Pirates of the Caribbean plot question. Spoiler?

[Johnny_L.A]

Pirates of the Caribbean has been out a while, and I just watched it again last night. My question involves the curse. It may be a spoiler, but it may not be. Properly warned ye be, says I.

Okay… The curse was laid because the pirates stole Aztec gold. Jack Sparrow was the only one who knew where the treasure was, and he was betrayed when he told Barbarossa. “Bootstrap Bill” Turner thought it was wrong for Barbarossa to have marooned Sparrow, so he sent a gold piece to his young son in England because he felt the crew deserved to be cursed. Not wanting to tolerate dissent, Barbarossa ordered “Bootstrap Bill” to be thrown overboard tied to a cannon.

So “Bootstrap Bill” stole a piece of gold and was, therefore, cursed. Does that mean that he’d been undead at the bottom of the ocean for ten years? In that time, couldn’t he have walked to the shore?

[ivylass]

Here.

Great minds think alike!

[Silentgoldfish]

Yep! Though it was left unresolved. If you search for Pirates there’s pages of posts about it.

[GuanoLad]

I think the concensus is that it was a deliberate plotpoint to possibly use in a sequel, or it’s just something for people to think about to avoid the plotholes, like:

• Why do the pirates fear Elizabeth dropping the amulet overboard if they can walk along the bottom of the sea with no problem at all?

Or

• How are the pirates meant to supply their blood with the gold if they are undead and don’t bleed when shot (though you’ll notice Barbossa leaves blood on the knife when he is stabbed by Elizabeth, so maybe there’s an out in that blood doesn’t circulate, it lays dormant in their veins)?

[Johnny_L.A]

Oops. Barbossa; not Barbarossa.

Thanks for the link, ivylass. Other questions I had were addressed there as well.

[bouv]

@GuanoLad

I think the concensus is that it was a deliberate plotpoint to possibly use in a sequel, or it’s just something for people to think about to avoid the plotholes, like:

• Why do the pirates fear Elizabeth dropping the amulet overboard if they can walk along the bottom of the sea with no problem at all?

Or

• How are the pirates meant to supply their blood with the gold if they are undead and don’t bleed when shot (though you’ll notice Barbossa leaves blood on the knife when he is stabbed by Elizabeth, so maybe there’s an out in that blood doesn’t circulate, it lays dormant in their veins)?

Well, for the first, just because they can, doesn’t mean they want to. It could get stuck in the mud and take a long time to find, especially at night. As for the second question, as long as they are not in moonlight, they look and feel normal. Outside of moonlight, they actually HAVE flesh and blood, it’s not just their appearance, it’s there actual physical makeup that changes.

[GuanoLad]

@bouv

As for the second question, as long as they are not in moonlight, they look and feel normal. Outside of moonlight, they actually HAVE flesh and blood, it’s not just their appearance, it’s there actual physical makeup that changes.

But when they have their first attempt to become flesh and blood, using Elizabeth’s blood, Barbossa shoots one of them to see if they bleed, and they do not.

[Silentgoldfish]

@GuanoLad

But when they have their first attempt to become flesh and blood, using Elizabeth’s blood, Barbossa shoots one of them to see if they bleed, and they do not.

He shoots him to see if he dies, you never actually see a closeup of the bullet hole…