Henry Morgan

Ysobel

Henry is obsessed with Ysobel, an idealized and unattainable woman who represents his romantic longing and the source of his deepest emotional turmoil.

Elizabeth

Elizabeth is Henry's wife, but their marriage is strained by his obsession with Ysobel and his pirate life, leading to a relationship marked by duty and resentment.

Mother Morgan

Mother Morgan is Henry's strong-willed, protective mother who disapproves of his pirate path but remains a grounding influence in his life.

Paulette

Paulette is a prostitute in Port Royal who becomes Henry's mistress, offering him physical comfort but no emotional fulfillment.

The Cockney

The Cockney is Henry's loyal, talkative, and humorous shipmate who serves as a trusted companion and confidant during his pirate adventures.

Merlin

Merlin is a wise, older sailor and mentor figure who advises Henry and shares a deep, philosophical bond with him.

James Flower

James Flower is a fellow pirate and lieutenant under Henry's command, serving as a capable but sometimes rivalrous subordinate.

Old Robert

Old Robert is Henry's grandfather, a former soldier who tells him stories of glory and adventure, inspiring Henry's youthful dreams.

Don Juan Perez de Guzman

Don Juan is the Spanish governor of Panama and Henry's primary antagonist, representing the imperial power Henry seeks to plunder and humiliate.

Tim

Tim is a young, naive cabin boy who idolizes Henry and serves as a reminder of Henry's lost innocence.

Sir Edward Morgan

Sir Edward Morgan is Henry's uncle, a respected planter and politician who helps Henry early in his career but later disapproves of his piracy.

Governor Moddyford

Governor Modyford is the English governor of Jamaica who authorizes Henry's privateering missions, maintaining a pragmatic and exploitative alliance.

I

The protagonist, a restless boy dreaming of the Indies.

I

Young Henry, fifteen years old, lies by the fire dreaming of adventure and feeling he has accomplished nothing. He decides he wants to leave home soon.

II

Young Henry expresses his determination to go to the Indies, causing tension with his mother and resignation in his father.

III

Young Henry visits Merlin on Crag-top, expressing his burning desire to sail to the Indies and seeking understanding.

IV

Walks home, reflecting on his troubled feelings for Elizabeth and his dreams; avoids visiting her despite his desire.

V

Receives a prophecy from Gwenliana and resolves to leave for the Indies despite his mother's objections.

VI

Has already left home, prompting his parents' sorrow.

VII

Leaves home secretly, walks to Cardiff, and experiences intense fear and doubt in the barn.

I

The protagonist, a boy from the countryside, who is awestruck by the city and docks of Cardiff and eager to sail to the Indies.

II

Henry discusses the possibility of a buccaneer taking a Spanish town, arrives in Barbados, and is sold into indentured servitude for five years.

III

Now living in Barbados as an indentured servant to James Flower.

IV

Now a young man, he becomes de facto overseer and master of the plantation, applying cold, calculated methods to maximize production and secretly hoarding gold for his buccaneering ambitions.

V

Now eighteen, strong and restless, he buys a ship named Elizabeth and sails to Jamaica, but his desire for plunder and adventure grows. He takes Paulette as a lover but remains emotionally detached, haunted by his lost love Elizabeth.

VI

Henry, now freed from servitude, is resolute in his ambition to become a buccaneer and make a name for himself, despite the emotional pleas of James Flower.

VII

Arrives in Port Royal seeking his uncle; learns of his mother's death and father's madness; proposes a buccaneering venture; feels alienated and humiliated by his relatives.

III

Introduced as a young man entering the buccaneer world, confident he will overshadow all the legendary pirates of the Brotherhood.

I

Portrayed as the paramount buccaneer leader, cold and calculating, who uses planning and surprise to achieve victories.

II

Now thirty, successful but lonely, graying hair, craving something more than glory.

III

Feeling lonely and seeking a friend, he reveals his past love for Elizabeth and his bitterness over lost love.

IV

Driven by obsession with La Santa Roja, he sacks Maracaibo and plans to capture Panama.

VI

Referenced indirectly as Old Robert's son, now a pirate leader rumored to have captured towns and tortured prisoners.

IV

Determined on the destruction of Panama, the Cup of Gold.

I

Plans the conquest of Panama, assembles the fleet, and asserts authority over the captains.

II

Reveals his deep yearning for La Santa Roja as the true motive for the Panama conquest, struggles with doubt and exhaustion, and shows unexpected tenderness toward Coeur de Gris.

III

Leads the buccaneers to Panama, delivers a motivational speech, oversees the sack of the city, and obsessively inquires about Ysobel.

IV

Captain Morgan grapples with his sense of power and impotence after the conquest, kills the Cockney Jones, and fails to dominate Ysobel.

V

Plagued by guilt and shame, he kills Coeur de Gris in a moment of madness and negotiates Ysobel's ransom.

VI

Sits alone in the Hall of Audience, introspective and bewildered; confesses his lost light and desires to Ysobel.

VII

Experiences a profound shift in values, rejecting former ideals and embracing money as the only true security.

The Division of Spoils

Captain Morgan is in good spirits after the journey, rolling out rum for the men, but is implicated in the disappearance of the treasure galleon.

V

Returns to Port Royal as a celebrated but disillusioned leader, grappling with the cost of his ambitions.

I

Returns to Port Royal as a celebrated pirate after the Panama conquest; meets with Governor Moddyford and learns of the King's summons; discusses his uncle's death and his cousin Elizabeth.

II

Knighted and commissioned Lieutenant-Governor of Jamaica; tells a story of a youthful love and is overcome with shame.

III

Now Sir Henry Morgan, serving as a judge in Port Royal, conflicted between his past as a buccaneer and his present role as a colonial authority.

IV

Lying on his deathbed, reflecting on his life and resisting the Vicar's calls for repentance.