How Jack’s Compass Works and Why It’s Much More Complicated Than It Should Be

Jack Sparrow’s compass is one of the most important items in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise. The compass has been considered one of Jack’s most prized possessions since the beginning of Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl. However, Jack is nothing but a reckless pirateand this causes the compass to be held by many characters throughout the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, including Elizabeth Swann, Will Turner and Cutler Beckett. In total, the compass is held by 12 people on all five Pirates of the Caribbean films.

Jack Sparrow’s compass appears to be broken at first, as the needle never points north, but it is eventually revealed that it actually possesses a rather fantastic power, which makes it a highly coveted treasure. In fact, his abilities offer insights into the mindsets of many different characters throughout the game. Pirates of the Caribbean series. However, as the compass is passed from character to character in each Pirates of the Caribbean movie, understanding exactly how the compass works becomes much more complex and confusing than it should be.

Jack’s compass is supposed to point to what the holder wants most in the world.

Jack Sparrow follows the compass in the curse of the Black Pearl

The main rule of operation of Jack Sparrow’s compass, the fact that it must lead the bearer to what he most desires in the world, is not explored much in the first Pirates of the Caribbean film. The compass does not play an important role in the events of The Curse of the Black Pearlespecially when compared to how it is used in the second and third Pirates films. However, the compass is still used by Jack Sparrow in The Curse of the Black Pearl and it is always a point of curiosity for the characters you travel with.

As Will Turner travels with Jack in search of Captain Barbossa and the other cursed pirates who kidnapped Elizabeth, he asks Jack why he keeps using the compass if it doesn’t work. As mentioned, the compass does not point north and appears to be broken, but throughout the film it always manages to lead its bearer to the desired destination. It adds a layer of mystery to the device, but one that is insignificant to the film itself as it is simply a tool that the characters use to achieve their goal.

Using the compass gets complicated in Dead Man’s Chest and the End of the World

The compass leads the characters to the dead man’s chest

The compass becomes a much bigger plot device in the second and third Pirates films, Dead Man’s Chest and At the end of the world. In the second Pirates of the Caribbean movie, Jack wanted to use the compass to find Dead Man’s Chest, which supposedly contained Davy Jones’ heart. However, he struggles with the compass throughout the film as he doesn’t know what he really wants. This is a creative way for writers of Pirates of the Caribbean films to examine the mindset and psyche of Jack Sparrow.

In contrast, Lord Cutler Beckett, a senior officer at the East India Trading Company, knows exactly what he wants: to get rid of all piracy in the world. Therefore, in Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s ChestBeckett also wanted to use the power of the compass to find Davy Jones’ heart. As legend stated that whoever obtained Davy Jones’ heart would control the Flying Dutchmen, their crew, the beast Kraken, and basically the entire ocean, this was the perfect opportunity for him to achieve his goal of getting rid of all pirates.

Beckett enlists Will to retrieve Jack’s compass, in exchange for freedom for him and Elizabeth. This futile search for the compass, and in extension, the heart of Davy Jones, leads many to hold the compass along the course. Dead Man’s Chest and At the end of the world. When Jack, Will, Elizabeth and other characters hold the compass, new information is revealed about their characters, which makes the Pirates of the Caribbean much more interesting series. For example, when Elizabeth holds the compass, it points to Jack. Although she is said to be in love with Jack, Elizabeth actually just wants to do something selfish, a trait that is easily associated with Jack.

Dead Man Tell No Tales then completely reconstructs the Compass mythology

Dead Men Tell No Tales includes a compass flashback

The fifth and most recent film in the franchise Dead men tell no stories recounted the origins of the compass as well as other aspects of the compass. Before Dead men tell no stories, it was always believed that Jack traded with Tia Dalma for the compass. Since Dalma is actually the goddess Calypso in human form, it makes sense that she would have a supernatural compass.

However, in a flashback at the beginning of Dead men tell no stories, Jack receives the compass from a dying Captain Morganfor whom he worked as a teenager. This new plot point understandably confused many fans of the franchise. Explaining this plot is easy enough, as it’s possible that Jack simply let Captain Morgan hold the compass after obtaining it from Dalma.

However, after losing his luck, Jack traded his compass for a bottle of rum in Dead men tell no storiesthe undead ghost Salazar, one of the most fearsome villains in Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, was freed from the Devil’s Triangle and was able to get revenge on Jack. This plot point added another layer to the compass that makes the object even more complicated and continues to confuse fans of Pirates of the Caribbean until today.