Giselle

Giselle was a woman living in a house^[5] in Tortuga during the Age of Piracy. She and Scarlett were believed to be prostitutes.

Biography

Jack Sparrow

Not much is known about Giselle's past, except that she lived in the Caribbean during the golden age of piracy. As a prostitute, she met and befriended the notorious pirate Captain Jack Sparrow, who became to her more than just a client.

Shipwreck Island

At some point during the late 1720s, Giselle was on Shipwreck Island, the major center of piracy in the Caribbean Sea. When she encountered Jack Sparrow there, he promised her marriage. He even gave her a ring with the red gemstone to show that he really intends to marry her. Delighted with his proposal, she went to her room to get herself dressed in a proper attire.^[4]

However, as she was getting herself ready for the wedding, Giselle discovered that her colleague Scarlett was doing the same thing. When they discovered that they have identical engagement rings, both women realized that their grooms was the same man: Jack Sparrow.^[4]

Suddenly, the curtains were opened to reveal a crowd of men cheering and shouting. A man known as the Auctioneer appeared, ready to sell them to the highest bidder. Though angry at this revelation, Giselle was even more angry when an old pirate gave a bid of only five pieces of silver. The assembled pirates started offering much more money for Scarlett.^[4]

However, when they started fighting each other, the Auctioneer offered to sell them as a pair. Finally, a wealthy pirate Marquis D'Avis offered 700 pieces of silver and two goats, winning the auction. Giselle and Scarlett were overjoyed, but suddenly, the Auctioneer shackled them, claiming that, as he bought them, he can sell them as well. He even stated that the hallowed Pirate Code says he's right, which the pirate Mungard confirmed.^[4]

Angry because of this turn of events, Giselle asked the Auctioneer if he also owns anything she possesses or does. When he confirmed that, she said, Then own this!, and gave Mungard a hard slap on the face, causing a stir between the crowd of pirates.^[4]

In the ensuing confusion, Mungard accidentally shot the Pirata Codex book. Scarlett and Giselle managed to escape. Giselle vowed that the next time she sees Jack Sparrow, she'll be "re-acquainting him" with the palm of her hand. Scarlett then revealed that she took out four nails that went on Jack's boat in case he had cold feet on their wedding.^[4]

Tortuga

Shortly after the incident on Shipwreck Island, Giselle moved to another pirate port, Tortuga. One day, upon seeing Jack Sparrow and Scarlett together, