Critical Evaluation: ‘Treasure Island’
Essay Question: Is Long John Silver a hero or a villain in Malcolm Morgan’s
playscript adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson’s ‘Treasure Island’?
Essay Plan
Section One – Introduction
This essay will look at ___________________________________________. The
play was adapted from _______________________________
by_____________________. The play is about a hunt for ______________. Squire
Trelawney, Dr. Livesey and _________________ are trying to find the
______________, but what they do not know is that the crew they have with them are
____________________________ who plan to
_______________________________. The pirates are led by __________________.
This essay will decide whether ___________________ is a _______________ or a
_____________.
Section Two – Long John Silver Character Overview
In this box are some suggestions for words which could be used to describe Long
John Silver. Pick the ones that you think are the most suitable.
deceitful
threatening
funny
charming
intelligent
cheery
mean
evil
Long John Silver is ___________________________________ in the play. Long
John Silver is ____________________________________________________
because he_______________________. Long John Silver starts off as a villain
because he ______________________________________________________.
However, he seems to become a good character _________________________. I
think that Long John Silver is ______________________________ character.
Section Three – Long John Silver the villain
Long John Silver begins as a _____________ in the ________________. He is
villainous because____________________________. In the play, before Long John
Silver and the pirates mutiny, the other pirates are feeling restless and frustrated at the
length of time they are having to spend pretending to be good sailors. Long John
Silver responds saying: “Talk to them! I’ll talk to the yellow-bellied, white livered,
weevil-legged, scabby sons of landlubbers”. Long John Silver is insulting his own
men in a threatening manner. This shows reader that he is a powerful and
confrontational character.
Long John Silver also acts in a ________________________ manner towards the
Squire, Dr, Captain and Jim when he says: “You’re in no position to warn anyone,
Doctor. I’m the Master here now”. This tells the reader that Long John Silver is
____________________ because_______________. This makes Long John Silver
seem like _______________ because ____________________________________
Section Four – Long John Silver is likeable
Despite the fact that Long John Silver is supposed to be a ____________. The other
characters seem _______________________. Mrs Hawkins says: “
_______________________________________________________________”. This
shows that Mrs Hawkins ________________________________________.
Other characters are quick to trust Long John Silver because of his charming ways.
The Squire is impressed by him when they meet:
“____________________________________________________________________
_________________________”. This shows that despite only having just met Long
John Silver, the Squire trusted him above other men because he was so ___________.
Villains are not always ________________________________. The fact that
________________ is such a likeable character makes his role in the play
________________. I ______________ him because
_____________________________. State whether you think it is normal for a villain
to be liked by the other characters and explain why you think they like him
Section Five – Long John Silver acts heroically
Towards the end of the play, Long John Silver appears to act in a
_________________ manner. At the end of the play, the ____________ are planning
to kill Jim Hawkins, and Long John Silver helps
_________________________________. This makes him seem heroic because
___________________________. Long John Silver [include a quotation of your
choice here] ________________________________________________. This shows
the reader ___________________________________
Section Six – Conclusion
Long John Silver was an interesting character because
________________________________________________________. Long John
Silver is more of a ________________ than a ______________ because
___________________________.
Pages References for Quotations
Section 3
Long John Silver as a villain
2:1 – pgs. 31-34, 36-39; 2:2– pgs. 46-50; 3:1 – pgs. 51-52,
Section 4
Long John Silver as a likeable character
1:3 – pgs. 19-21, 25-26
Section 5
Long John Silver as a hero
3:2 – pgs. 59-60, 62-64, 67