Historical Script

Artists' Statement

The Epervier is based off the sea battle between the USS Peacock and the HMS Epervier 1 that took place during the war of 1812. As far as events are concerned, our approach to the historical material was fairly accurate. The transportation of a valuable cargo from Havana to Halifax, the mutinous crew, the complete dismantle of the HMS Epervier, and John Hackett’s serious injury are all things that actually happened.2 The history behind this battle was already so rich, we felt it was important to let the events stay relatively as they were. However for the sake of storytelling, we dramatized aspects of the history.

We embraced the setting, and did additional research in order to understand the hierarchy of the naval command and the layout of the ship. We wanted to keep that element as realistic as possible, and instead used our creative interpretation to develop the characters in the story. The dialogue utilizes language sailors at the time might have used (based on our research), along with period appropriate naval terms. Inspiration was drawn from the film “Master and Commander,” for the more proper navy culture and interactions between levels of ship hierarchy. For the mutiny and battle, the film “Pirates of the Caribbean” and the book “Treasure Island” are to be thanked, which illustrate a rich, though less realistic, drama of life at sea, and the thrilling possibilities of disagreements among crew members.  

John Hackett was a real officer that served on the Epervier, and who we chose to make our main protagonist. After reading reports of Hackett’s bravery on the ship, he came across as quite the naval hero. However, we wondered if his sense of patriotic pride had ever been shaken, considering the trauma he experienced, or if he ever second-guessed his own commitment to the British service. We invented Kent to challenge Hackett’s original viewpoints and serve as a sort of character foil. At a time when mutiny was a crime punishable by death, we wanted this character committing high treason to offer some realistic insight on the personal cost of war, which Hackett later comes to recognize as true.  

In class we discussed the importance of having a reason behind the stories we tell, and we wanted this script to have more significance than just the recount of a sea battle. So we added a political and moral tension between the characters of Hackett and Kent. They represent a greater historical theme or significance. We wanted to use the characters as a way to address the struggle soldiers have when they lack patriotism or loyalty, but have no option but to join their country’s armed forces. For class we read The Veil, which showed the unique perspective of a French Islamic girl during political movements in France. In a similar way, we wanted to represent the less examined outlook of naval sailors who had to fight in wars they may have disagreed with, Kent serving as a voice for those men.

By Amy and Emily

Endnotes

1 Joseph Allen, Battles of the British Navy (London: Henry G. Bohn, York Street, Covent Garden, 1852), 457.

2 William James, The Naval History of Great Britain: From the Declaration of war by France in 1793 to the Accession of George IV (London, 1824), 128.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0Bxx3jQusy5JYV180Q2dIbko4UFk/view