Recently orphaned, Philip becomes enmeshed in a world of piracy, and his resulting moral predicament forms the central theme of The Dark Frigate. His desire for high romance, coupled with a distaste for schoolwork, compels him to choose life at sea over a secure but boring life with his wealthy grandparents. His decision to leave forces Philip to sacrifice romance as well as familial love; although he pledges his heart to the tavern maid Nell Entick, he finds on his return that she has married another man. Friendship is yet another ideal demonstrated to be at the mercy of circumstance. A possible warm friendship between Philip and Will Canty, a shipmate on the Rose of Devon, never develops because the two react differently to their ethical predicament aboard the pirate ship.

Hawes never reduces his characters to stock figures of good and evil; aristocrats...