Black Sails opens in the first episode with a declaration of war from the pirates of Nassau against the world. This is partly true as the characters constantly struggle against the forces of England and the civilized world but in actuality, the war against the world is a war of perception. Most of the main characters of the show are concerned about their perception. They worry about how their friends, comrades, and the world will view them. A number of them focus on what history will say about them when they are long gone. Image is power even if that image is nowhere near the truth. This is something that characters like Flint, Sliver, Eleanor, Max, and Jack know to be fact. Even England understands that its true power lies in the false image that it has created. Every character relates to the idea of an image differently but it is always at the core of who they are.
England
It’s important to understand the image of England and how it was created. This perception of England is what many of the characters are fighting against and the model for their own image. England as a nation portrays itself as a savior of the world. A savior that will bring the treasures and safety of civilization to the impoverished of the world. England knows what is right and moral. It is the place where gentlemen and ladies conduct peace. Anyone who would stand against its noble quest is nothing more than a bestial monster. By constructing itself in this way England has made itself vital in the eyes of many people. Millions of individuals are willing to give everything they have to support the behemoth that they believe keeps them safe.
This is the false image of England. Its true face is one of corruption and cruelty. England has gained its wealth through slavery, imperialism, and systematic oppression. These are things felt first had by many of the characters. Madi, Max, Billy, and Flint all had their lives torn apart by the unjust practices of England. It has appointed itself the absolute authority of the world. In order to retain that power, it threatens to strip its subjects of legitimacy. It threatens to cast out those who descent and label them as monsters. It uses shame and fear to keep the people in line. The antagonists of the series, Lord Ashe, Hornigold, Rogers, and later Eleanor, are simply agents of England who have bought into its lie. England dictates what is true. England writes history. England picks who are heroes and villains.
Max
Max was one of those used by England to increase its wealth. She was a former slave who watched her father embrace his white daughter while she was left out in the cold. At the beginning of the series, Max solely wanted to leave Nassau with Eleanor and find a place where she could love and be loved. When Eleanor betrayed her in order to maintain her power that dream was shattered. Max spiraled in her despair until she gained a small bit of power in Rackham’s brothel. That power brought her both security and purpose. She soon becomes the new merchant queen of Nassau. People were forced to show her respect for once in her life. Max had finally experienced real power and was unwilling to surrender it. This is why she sides with Rodgers when he comes to Nassau and supports his public power. Max was willing to give up her share of the Urca gold and her friendship with Bonny and Jack in order to become legitimate in the eyes of England. She had fallen for England’s lie. She believed that England would come and create a type of peace in Nassau that would allow her to retain her own public power. Max hoped that England would embrace her as her father never did.
Sadly, she discovers the truth during the Spanish raid on Nassau when Eleanor dies. Like so many others she was exposed to the ugly face of the civilized world through Woodes Rogers's actions. England only takes from you and then expects you to thank it for the privilege. In an act of revenge, she turns to Eleanor’s grandmother for help but must make a hard decision. She could attach herself through marriage to a wealthy family and adopt the role of a dutiful wife. She would have it all. Money, respectability, and power through an easily controllable husband. Most importantly she would be granted legitimacy in the eyes of England. The thing that has been evading her for her entire life. She would have all of these things but lose her chance to reconnect with Bonny. In the end, she chooses her chance with Bonny. Max is finally comfortable with letting go of her desire for acceptance from England. She doesn’t need their legitimacy for herself anymore. Max is comfortable living her life behind the scenes of public power. Max is no longer blinded by the lies of England’s image and no longer feels compelled to fit herself with its design.
Eleanor Guthrie
Eleanor Guthrie is a character desperate to prove her worth. As the first merchant queen of Nassau, most of Eleanor’s actions were for the approval of her father. Richard Guthrie was a shrewd businessman, always looking for the next profit. Because of Eleanor’s gender, she was always faced with his disappointment. She was unable to pass down his name and in his eyes unfit to truly inherit his business. Under the typical social laws of England Eleanor should have been stored away until marriage and then shipped off to a suitable husband. But Eleanor grew up in Nassau and was far away from the demands of English society. Free from England’s rules Eleanor was able to win power among the pirates. For most of the series that power is all that matters to Eleanor. She is willing to do almost anything in order to keep her power and gain more of it. She turned Vane against his mentor, abandoned Max, had men assassinated, lied to Scott, undermined her father, and betrayed Vane. She does all of this to achieve her dream of building something lasting in Nassau. Eleanor does this because she wants to prove to everyone, especially her father, that they were wrong about her. She is strong enough to stand amongst and lead the men. This is why she initially fights the return of England just as hard as Flint. She understands that if England takes back control of the island they would never let someone like her keep her power. That power and that drive to fight civilization dies when she is captured and her father is killed.
