselle, mademoiselle
Daughter of the French governor of Tortuga; courted by Levasseur.
M. d'Ogeron
minor
Also known as de Cussy, M. de Cussy
French governor of Tortuga; a shrewd and diplomatic figure.
Ogle
minor
Also known as Ogle
A pirate in Blood's crew; known for his resolute nature.
Don Esteban de Espinosa
minor
Also known as Don Esteban, Esteban, young Espinosa
Son of Don Diego; a Spanish officer seeking revenge on Blood.
Major Mallard
minor
Also known as Mallard
A fellow prisoner and friend of Blood in Barbados.
Admiral van der Kuylen
minor
Also known as van der Kuylen, Van der Kuylen
Dutch admiral who interacts with Blood during naval engagements.
Lord Willoughby
minor
Also known as Willoughby
English colonial governor; briefly appears in negotiations.
Captain Hobart
minor
Also known as Hobart
An English naval officer; antagonist to Blood.
Governor Steed
minor
Also known as Steed
Governor of a Caribbean colony; interacts with Blood.
Lord Jeffreys
minor
Also known as Jeffreys
The infamous 'Bloody Assizes' judge; historical figure in the story.
Lord Gildoy
minor
Also known as Gildoy
A condemned rebel; Blood helps him escape.
Lord Sunderland
minor
Also known as Sunderland
English statesman; sends messages to Blood.
King Monmouth
minor
Also known as Monmouth, the handsome Monmouth
Rebel leader and claimant to the English throne; historical figure.
Yberville
minor
Also known as the experienced Yberville
A French naval officer; ally to Blood.
Andrew Baynes
minor
Also known as Baynes, Master Baynes
A fellow prisoner in Barbados; minor role.
Lord Feversham
minor
Also known as Feversham
English general; historical figure mentioned in the narrative.
Captain Calverley
minor
Also known as Calverley
An English naval captain; antagonist to Blood.
Dr. Whacker
minor
Also known as Whacker
A physician and fellow prisoner in Barbados.
Kent
minor
Also known as Kent
A pirate in Blood's crew; minor role.
Nicholas Dyke
minor
Also known as Dyke
A pirate in Blood's crew; minor role.
William Bishop
minor
Also known as William
Colonel Bishop's brother; a minor character.
Don Pedro Sangre
minor
Also known as Pedro, Don Pedro
Spanish captain of the Cinco Llagas; antagonist.
Captain Gardner
minor
Also known as Gardner
An English naval officer; minor antagonist.
Henri d'Ogeron
minor
Also known as Henri, young d'Ogeron, D'Ogeron
Son of the governor of Tortuga; minor role.
Benjamin
minor
Also known as Benjamin
A servant or crew member; minor role.
Hayton
minor
Also known as Hayton
A pirate in Blood's crew; minor role.
Mrs. Baynes
minor
Also known as Baynes
Wife of Andrew Baynes; a minor character.
Mary Traill
minor
Also known as Mary, Miss Traill
A young woman rescued by Blood; minor role.
Henry Morgan
minor
Also known as Morgan
Famous historical pirate; mentioned as a former governor.
Mrs. Barlow
minor
Also known as Mrs. Barlow
A woman in Blood's past; minor role.
Mr. Pollexfen
minor
Also known as Mr. Pollexfen
A merchant involved in the slave trade; minor role.
Colonel Kirke
minor
Also known as Kirke, the bloodthirsty Colonel Kirke
English colonel known for brutality; historical figure.
Lord Grey
minor
Also known as Grey
Rebel lord; minor historical figure in the story.
