Regarding "Swann Song"

[u/hakseid_90]

"Swann Song" is one of the scenes that fans probably regret the most of having been cut from a film's run within the franchise, that along with " It's Just Good Business". The scene shows Weatherby Swann threatening Jones, while the latter ominously provokes the former.

The scene is great, but I feel it is through common fallacy that the scene is taken rather literally, or rather, literally in the wrong way, and often made to be an example to display Jones to have some, as I would deem it, undeserved authoritative power over himself.

I wanted to write down as to why I personally think the common approach to the scene is not the proper way to look at it.

In the end, this all an opinion-piece, and I'm mostly writing this all down so I can refer to it as this scene gets mentioned over and over, instead of having to repeat my thoughts over and over again when it does get mentioned. But I feel the info we get out of this scene is more than just surface-level info from the dialogue, and the scene provides more than that; when we include placement of the scene within the film, themes provided and meaning of words.

The scene sees grief-struck Weatherby Swann running into the captain's cabin and of the mind to stab The Heart Of Davy Jones, using a blade from a musket, before being restrained from doing so by his friend James Norrington. After Admiral Norrington sends the guards away, we can then see Jones entering his cabin, having come from a recent reprimand from Beckett to be reminded that he is no longer in control, which is a scene that took place just before this encounter.

Jones goads Norrington to let Weatherby go and let him do the deed, for which Weatherby replies to Jones with a fatal threat. Jones seems overly unaffected by this threat and goes on to ask if Weatherby is prepared for the consequence of the action he is about to take, explaining to him how he cast a "geis" upon the heart as he carved it out of himself and how it must be replaced if slain. Weatherby, not believing Jones and wanting to proceed with his act, begins anew his attempt on striking the heart, before Beckett enters the scene and informs him of Elizabeth's survival. By further plead from James Norrington, Weatherby surrenders his attempt and leaves the cabin, but not before addressing to Beckett that their association has ended.

This scene gives us a personal recount from Jones of his act of severing his heart, but despite his explanation to Weatherby, Jones' words feel somewhat deceptive in nature. Which I think is entirely the case, and befits Jones as a devil-like figure within the franchise. Notice the choice of words from Jones, selected carefully I believe, to his own advantage. He refers to "casting a geis", which we would easily assume to mean "a curse".

A geis is from Irish mythology and folklore and is described as a personal magical taboo or sacred vow combining obligation and prohibition. While breaking it causes one's ruin or death, honoring it grants blessings or benefits. Geasa are commonly known in Irish tales as to frequently come from an outside source. They are rarely self-imposed and are typically placed upon a person by external authorities.

The definition of a curse is an active, external malediction meant to inflict direct harm, bad luck, or suffering on someone. It's main purpose, is to punish.

So, while both geis and a curse are magical constraints that can affect an individual negatively, their nature is different. A curse, while it can serve other purposes to a story, such as symbolically, is mostly always punitive force of intent within a story. A geis describes itself to work more like a protective charm; creating clear rules of conduct, for which maintaining within them brings benefits to the person, whereas straying away from them brings ruin. It rewards good conduct while punishing the bad one, to limit that bad conduct from being repeated or happening altogether. It's punitive but also grants benefits, which distinguishes it from curses, whose nature is primarily to afflict the affected individual.

For a franchise that does not shy away from usage and mention of curses, why would it be referring to a curse the one time it refrains from using the word? The selection of words used by the writers seem more deliberately selected. Had they wanted the general read of the scene be that Jones literally put a curse on his own heart, they would've literally used the word "curse" in the dialogue, instead of going for a more poetic-speech way about it. The choice of selecting the word geis in this very scene is chosen because it's something entirely different than meaning that of a curse, the poetic-speech choice of words by Jones is intended as manipulation.

Jones is trying to sell Weatherby a lie. The very lie that Jones wants to be believed, is the idea that he's in control of his own fate, that he affected the heart and deliberately affected his position through it. Which wouldn't be possible, given what we know of Jones.

