The English Captain Character Analysis in Robinson Crusoe

An English captain whose crew mutinies against him and plans to abandon him, his mate, and another loyal crewmember on Robinson's island. Robinson rescues the captain, who promises to take Robinson back to England in return. Robinson and the captain defeat the mutineers and take the ship back. Robinson sees the captain's arrival as an example of divine providence, as he allows Robinson to escape from the island. Similarly, the captain sees Robinson's existence on the island as divine providence for him, as Robinson saves him on an apparently deserted island. The two characters' intertwining fates show the unpredictable, ultimately good nature of God's providence in Defoe's novel.

The English Captain Character Timeline in Robinson Crusoe

The timeline below shows where the character The English Captain appears in Robinson Crusoe. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

Strangers, Savages, and the Unknown Theme Icon

...a man and asked what the prisoners' situation was. The man identified himself as the captain of the ship anchored in the water and said that his crew had mutinied and... (full context)

Christianity and Divine Providence Theme Icon

Society, Individuality, and Isolation Theme Icon

Robinson asked if they should try to kill the mutineers or take them prisoner. The captain informed Robinson that there were two villains who couldn't be trusted, but that the others... (full context)

Robinson promised to help the captain and his men on two conditions: that they obeyed him while on the island, and... (full context)

Robinson, the captain, and the two other prisoners attacked the mutineers, killing two. The captain promised to let... (full context)

Now that the mutineers were taken care of, Robinson told the captain his story. The captain marveled at it and thought that Robinson was preserved on the... (full context)

The captain informed Robinson that there were still 26 mutineers aboard his ship, and therefore that he... (full context)

...response, another boat with ten men was sent from the ship to the shore. The captain could see the men on the boat and told Robinson that three of them were... (full context)

Two of the former mutineers were deemed by the captain to be honest, so Robinson armed them and they joined Robinson, Friday, the captain, and... (full context)

Robinson sent Friday and the captain's mate onto the shore out of sight of the other English sailors, near a creek.... (full context)

...companions nowhere to be found. They worried aloud that the island may be enchanted. The captain and Friday then attacked them, and the leader of the group was killed. Robinson and... (full context)

The captain spoke to the mutineers and they all apologized and begged for their lives. The captain... (full context)

Robinson ordered the captain to take Atkins and two more of the worst prisoners to his cave, where the... (full context)

Robinson sent the captain to speak to this second group of mutineers and see if they might help recover... (full context)

...and Friday now planned to stay on land and look after their prisoners, while the captain and his men went to take back the ship. The captain and his men went... (full context)

The captain fired seven gunshots from the boat, the agreed-upon signal to Robinson that the ship was... (full context)

...was so overcome with emotion he cried and couldn't speak. At last, he embraced the captain and told him that he "looked upon him as a man sent from Heaven to... (full context)

The captain brought Robinson a gift from the ship: liquors, wine, tobacco, meat, sugar, flour, and many... (full context)

...dead and his only family members left were two sisters and two nephews. The English captain who Robinson had rescued gave him a reward of nearly 200 pounds. (full context)

...learn what had happened with his land in Brazil. There, he found the old Portuguese captain who had rescued him so long ago, who informed him that his plantation was doing... (full context)

Contentment vs. Desire and Ambition Theme Icon

The Portuguese captain promised that Robinson would get his rightful fortune back, and Robinson thought of going over... (full context)

...the care of a doctor. The first thing he did was to repay the Portuguese captain for his kindness and generosity, saying that it was because of him, as well as... (full context)

...Europe. So, he decided to journey back to England. First, though, he arranged for the captain's widow back in England to be given a substantial amount of money. (full context)