Dead Man's Chest
From PotC Wiki
| For other uses, see Dead Man's Chest (disambiguation) |
- "What, exactly, did he put into the chest?"
"Him heart." - ―William Turner and Tia Dalma[src]
The Dead Man's Chest was a treasure chest in which was locked the heart of Davy Jones. The chest was buried on Isla Cruces in the Caribbean.
Contents |
[edit] History
[edit] History of the Chest
- "He couldn't literally put his heart in a chest…could he?"
"It was not worth feeling what small, fleeting joy life brings…And so, him carve out him heart, lock it away in a chest, and hide the chest from the world." - ―Pintel and Tia Dalma[src]
When his lover left him, Jones carved his own heart from his body, and placed it within the Dead Man's Chest, which was subsequently buried. The only key that could open the chest was kept on Jones' person, hidden beneath his tentacled facial extremities. It was said that whomsoever opened the chest and obtained the heart would control Davy Jones, his crew and his Kraken beast—effectively controling the entire ocean.
[edit] Quest for the Chest
- "A chest of unknown size and origin."
"What contains the still-beating heart of Davy Jones."
"And whoever possesses that chest, possesses the leverage to command Jones to do whatever it is he or she wants…" - ―Jack Sparrow and Pintel to Elizabeth Swann[src]
When Captain Jack Sparrow was given the Black Spot by Bootstrap Bill Turner, and told he was required to repay his debt to Davy Jones, Sparrow embarked upon a quest to locate the Dead Man's Chest, in order to save himself from a life of servitude to Jones. He used his mysterious compass to find the chest, while Will Turner stole the key from Davy Jones aboard the Flying Dutchman. Fighting off Turner, James Norrington and other interested parties, Sparrow eventually opened the chest and took the heart. The pirates Pintel and Ragetti made off with the now-empty chest, while Sparrow stored the heart in a jar of dirt.
Complications arose when Norrington found the jar and stole the heart for himself, then absconded with the chest ostensibly to draw Jones' pirates away from Jack Sparrow and his companions. However, once deep in the jungle, Norrington gave up the chest to the pirates and fled—with the heart secreted about his person. The crew of the Flying Dutchman returned the chest to Jones, who opened it after the destruction of the Black Pearl, only to find the heart missing. Jones feared it had been lost along with Jack Sparrow and the Pearl, though in actuality Norrington brought it to Lord Cutler Beckett in an attempt to regain his former position and status in the Royal Navy.
[edit] A loose cannon
- "Go, all of you, and take that infernal thing with you! I will not have it on my ship!"
"Oh, I'msorry to hear that, because I will. Because it seems to be the only way to ensure that this ship do as directed by the Company."
The Dead Man's Chest
- ―Davy Jones and Cutler Beckett[src]
With the heart in his grasp, Beckett exerted his control over Davy Jones, using the might of the Dutchman to further his own cause. However, because Jones began to show signs of rebellion against his new masters, the Dead Man's Chest, with the heart inside, was kept aboard the Dutchman in order to remind Jones who controlled his fate. It was guarded at all times by soldiers of the East India Trading Company—notably Mullroy and Murtogg, who were ordered to cover the chest with two large swivelguns. When Norrington was killed by Bootstrap Bill, Jones believed he was free, though Mercer summarily took command of the Dutchman and retained control of the chest.
[edit] Battle for the Chest
- "The chest, hand it over!"
- ―Davy Jones to Jack Sparrow[src]
Ultimately, Mercer was killed by Jones, though by this point Jack Sparrow had snuck the chest out from under the noses of its guards. He was confronted by Jones on the deck of the Dutchman, leading to a duel up in the ship's rigging. Jones claimed the chest, though Jack shot it from his hand, incidentally causing it to land on Hadras' head and send him toppling overboard. Jack eventually opened the chest and prepared to stab the heart, thus achieving immortality, though Jones at that moment stabbed William Turner, forcing Jack to alter his plans. He ensured Will stabbed the heart, defeating Jones. Bootstrap then cut out Will's own heart to replace Jones', locking it in the Dead Man's Chest.
Now the captain of the Flying Dutchman, Will gave the chest (and his heart) to Elizabeth Swann for safe keeping, saying "It's always belonged to you."