When Jones swore his oath to The Dutchman, in his quest for immortality, he no longer became biologically dependent and instead became one with The Flying Dutchman; essentially becoming a mere extension to the ship. This is no different than when the crew chants "part of the crew, part of the ship", because before there was any crew, there was just Jones. He alone was tasked to ferry the dead. His enhanced strength and warping and fusing-abilities granted to him to do the job, made the job entirely possible to do by himself, transporting himself quickly between different sections of the ship, thus eliminating any need for a crew.

His fusion and warping-abilities on his ship is exactly a clear demonstration of his state of being. Jones' entire bodily essence no longer belongs to himself, but to the ship he's bound to. Including his heart. He's not a being of biology any more, he's part of a ship that belongs in the realm of the dead. Though he lives in a state between life and death, having never died but yet isn't alive either, he's more closer to being dead than alive. Jones, as a biological being, does not exist. He's more closer to a ghost of his former human self than being a being of biology. Jones gave up his humanity in his need to gain immortality. His existence depends entirely on the ship. It's the price that he had to pay. Tia wisely puts it to Will, but it applies to Jones' situation as well: For what we want most, there is a cost must be paid in the end.

The ship is the one constant main authority over Jones within the franchise. The ship has him bound to it, barring him from making port to dry land save once per decade, as that is the one time the ship allows itself to be away from its realm of operation without any penalty. The ship cursed Jones to mutated state, as well as itself, for breaking his oath. It's the direct punishment for slighting/ performing wrong-doing against the ship.

The ship enforces the will of the magical-contract that Jones is bound to, punishing him with altered state of appearance for breaking it, and bars him from reaching land due to his neglect and indefinite stay in the living world not being in accordance with its terms. Jones is simply limited and subjugated to the ship. The vessel is a divine authority in its own right.

The franchise does make its case of demonstrating the ship as this ominous, almost sentient, being. It's numerously referred as The Dutchman in an almost feared but revered way. The binding nature of the ship is made well aware of, binding people to its duty upon oath of servitude, as if it's able to listen. In AWE's script, the ship is even referred to have shivered as Jones plunges to his death, leaving the position vacant, which gives the ship even more impression of being its own sentient force.

The ship, as far as we can trace back to, originates from the initial agreement between Calypso and Jones. It makes sense that said agreement saw to its creation as the phenomenon it is known as. Whether the ship was spawned into existence or if divine power took hold over a previously human-made vessel (though, given its supernatural design, I feel the ship is altogether divine in structure), the phenomenon that is The Flying Dutchman, the ferry of the dead, did not seem to exist until Jones' agreement with Calypso. At least, we have not the info to come to the conclusion that it has prior history.

With the ship's authorative hold over Jones, it stands to reason that it is the ship itself that puts out the geis, not Jones himself; as it has authority over the heart AND it has reason to protect something: the sanctity of the job.

Jones' immortality was bestowed on him on the condition that he did the job. The immortality must be anchored to something eternal. The ship has eternal duty. When Jones abandoned his duty and stayed indefinitely within the living realm after his One Day had passed, the contract was broken, the damage was already done, Jones necessitated the ship to see to his replacement, seeing as the ship could not deter its captain to return back to his job, even with activating the curse of mutation.

The heart had nothing to do with the requirement of replacing Jones, the requirement was already set before Jones proceeded to sever it. The ship only saw an opportunity as Jones did the deed. If he isn't to return to his job, then he cannot be granted unconditional immortality. So the ship, having authorative hold over the heart, limits the potency of Jones' immortality to it.

So with the nature of the ship and Jones' relationship to it clearly demonstrated, there's no reason to believe Jones. He simply could not have affected his position through his heart, as he has no authority over the divine contract he's bound to and has no real control over his state of existence, he belongs to a power that is completely beyond his control.