Vane murdered her father, who she was growing closer to, and the pirates betrayed her for pardons. After this, she sees Nassau differently. She fully believes the lie that England had been telling the world. The pirates of Nassau are too unruly and monstrous to self govern or build something lasting. She joins forces with Rodgers not only to get revenge but to also establish the government she was never able to. In pursuit of this goal, she was even willing to trade in her image of a powerful pirate queen for the image of a docile wife. But even the desire for this new goal fades when she becomes pregnant. She no longer wants to build anything on Nassau or take revenge on the pirates. She no longer lusts for power or wants to prove anything. Eleanor simply wants the money to live a peaceful life with her husband and child. Sadly, she dies before she could fulfill that want. Although she died in the end Eleanor chose the people she loved over legacy and the image of power.
Jack Rackham
Jack Rackham is a man that understands legacy. He saw first hand the damage a tarnished name can do to a person like his father in England. In response, Jack has spent most of his life making sure his name is as good as gold. Jack has always used his cunning to secure both his survival and his advancement in the world. Despite first impressions, he’s not afraid to take risks if it means that his reputation improves. Even when he was making a comfortable living as a brothel owner he was still dreaming of a much more dangerous life on the sea. In contrast to the habitual backstabbing of the other pirates of Nassau Jack is rather loyal to his comrades. He and Bonny are the closest of partners and he is willing to lay his life on the line to defend Vane. Their opinions of him mean a lot to him and so do the opinions of the most important people of his time. When he is captured by Woodes Rogers he makes sure that Rogers understands that Jack is his equal and had to work harder to reach this spot. When he teams up with Teach he constantly puts his life in danger to prove his courage and dedication to the captain. He is desperate for their approval. Jack Rackham wants to stand among the giants of piracy and to secure his legacy. He was even willing to walk away from a chest full of a lifetime’s worth of wealth and his partner just so he could keep his name. He pays for this obsession with repeated failures and the loss of some of his comrades.
Vane and Teach die. He is captured by Rogers once again and Bonny is almost killed. Jack learns from this. He no longer tries so hard to impress his peers or cement his legacy. He knows the power of a story and understands how much legacy means to a person. This is why he changes tactics when facing Rogers. He no longer needlessly puts his life at risk to win the approval of others. Jack knows that to truly defeat him he must humiliate him and ruin his legacy. When he speaks to Eleanor’s grandmother he is a man that knows how to manipulate a story to his own advantage. He is its master and not made slave by it. Even though the Urca gold has slipped through his hands he is still known throughout the world as the man who outsmarted Captain Flint and stood with Blackbeard, Charles Vane, and Long John Silver. His legacy is secure.
John Silver
At the start of the series, John Silver is a man that couldn’t care less about his image. He is not one for bravery or heroics. In fact, he is willing to openly declare himself a coward. His only objective is to stay alive and get rich. It is in the pursuit of those goals that he joins Flint’s crew. Silver understands that his survival is reliant upon his ability to be useful to those who hold his life. He employs one of the few skills he has. His persuasive skills. Silver is a master storyteller and knows how to use a narrative to compel others. He can make men love, hate, and fear anyone or anything with just a few words. He could control their perspective of the world and make them believe anything he wanted. As Silver slowly worked his way into the crew they began to rely on him and truly think of him as a brother. For possibly the first time in his life Silver was seen as important and liked by the people around him. In turn, they became important to him. This is why he takes such an uncharacteristic action at the end of season two. He is willing to give his life to save the crew and even gives up his share of the Urca gold.
