“ | Proud and insolent youth! Prepare to meet thy doom! | „ |
~ Captain Hook's most famous line. |
“ | Pan, no words of mine could express me utter contempt for you! | „ |
~ Captain Hook's last line. |
Captain James Bartholomew Hook is the main antagonist of the 1911 classic play Peter Pan by the late J.M. Barrie, and its film adaptations. It is said that Hook was Blackbeard's boatswain, and that he was the only man that Long John Silver ever feared.
The character is a pirate captain of the brig Jolly Roger, and lord of the pirate village/harbor in Neverland which neighbors the lovely Mermaid Lagoon. Most importantly, he is the archenemy of Peter Pan, described as "boatswain to Blackbeard", and "the man that frightened Barbecue". His two principal fears are the sight of his own blood (which is supposedly an unnatural color) and one fateful crocodile. His name plays on the iron hook replacing his right hand, cut off by Peter Pan and eaten by a saltwater crocodile, who thereafter pursues Hook in hope of preying on him further.
Voice actors and portrayers[]
- Disney—Hans Conried, later Corey Burton, Tom Hiddleston in The Pirate Fairy
- Broadway—Cyril Ritchard, George Rose, J.K. Simmons, Paul Schoeffler, Christopher Walken
- 1990-1991 Peter Pan and the Pirates—Tim Curry
- 1991 Hook — Dustin Hoffman
- 2003 Peter Pan — Jason Issacs
- Peter Pan and the Pirates — Tim Curry
- Shrek — Tom Waits, Ian McShane in the third movie
- Once Upon a Time — Colin O'Donoghue
- Pan - Garrett Hedlund
- Wendy - Gavin Naquin
- Come Away - David Gyasi
Appearance[]
In the novel Peter and Wendy, Hook is described as "cadaverous" and "blackavized", having blue eyes and long dark curls resembling "black candles". In most pantomime performances of Peter Pan, and in the film Hook, Hook's hair is a wig, and is accompanied by thick bushy eyebrows and mustache. The eponymous hook takes place of his right hand (often changed to his left hand in film adaptations) and is used as a weapon. He is also described as having a "handsome countenance" and an "elegance of [...] diction" – "even when he [is] swearing".
Captain Hook is often portrayed wearing a large feathered hat; a red, black or blue coat; and knee breeches, after the novel's description that "In dress he somewhat aped the attire associated with the name of Charles II". Hook is often seen with a cigar holder that lets him smoke two cigars at once. Barrie also said of him in "Captain Hook at Eton" as, "In a word, the handsomest man I have ever seen, though, at the same time, perhaps slightly disgusting"; tangent to which, that although Hook is callous and bloodthirsty, Barrie makes it clear that these qualities make him a magnificent pirate and "not wholly unheroic".
Personality[]
Captain Hook is emotionally vulnerable, and has made a fool of himself quite often; but typically acts as a menacing and cunning figure. At one point in the Disney film, he callously shot and killed one of his crew members when annoyed by his singing; and later threw another overboard for remarking on the obvious. Both killings are references to a scene in the original book, wherein Hook disembowelled his crewman 'Skylights', merely to demonstrate the use of his namesake weapon. While comical, and occasionally bumbling, Hook is a force to be reckoned with, both physically and mentally. With his temper extremely fragile, those around him are often at risk, with Peter Pan being the only individual truly skilled enough to take on the villainous captain.
Hook is extremely intelligent and manipulative and aided by his charming and suave personality. He is able to trick anyone even those who are more than aware that he is not to be trusted. Captain Hook also seems to have a tendency to find loopholes in agreements or contracts, or show obedience to the letter of the law, rather than the spirit. For instance, when Hook was made to promise that he would not lay a finger or a hook, on Peter Pan, he agreed, but instead he planted a vial of poison (in one film adaptation, a bomb disguised as a present) in Peter's hideout.
Captain Hook is one of few villains that view their sidekick as a friend. While Hook is generally uncaring for his crew, he seems to tolerate the bumbling boatswain, Mr. Smee. Although Hook murders and abuses his crew members at the slightest pretext, and despite his constant annoyance at Smee, Hook has never shown any effort to kill him. Aside from this, Captain Hook also views Smee as his confidant, sharing personal thoughts with Smee and even asking him for protection.
He also seems to be able to understand fairy language, conversing with any given fairy as though she was speaking English, and translating for the rest of his crew.
Creation of the character[]
Hook did not appear in early drafts of the play, whereof the capricious and coercive Peter Pan was closest to a "villain"; but was created for a front-cloth scene depicting the children's journey home. Later, Barrie expanded the scene, on premise that children were fascinated by pirates, and expanded the role of the captain as the play developed. The character was originally cast to be played by Dorothea Baird, the actress playing Mary Darling; but Gerald du Maurier, already playing George Darling (and the brother of Sylvia Llewelyn Davies), persuaded Barrie to let him take the additional role instead, a casting decision since replicated in many stage and film productions of the Peter Pan story.
Trivia[]
- Since the original Peter Pan play, it has been a tradition that the actor who plays Captain Hook also plays Mr. Darling, the father of Wendy, John and Michael Darling. This is a way to hint a connection between the two characters through the role of a "mean grownup", which is the reason for which the Darling kids don't want to grow up for most of the story but finally realize that growing up is inevitable and isn't a bad thing at all. Thus, going through this logic, James Hook represents the tyrannical old man archetype around this conflict but George Darling redeems the idea by welcoming the Lost Boys into the family along with his own kids when they return.
- That said, there have been some Peter Pan adaptations in which this isn't the case. Notably, Hook doesn't follow this tradition and Dustin Hoffman just plays Captain Hook because in this version, Peter Pan is the father of the main child characters, played by the late Robin Williams. Likewise, the Peter Pan & Wendy live-action remake of the Disney classic Peter Pan film has Captain Hook played by Jude Law and Mr. Darling played by Alan Tudyk.
- In many adaptions Peter Pan and Captain Hook have turned out to be blood relatives revealed to be either Peter Pan's Uncle, grandfather, cousin, nephew, even his own father. In certain variations they even depict Peter Pan and James Hook as half-brothers
- Captain Hook was based on a real person, a priest with a hook for a hand who claimed to have lost his original hand in an accident. He was blackmailed, however, by a former crewmate who claimed the priest had been a pirate whose hand had been blown off in battle. The pressure eventually drove him insane.Tnarrud2 (talk) 10:51, 6 June 2022 (UTC)
- In many adaptions Peter Pan and Captain Hook have turned out to be blood relatives revealed to be either Peter Pan's Uncle, grandfather, cousin, nephew, even his own father. In certain variations they even depict Peter Pan and James Hook as half-brothers
- That said, there have been some Peter Pan adaptations in which this isn't the case. Notably, Hook doesn't follow this tradition and Dustin Hoffman just plays Captain Hook because in this version, Peter Pan is the father of the main child characters, played by the late Robin Williams. Likewise, the Peter Pan & Wendy live-action remake of the Disney classic Peter Pan film has Captain Hook played by Jude Law and Mr. Darling played by Alan Tudyk.
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Kingdom of Duloc Fairy Godmother's Cottage The Poison Apple The Crone's Nest Others See Also |