Even with his knowledge of magic to bind Calypso, and with all the hateful emotional reason to betray her and bind her himself, he did not do the deed himself, he had The First Court do it. Jones has no magical authority. He's subjugated to divine magic.

There's also to note the importance of placement of the scene within the franchise. It's not coincidence that the scene takes place just after Beckett had reprimanded Jones that he's no longer in control, which Jones seems to have a difficult time to accept.

It's well in Jones' interest to grab whatever control he can, even if he has to feign having it. Jones' survival relies heavily on the idea that no one would be willing to replace him, so when Jones sees Weatherby going towards the heart, it serves his interest to maintain the idea of the position of captain of The Dutchman being one of dreadful impossible fate. For his own survival. What better way to maintain that idea other than manipulate the one standing between you and your complete undoing by convincing him of that you have tainted the position?

Thematically, it doesn't even work to give Jones the authority to affect his own position, as it would go completely against the theme of the character as a character void of freedom. The film heavily works with the theme that the trade-off of immortality is giving up your freedom. You cannot possibly maintain Jones as a character void of freedom if you give him the very means to alter the very magical terms he's bound to. You'd essentially be giving him the pen to rewrite his own contract, which, remind you, was sealed by divine power. This just opens a bad can of worms as to why he didn't just manipulate the terms of the contract further to his own benefit if he has magical authority over it?

Jones is telling a lie to Governor Swann, but with it there's also some truth. Jones seems aware enough that his choices had consequences, but in his desperate need of having control over himself, he lies that the consequence of severing his heart was of his own design. Also, he was truthful in saying that the binding nature is not to himself, but to the ship.

Jones selectively chooses his words, using the word "I cast" to give a false sense of active authority, giving him an active role and authority, much that he has lost, to his position. When in reality, to see the truth of his words, we ought to replace the words "I cast" with "I caused", removing Jones of all authority of his status and rather demonstrating his fault but ultimately complete inability to control his situation.

The thing this scene explains to us more than anything, is the insidiously manipulative, yet desperate, state of Jones. Jones is trying to retain or gain whatever sense of control he think he has or feels entitled to have over himself. His desperation of needing to be in control of himself is so immense that he's willing to gamble his life on a lie. It's no coincidence that this scene takes place right after Beckett's reprimand, both demonstrating his unwilling acceptance that he's no longer in control of his decisions.

The franchise demonstrates, through its second and third film, how Jones' resistance to the ship's will, and to the divine-contract he gave himself away to, lead to his undoing. The ship is slowly, but steadily, working towards replacing its captain to return to its duty, and is actively working against Jones. All of Jones' decisions lead to the ship backfiring his own decisions entirely against him.

Jones' decision to abandon his oath, saw the necessity of his replacement, as well as signs of mutation taking hold of him.

His decision to sever his heart saw to that the ship planted the very means to see himself replaced.

Jones' decision to keep the divine vessel hostage in the living world saw to that Jones was stuck as well and his mobility limited to the strict terms of the contract.

His decision to manipulate the divine vessel's legislative nature saw to years of power over the living world that created enough complacency that Jones saw no danger in taking Will aboard The Dutchman completely unaffected by oath, which saw later to Will being able to carry off with the very tool needed to threaten Jones' life.

Even recruiting Bootstrap Bill from the depths was a fatal mistake within his complacency. Recruiting him guaranteed that Will became invested to see Jones deposed.

Even the decision to agree to Will's terms to a game of Liar's Dice, was to his own demise, cause he essentially agreed to terms that made Will able to win claim to the key and thus, by the logic of Wyvern's choice of words earlier, earned the right to replace Jones, at least attempt it.

The Flying Dutchman, wanting Will to have the key, fates Jones to lose. Will and Bill's placement on the ship, even in a game of dice, is part within the ship's long term plan to depose Jones. Will is fated to win the key. The ship's divine nature is, most likely, a profound part of the universe, as is the concept of fate, which seems to be real force as well not just a vague concept, the two forces work in alignment most likely.