Following this Silver becomes increasingly concerned with the opinions of those around him. He doesn’t want the crew to see him weak for using crutches. He tries to impress Flint so that he sees him as a worthy partner. Silver continues to take on more responsibility to both live up to the expectations of those he cares about and to protect them. He recognized that England is a threat to the safety of those close to him, like Madi and Flint, so he steps into the role of a pirate king to better protect them. This image that was created for him gives him the power to stand against the overwhelming force that is England. Silver continues to use his skills to be an even better leader than Flint. He is both loved and feared by his subordinates. He commands almost complete loyalty from his men. Despite his growth as a character, Silver is still fulfilling a false image. He is an actor playing a role and we get to see it drop during moments when he is alone with close friends or when Madi is in danger. He is often uncertain of himself and afraid of failing those that rely on him. At the end of the day all Silver wants is to make sure his loved ones are safe and he is willing to trade everything for that. This is why he betrays both Madi and Flint in the final episode. England can win the war as long as he can carve out a life for himself and his friends. The persona and story of Long John Silver dies. It will be changed and distorted for years. Those around him may judge Silver’s actions but he doesn’t care. Their perception of him holds no power.
Flint is a character made almost entirely from perception. He represents dramatically different things to various characters. He is a monster, a leader, a friend, a devil, and a king. The image of Flint is whatever is needed at that moment. The persona is so divorced from the original James McGraw that the two are practically different people. When James first lost Thomas he was overcome with two emotions: shame and hate. Shame that England had written them off as undesirable and hate that they had taken his love from him. He wanted revenge against England but above all, he wanted to prove that Thomas was right about Nassau. In order to do that he needed to create an image that could compete with the powerful perception of England. So James becomes Flint. The image of Flint is almost an anti-England but also very similar to it. A savage pirate who presents himself as the enemy of civilization. He is a king of villains who uses the fear of his displeasure, like England, to control those around him. Both he and England have made themselves so vital that those who openly hate them still swear loyalty to them. Many times during the series the crew of the Walrus see and recognize the selfishness and cruelty of Flint but always choose to stand beside him in the end because everyone believes Flint is the only one who can lead them to salvation. They need and fear him more than they hate him.
Flint’s war with England was in full swing but he still needed proof that he wasn’t only the monster. He desperately needed someone to acknowledge that James McGraw still existed. This is when he decided to trust John Silver. When he is alone with Silver James can let the image of Flint drop just a little. He can share his fears and dreams with someone that can see a small piece of who he really is. This is one of the reasons why Silver becomes so important to him. It isn’t just because Silver can help him with his war. Everyone close to Flint except for Silver is dead. He has nothing left but Silver and his hate for England. He doesn’t want to let go of either. We can see his desperation to hold on to both when Silver and Flint confront each other on Skeleton Island at the end of the series. It is true that England is corrupt, immoral, and spreads oppression around the globe but Flint’s war is entirely personal. He wants vindication. Flint wants to prove to the world that England was wrong to write him off as a monster. To prove that England had no right to make him feel ashamed. He doesn’t want England to have the last say on who he was as a person.
But that all changes when he finds out that Thomas is still alive. When James sees Thomas again he is immediately willing to let go of his war, his hate, and his image. Now that he has someone to live for he doesn’t care if England gets the last word on who he is. They can write him as a monster in their history books and it won’t bother him. The image of Flint can die in the open waters as a bloodthirsty tyrant because James has found his peace from the sea and it’s Thomas.
Conclusion
Each of these characters either started obsessed with their perception or later became obsessed with it. Each of them used their reputation and image to accomplish great things. They also all sacrificed many things to protect that image as well. But in the end, each of them gave up their image. They let go of the title of a powerful merchant queen or notorious pirate lord. They no longer cared about how the world viewed them. They traded all of the power and fear they wielded over men for a future with the ones they loved. Max gives up her public power for a chance with Bonny. Eleanor gives up her dreams for Nassau for a future with Rogers and her child. Jack no longer hunts for his legacy and is content to sail with Bonny. Silver throws away the legend of Long John to make sure Madi is safe. James lets go of the Flint persona so he can spend his life with Thomas. All of these characters found something that was more valuable to them than their image. They may have lost the War of Perception but it was a voluntary surrender that they were happy to make.
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