Rebellion and Authority

Where it surfaces

• The Messenger

  Blood observes the townsfolk rallying to Monmouth's rebellion with cynical detachment, viewing them as 'fools rushing in wicked frenzy to their ruin.'

• Kirke's Dragoons

  The clash between the defeated rebels and the king's dragoons highlights the brutal suppression of the Monmouth Rebellion.

• III: The Lord Chief Justice

  Blood's growing hatred for King James and his defiance in court reflect the tension between individual rebellion and oppressive royal authority.

• VI: Plans of Escape

  Blood and Pitt plan to escape from the oppressive authority of Colonel Bishop and the plantation system, a direct act of rebellion against their enslavement.

• VII: Pirates

  Blood defies Bishop's orders and threatens to abandon his medical duties, showing rebellion against oppressive authority.

• The Rebels-Convict

  Blood and the convicts rebel against Spanish captors and colonial authority, seizing the ship and challenging Bishop's power.

• XIII: Tortuga

  Blood, an outlaw and escaped slave, defies both Spanish and English authority, choosing the sea as his domain.

• XIV: Levasseur's Heroics

  Levasseur rebels against the agreed terms with Captain Blood and the authority of the Governor of Tortuga, prioritizing his own desires.

• XV: The Ransom

  Blood challenges Levasseur's authority over the crew and the prisoners, using the articles to justify his actions.

• The Trap

  Blood defies both the Spanish admiral's authority and the mutinous complaints of Cahusac, asserting his own command and audacious strategy.

• XVII: The Dupes

  Blood's defiance of the Spanish Admiral and his council's internal dissent highlight the tension between buccaneer autonomy and external authority.

• XX: Thief and Pirate

  Blood's internal rebellion against his own romantic ideals and his struggle with the authority of Arabella's judgment reflect the broader theme of defiance.

• XXI: The Service of King James

  Blood's reluctant acceptance of the King's commission represents a compromise between rebellion and submission to authority, driven by necessity.

• Hostilities

  Blood's uneasy acceptance of the King's commission places him in a conflicted position between his buccaneer past and the authority of the English crown, embodied by Colonel Bishop.

• Hostages

  Blood defies colonial authority by taking hostages and subverting Bishop's orders, while attempting to disband the buccaneer fleet.

• War

  Bishop and Julian exploit the war to justify an attack on Tortuga, subverting duty for personal vengeance.

• The Service of King Louis

  Blood and his buccaneers transition from independent piracy to serving under the French crown, highlighting the tension between lawless freedom and structured authority.

• XXVI: M. de Rivarol

  Blood openly defies Rivarol's authority, challenging his rank and decisions in a council of war.

• XXVII: Cartagena

  Blood openly defies Rivarol's orders, asserting his own strategic judgment and challenging the French commander's authority.

• The Honour of M. de Rivarol

  Blood challenges Rivarol's authority over the distribution of spoils, and the buccaneers threaten mutiny against the French commander.

• XXIX: The Service of King William

  Blood's shift from outlaw to defender of the crown reflects the theme of rebellion against unjust authority and the possibility of redemption through service to a new legitimate ruler.

• XXX: The Last Fight of the Arabella

  Blood defies conventional naval strategy, taking a desperate gamble that challenges the authority figures Willoughby and van der Kuylen.

• His Excellency the Governor

  Blood transitions from rebel and pirate to legitimate governor, embodying the shift from rebellion to established authority.