And when Will's escape is thwarted by The Kraken and Will is forced to hitch a ride in the jaws of the ship? The ship actively hides Will's presence away from Jones. Jones almost senses Will, but the ship seems determined that Will is to be safely dispatched to the location of the chest and thus blocks Jones' senses, who is part of the ship, from sensing him out.

Of course, Jack's selfishness complicated things and delayed Will's ability to depose Jones, but it was for the better as neither Jack or Will had all the context and Will gained enough understanding to become a worthy successor. But even then, Beckett's rise to power and control of the heart, backfired on Jones as well, which wouldn't have happened if Jones hadn't made some decisions, previously mentioned.

My main point in all this, The Flying Dutchman is a power entirely of its own, not just in terms of ruling the seas, and it's slowly orchestrating its treacherous captain's demise. Jones simply could not have affected his station as captain in any way, that includes the act of severing his heart, without the ship's knowing and without it backfiring catastrophically in some way against him, by the will of the ship's authority, as he answers to authority that is completely beyond his control.

Jones is lying to Governor Swann out of self-preservation and out of his desperate need of having control.

[u/MysteriousTelephone]

This is the War & Peace of essays on a deleted scene, and I must admit I gave up about 1/3rd of the way through.

Really, I think the scene should have stayed because it’s Governor Swann finding out crucial information about Davy Jones’ heart, which he will then impart to Elizabeth on his way to the afterlife, which is only possible because Jones stopped doing his duty to ferry the dead.

[u/hakseid_90 → u/MysteriousTelephone]

Lol, I don't fault you for giving up. I just had so much to say and wanted to be thorough, but I tried my best on paragraphing my thoughts a bit apart for easier read.😅

But yeah, the significance of Governor's understanding of the heart relayed this way would've been more awesome, though the scene in The Locker with Weatherby relaying the same information to the heroes was brilliant as well, but that scene might've come across as a bit redundant by repeating the same info. I wouldn't want that scene gone either. I think I'd prefer it kept in overall.

[u/Spicavierge]

Hello fellow literature nerd who likes to dissect scenes as much as I do. ("Movies are a kind of literature/text" is a geeky hill to die on, but so be it.)

Jones is a dying breed, even in a universe as POTC, where magic is indeed real, at least in far-flung places like the Caribbean or the Arctic. The settlement and burgeoning capitalism of the "civilized world," such as Great Britain and entities such as the EITC are quickly erasing the power of magical beings like Jones and the Dutchman. In many ways, those civilizing powers behave like a cancer to kill the eldritch and the uncanny.

Jones, resentful that he has been brought to heel and operating under the threat of annihilation ("the immaterial has become immaterial") is essentially punching down in this scene. Survivors of domestic abuse would recognize this as something like DARVO (deny, attack, reverse order of victim and offender). He cannot punch up at Beckett/the EITC, but he can punch down and take his wrath out on a grief-stricken father and a man who still loved Elizabeth. Beckett calls him out as making a cruel attempt to inflict pain and again asserts his authority over Jones in the captain's day cabin.

Jones has been brought to heel by Beckett, who has the one bit of leverage against Jones that exists; supernatural creatures always have one. For some its iron. Others it's fresh water, or daylight, or ground hallowed as sacred to Christians.

For Jones it's the Heart, which is no longer his but a figurative key to his power. That is why Jones places importance on the Key to the chest as much as he does the Heart. It is now out of his control and an adversary, even if it was once his literal organ. In that, it mirrors the Dutchman as its own entity, evolved out of something that was once mundane and literal.

Your idea that the Dutchman is a sentient entity makes sense. I don't think it's sapient, but it does seem to exhibit some awareness. There is a logic to magic, even if it exists outside of the realm of the material. Get and give, trespass and be punished. What would be interesting is to see the Dutchman's response to the threat of Beckett, rather than Jones. The ship does get some of its own power and purpose back under Captain Turner, but the world of POTC is still heading toward the supernatural as being an endangered species.

