Captain Alexander Smollett is the fictional captain of the
schooner
A schooner () is a type of sailing vessel defined by its rig: fore-and-aft rigged on all of two or more masts and, in the case of a two-masted schooner, the foremast generally being shorter than the mainmast. A common variant, the topsail schoon ...
''Hispaniola'' in
Robert Louis Stevenson
Robert Louis Stevenson (born Robert Lewis Balfour Stevenson; 13 November 1850 – 3 December 1894) was a Scottish novelist, essayist, poet and travel writer. He is best known for works such as ''Treasure Island'', ''Strange Case of Dr Jekyll a ...
's 1883 novel ''
Treasure Island
''Treasure Island'' (originally titled ''The Sea Cook: A Story for Boys''Hammond, J. R. 1984. "Treasure Island." In ''A Robert Louis Stevenson Companion'', Palgrave Macmillan Literary Companions. London: Palgrave Macmillan. .) is an adventure no ...
''. He plays an important part in disciplining the main characters on the ship as the story progresses, and helps the protagonists survive against the pirates later on.
In the novel
He first appears to the reader as a strict, bitter man who finds fault with everything and is never satisfied. However, he quickly reveals that not all is well aboard the ship, and his first conversation with
Jim Hawkins,
Dr. Livesey, and
Squire Trelawney
Squire John Trelawney is a supporting character from Robert Louis Stevenson's 1883 novel ''Treasure Island''.
Character overview
Stevenson describes him as a tall man, over six feet high, and plump in proportion, and he has a bluff, rough-and-rea ...
foreshadows the eventual
mutiny
Mutiny is a revolt among a group of people (typically of a military, of a crew or of a crew of pirates) to oppose, change, or overthrow an organization to which they were previously loyal. The term is commonly used for a rebellion among member ...
of many of the ''Hispaniola''s members under the leadership of
Long John Silver
Long John Silver is a fictional character and the main antagonist in the novel ''Treasure Island'' (1883) by Robert Louis Stevenson. The most colourful and complex character in the book, he continues to appear in popular culture. His missing l ...
, a cunning and wealthy
one-legged pirate. When the ''Hispaniola'' finally reaches its destination and the pirates rebel, he organizes the faithful crew's flight from the Hispaniola onto the shores of the island and helps in gaining a
stockade
A stockade is an enclosure of palisades and tall walls, made of logs placed side by side vertically, with the tops sharpened as a defensive wall.
Etymology
''Stockade'' is derived from the French word ''estocade''. The French word was derived ...
. The next day, he attempts to negotiate with "Captain" Long John Silver, but the negotiations fail due to the
arrogance
Hubris (; ), or less frequently hybris (), describes a personality quality of extreme or excessive pride or dangerous overconfidence, often in combination with (or synonymous with) arrogance. The term ''arrogance'' comes from the Latin ', meani ...
of Silver and the stubbornness of Smollett. (Indeed, Smollett admits that he has goaded Silver on purpose, reasoning that battle is probably inevitable and might as well be fought sooner rather than later, while they are alert and fresh.) As a result, Silver storms off in a rage, and Smollett is left to organize the defence of the stockade. In the battle of the stockade, he is seriously wounded by two bullets, though neither incapacitates him, and he disappears from the story for the most part. In the end, he and the faithful crew sail back to
Bristol
Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...
laden with treasure, and he retires from seafaring.
Captain Smollett's role in the story is crucial, but he is usually remembered for his temperamental personality. He is obsessed with duty and expects all his orders to be followed to the letter. When the stockade's defences break down during his negotiations with Silver, he explodes, venting his rage on the Doctor and Squire Trelawney for abandoning their stations to watch the negotiations. Yet, he doesn't fail to reward those who perform well and praises Abraham Gray, a mutineer who defects to their side, for staying at his post dutifully.
Film adaptations
*
Buddy Messinger
Buddy Messinger (born Melvin Joseph Messinger; 26 October 1907 – 25 October 1965) was an American actor who was cast in substantial roles in dozens of films during the silent film era. He began his career as a jovial chubby child actor. With t ...
in the
1918 version.
* Harry Holden in the
1920 version.
*
Lewis Stone
Lewis Shepard Stone (November 15, 1879 – September 12, 1953) was an American film actor. He spent 29 years as a contract player at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and was best known for his portrayal of Judge James Hardy in the studio's popular '' Andy ...
in the
1934 version.
*
Basil Sydney
Basil Sydney (23 April 1894 – 10 January 1968) was an English stage and screen actor.
Career
Sydney made his name in 1915 in the London stage hit ''Romance'' by Edward Sheldon, with Broadway star Doris Keane, and he costarred with Keane in ...
in the
1950 Disney live-action version.
*
Rik Battaglia in the
1972 live-action version.
