Billy Bones is a character from the Robert Louis Stevenson novel "Treasure Island"

Who among us was not fond of exciting stories about formidable pirates in his childhood? Most likely, there are very few of these. After all, the search for treasures on the map is a favorite entertainment for adults and children to this day, and films shot on a pirate theme invariably enjoy the viewer's love. Such a popular genre, dedicated to the adventures of sea robbers, largely owes to Robert Lewis Stevenson, who first decided to adapt it for a children's and youth audience.

To make the plot more reliable, the author has studied many materials about the life and laws of pirates. Thanks to this, the reader has the opportunity to get acquainted with certain terms and concepts of sea thugs. As, for example, the "black label", which was first received by Billy Bones, thus launching the amazing and dangerous adventures described by Stevenson. What is the story of the creation of the novel "Treasure Island", and how remarkable is the image of the old pirate Bons?

The history of writing the novel

The idea of creating the novel "Treasure Island" came to the author during the game with his stepchild Lloyd Osborn. Drawing attention as the boy draws something similar to the map, Stephenson joined him and was so carried away that soon on paper appeared the outline of the famous island, whose secret was later kept by Billy Bones. The creation of the storyline also did not take long, and Lloyd was actively involved in Stevenson's work on the novel. The boy helped to invent characters and names of places on the map, gave certain character traits to the characters and insisted that in the adventure story there were no heroines distracting attention from the main events of the work.

The writer's father also contributed to the creation of the novel. It was he who advised Stevenson to introduce into the plot the chest in which Billy Bones kept the treasured card. As a result of such cooperation, the book turned out to this day loved by children. And this is not surprising, after all, reading the novel "Treasure Island", every teenager can imagine himself in the place of the main character - Jim Hawkins and survive with him all the dangerous adventures associated with finding a pirate treasure.

Billy Bones - a fictional pirate or real?

There is reason to believe that this character has the character traits of a very real man - William Thomas Bones, who was a member of the team of the famous pirate captain - Edward Black Beard Tich. Despite the fact that Bones was not related to the treasures, a sad story with an island and a chest in his life was present.

Once part of the crew of the ship "Queen Anne's Revenge" rebelled against the cruel Captain Tyach. Among the discontented included our hero, who became famous thanks to Stevenson as Billy Bones. Unfortunately, the insurrection was suppressed, and the rebels planted on a small rocky island called "Dead Man's Chest", referring to the Virgin Islands.

Without water, the pirates were doomed to destruction, besides, the treacherous captain gave out a bottle of rum to each, which eventually only increased thirst and brought death closer. It is believed that this story served as the theme for the legendary pirate song "Fifteen people on the chest of the dead."

Acquaintance with Billy Bons in the novel "Treasure Island"

The appearance of a heavy stranger with a scar on his cheek in a hotel belonging to the parents of the main character - Jim Hawkins was certainly not accidental. Despite the obvious desire to remain invisible, the old captain, that's what the stranger called himself, he constantly got drunk, dirtyly cursed, swallowed songs and debauched. No less strange seemed to Jim's assignment of the lodger. He paid the boy for looking for a certain sailor, while he himself studied the coastal rocks and peered for a long time at the sea horizon. Everything indicated that the captain was hiding from someone.

Old pirate

The uninvited guest opened the veil of secrecy, the guest called him the Black Dog. After the dispute and the brawl with the captain's visitor, a stroke hit. Dr. Livesey came to the rescue, making bloodletting. During this procedure, he found a tattoo with the real name of the guest - Billy Bones. The attack was withdrawn, and the patient felt better, but the doctor warned him that it was time to finish the drink, otherwise the next blow would be the last.

After meeting with the Black Dog, the mood of the captain changed, he was depressed and, apparently, not only because of the shock suffered. Continuing to heat the painful thoughts in alcohol, Bones once revealed to Jim some of the truth about himself. It turns out that he was once the first assistant to the famous pirate captain - Flint. Prior to this, on Captain Ingland's ship, he was called Billy Bones, the navigator. The old pirate, talking with the boy, briefly opened with a positive human side. Jim even felt sorry for this, in his own way, an unhappy and lonely man who for some reason had now been forced to hide from former comrades.

Map of the "Treasure Island"

Soon another visitor came to Bonsu, as it turned out it was his old acquaintance Blind Pugh. Long conversations were not followed, the blind man simply put something in the hand of the stunned Billy and immediately left. The sight of this object produced a lightning strike effect on Bons. As it turned out, it was a "black mark", which served as a symbol of the sentence for the pirate brotherhood. He uttered a terrible cry and fell. It was the second and this time a death blow.

Chest of the deceased owners decided to take their own account of unpaid debt for living. Among ordinary things, an ingot of silver and a map of an island were discovered. Now it became clear to Jim that they were looking for pirates, and why Billy was hiding from them. Despite the fact that Bons died almost at the beginning of the novel, his very appearance in the hotel "Admiral Benbow" served as a string of amazing and dangerous history, which was involved in Jim Hawkins and the crew of the ship "Hispaniola".

Character B. Bons in literature

The extraordinary and strong personality of Billy Bons, thanks to Stevenson, also interested other writers. Delderfield Ronald in his novel "The Adventures of Benn Gunn" mentions Bons as the protector and mentor of the protagonist. Ben Gan considered Billy a good man and brave warrior, who had to join the pirates due to tragic circumstances. Before that, Bons served as an honest skipper in the Royal Navy. In the books of Stephen Roberts, the pirate Bons is the main character, narrating his story before the events described in the novel "Treasure Island". In Roberts' novels "Piastres, Piastres" and "The Island of Wrecks", the reader can find interesting facts from Billy's youth and the reasons why he became a pirate.

Billy Bons: the movie "Black Sails"

The old pirate Bons viewer many times seen on the screens, as the novel "Treasure Island" was five times filmed, and also served as the basis for the creation of various animated versions. On the life of young Billy, the viewer did not know anything until the appearance of the American television series "Black Sails". Its premiere took place in 2014. A new story about the old heroes immediately fell in love with the viewer, so after the first season there were two more, and in 2015 the series was extended for the fourth season.

Billy Bonsa in this television project is played by Tom Hopper, known for his role as Percival in the series "Merlin". Undoubtedly, in his performance the character received more charm and attractiveness, so he enjoys the viewer's love. From the plot of the film, the viewer learns about how very young Billy was forcibly taken to serve in the Royal Navy, where he worked like a convict. As a meeting with Captain Flint has changed his life, and what difficulties already as a pirate overcomes Billy Bones. On black sails, under which he is now destined to walk, flaunts a pirate symbol. What adventures are still waiting for him? The following seasons of the television series will tell us about it.