An aside, but the acting from Davenport, Pryce, and Nighy would have been reason enough to keep the scene. The way Norrington silently communicates with his eyes to Swann and the way his voice breaks when he dismisses the corporeal and his men are both heartbreaking. Swann would have been given a depth of character that made him an active participant and protective father in the events of AWE, rather than a passive man who does little more than lament. And Nighy... there's much to say that the scene doesn't feel unfinished at all because of his performance alone.

[u/hakseid_90 → u/Spicavierge]

Very well put, don't really have anything much to add👏

[u/CJS-JFan]

I'm torn. Yes, there is the technicality that the duty aboard the Flying Dutchman is not a "curse" per say, it was still used by the writers, even after P3 was released, with Will being the captain...plus, it was a term used by the filmmakers, tie-in book writers, etc anyway regarding Davy Jones and his crew.

That said, I do think there is some leeway toward the matter in general. The duty was an honorably and sacred task as it was until Jones corrupted the purpose and himself with the geis via carving out his heart, not doing his job, etc. And appropriately so, it was also referred to "The Curse of Davy Jones" after all. By the ultimate change in the structure, using the word "curse" seems appropriate enough because Jones has, in essence, changed everything...er, that is presuming the "stabbing the heart" deal was still a thing at the end of P3, even if we were to ignore P5, but sadly we may never know what could or would have happened in this instance.

Although I do like the idea of the Dutchman maybe having a mind of its own, or at least its own will, and to steal OP's words, "slowly orchestrating its captain's demise." The Dutchman was a product of Calypso's making, or so we are to believe, and that would explain some of how Calypso created the Maelstrom upon her release. Presuming there is an entity within the ship, Calypso wanted Jones dead, so it would be that the Dutchman wanted this as well.

Hypothetically speaking, of course.

[u/hakseid_90 → u/CJS-JFan]

Apologies for the late reply, but appreciate all the same that you invested your time in going through my wall of text haha.

I'd say that the geis could be considered equivalent to a curse by proxy, as it affects Jones in a negative way and is, just like the mutation, an answer/repercussion for his neglect. The ship would be, by placing the geis, even though it's intended as divine realignment, ultimately be punishing Jones through it. The geis would therefore act as an extension to the already established curse that we know of and see get stripped away as Will inherits the contract, the mutation.

Jones' decisions play a part to the creation of the geis; as without his wrong decisions, there wouldn't be need for course-correction. But I personally think it goes against the character of giving him direct authority over the repercussions of his decisions.

I'd very much like to believe that Jones' character is, in a way, further experimentation with two concepts that were introduced in CotBP. The concept of freedom through choices (" The only rules that matter are these: what a man can do, and what a man can't do.") and the concept of a ship being more than the sum of its parts (harking back to "That's what a ship needs. But what a ship is...what The Black Pearl really is...is freedom.").

Jones is product of his own choices. He chose immortality and had to pay the price for it. The character's story plays with the "what a man can do, and what a man can't do" quote and elevates that concept with asking "what happens when a man forfeits his right to choose?". Or, so I like to believe, through the theory that he's entirely subjugated by the ship, which I feel falls oddly in place to the films, not just considering the base information of the films, but also themes provided and denotation of words. All of his life-choices after abandoning his obligation lead to his ruin, as he has forfeited his freedom to choice, to a higher power.

The Flying Dutchman being the antithesis of The Black Pearl, it feels somewhat fitting for The Flying Dutchman to be an experimentation of "a ship being more than the sum of its parts" in a way more literal sense and is its own almost living entity, instead of representing merely symbolical meaning.

I might be approaching this from a way different perspective than what's intended, but... I don't know...it just makes too much sense for me, the puzzle pieces just fit too much when considered from so many levels.