*
Richard Beale
Richard Henry Beale (13 May 1920 – 27 March 2017) was a British actor. He had a long career in television, stage and film, dating back to the 1950s.
Early years
Born in Hackney, London, England, Beale was the son of Henry and Constance ...
in the
1977 version.
* in the
1982 version.
*
Klaus Löwitsch
Klaus Löwitsch (8 April 1936 – 3 December 2002) was a German actor, best known in Germany for his starring role in the television detective series ''Peter Strohm''.
He appeared in several films directed by Rainer Werner Fassbinder, beginn ...
in the
1987 outer space version.
*
Clive Wood
Clive Wood (born 8 May 1954) is an English actor, known for his television roles in ''Press Gang'' (1989–93), ''The Bill'' (1990), '' London's Burning'' (1996–99), and as King Henry I in ''The Pillars of the Earth'' (2010). His stage roles inc ...
in the
1990 version.
* In the 1996
Disney
The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...
Muppets version
Version may refer to:
Computing
* Software version, a set of numbers that identify a unique evolution of a computer program
* VERSION (CONFIG.SYS directive), a configuration directive in FreeDOS
Music
* Cover version
* Dub version
* Remix
* ''Ve ...
, the character was renamed Captain Abraham Smollett (
Kermit the Frog
Kermit the Frog is a Muppet character created and originally performed by Jim Henson. Introduced in 1955, Kermit serves as the everyman protagonist of numerous Muppet productions, most notably ''Sesame Street'' and ''The Muppet Show'', as well ...
as performed by
Steve Whitmire
Steven Lawrence Whitmire (born September 24, 1959) is an American puppeteer, known primarily for his work on ''The Muppets'' and ''Sesame Street''. Beginning his involvement with the Muppets in 1978, Whitmire inherited the roles of Ernie and Kerm ...
) by
Brian Henson
Brian Henson (born November 3, 1963) is an American puppeteer, director, producer, voice actor and the chairman of The Jim Henson Company. He is the son of puppeteers Jim and Jane Henson.
Early life
Henson was born on November 3, 1963, in New ...
and the scriptwriters. Here, the character has a much larger role and is more benevolent, suiting his portrayer, as well as being the former fiancé of
Benjamina Gunn (
Miss Piggy
Miss Piggy is one of the Muppet characters known for her breakout role in Jim Henson's ''The Muppet Show''. Since her debut in 1976, Miss Piggy has been notable for her temperamental diva superstar personality, tendency to use French phrases in ...
).
*
Malcolm Stoddard
Malcolm Stoddard (born 20 July 1948) is a British actor who has appeared in films and television.
Early life
He attended the all-male grammar school Chichester High School For Boys.
Career
His TV credits include ''The Voyage of Charles Darwin'' ...
in the
1999 version.
* In the 2002 Disney film ''
Treasure Planet
''Treasure Planet'' is a 2002 American animated science fiction action-adventure film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and distributed by Walt Disney Pictures. The 43rd Disney animated feature film, it is a science fiction adaptatio ...
'', the character is replaced with Captain Amelia, a female cat-like
alien
Alien primarily refers to:
* Alien (law), a person in a country who is not a national of that country
** Enemy alien, the above in times of war
* Extraterrestrial life, life which does not originate from Earth
** Specifically, intelligent extrater ...
. She is voiced by
Emma Thompson
Dame Emma Thompson (born 15 April 1959) is a British actress. Regarded as one of the best actresses of her generation, she has received numerous accolades throughout her four-decade-long career, including two Academy Awards, two British A ...
.
* In the 2006 film ''
Pirates of Treasure Island
''Pirates of Treasure Island'' is a 2006 American comedy-drama film produced by The Asylum, loosely adapted from Robert Louis Stevenson's 1883 novel ''Treasure Island''.
The film was criticized as an imitation of the ''Pirates of the Caribbean'' ...
'' by
The Asylum
The Asylum is an American independent film company and distributor that focuses on producing low-budget, direct-to-video films. It is notorious for producing titles that capitalize on productions by major studios, often using film titles and sc ...
, the character is depicted as a Frenchman trading with the then-new
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
.
*
Philip Glenister
Philip Haywood Glenister (born 10 February 1963) is an English actor. He is best known for his role as DCI Gene Hunt in the BBC series ''Life on Mars'' (2006–2007) and its sequel '' Ashes to Ashes'' (2008–2010). He also played DCI William ...
in
2012 version.
References
* Stevenson, Robert Louis (1883) ''Treasure Island''.
External links
''Treasure Island'' Book Review*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Smollett, Alexander
Treasure Island characters
Literary characters introduced in 1883
Fictional people from the 18th-century
Fictional military captains
Fictional English people
Adventure film characters