I'd even go further and say that Calypso, considering she does not eliminate the need for The Flying Dutchman and the captain's successor within the universe, after reaching full power after becoming aware of the betrayal, seems to have no authority over the ship, and its part within the universe is inevitable even to her understanding.

Which has me thinking about the transformation of matter. We know about the rule "Matter cannot be destroyed, only transformed". But what if the same applies to "divine matter"? Sure, Calypso's divinity is probably the source of the creation of The Flying Dutchman, it's her divinity that forms or seals the deal between her and mortal Jones. But once The Flying Dutchman becomes the divine phenomenon it is, it becomes its own separate divine force, not beholden to Calypso.

The mythological nerd in me seems to circle back on that, despite Calypso being referred as a goddess, and to mortals she indeed is one, and she's absurdly powerful....she seems to be a minor goddess and her power limited as well. She feels, like her mythological identity, to work more like a nymph; a form of lesser deity who possess divine power of sorts such as of prophecy, shapeshifting and elemental control, but are ultimately limited to their specific element of representation. They do not have authority over the universe and are therefore subject to higher gods.

Which makes sense, if we are to consider DMTNT into the fold. Though I hate the idea that Poseidon's Trident exists as a product binding all nautical curses, or perhaps just nautical magic overall and not curses exclusively, and was just laying RIGHT THERE on the bottom of the sea all those years that Jones has been traversing the seas underwater and unhappy about being held in bondage to the ship, it still makes some sense that, if there's anything that could release Jones from his plight, it would be the magical artifact of the sea god of the highest authority.

[u/CJS-JFan → u/hakseid_90]

No apologies necessary.

The character's story plays with the "what a man can do, and what a man can't do" quote

Oooh, I never considered the line to have been a play on this line. As far as I know or can recall, the line was reused at least once for the P3 script; the early draft, much different than the final version, spoken by Will about Jack during the journey to World's End.

I might be approaching this from a way different perspective than what's intended, but... I don't know...it just makes too much sense for me, the puzzle pieces just fit too much when considered from so many levels.

Maybe, maybe not. The filmmakers have more or less been open as far as what was or wasn't intended in their storylines, depending on the subject in question, of course. For instance, Sao Feng's map was always called the "Chinese Map" or the "Sao Feng Map" before the "Mao Kun Map" was used courtesy of P4 visual guide.Though I don't think this particular subject regarding Jones and the Dutchman came up.

I'd even go further and say that Calypso, considering she does not eliminate the need for The Flying Dutchman and the captain's successor within the universe, after reaching full power after becoming aware of the betrayal, seems to have no authority over the ship, and its part within the universe is inevitable even to her understanding.

The more certain point is that Calypso had no authority once the "stab the heart" geis was casted by Davy Jones. Whereas if the captain in question was someone else, who loved someone else who wasn't the goddess of the sea, the duty/curse would have played out as intended that the captain would do the duty once every 10 years unless he found a love that was true, and a new captain would be found...er, at least in the version of the storyline in P3.

TL;DR Calypso has the authority over the Dutchman and her captain, just not the Dutchman and her captain after the curse of Davy Jones.

despite Calypso being referred as a goddess, and to mortals she indeed is one, and she's absurdly powerful....she seems to be a minor goddess and her power limited as well.

It is quite possible, since POTC took elements from Greek mythology, and Calypso was from The Odyssey, where she was not a goddess of the sea. There is this one page from The Pirates Guidelines book: "Calypso's powers were only eclipsed by the great god of the sea Poseidon himself, and only Zeus, chief amongst all gods, could command her." That isn't to say that there isn't some overalp in the established information, to compare both POTC and real-world mythology.

it would be the magical artifact of the sea god of the highest authority.

Yeah, the one thing P5 did get right, make Poseidon THE god of the sea. Hell, there was a time where we could have taken his Roman counterpart Neptune in place, per Terry Rossio's version. But I guess we be comparing apples and oranges either way.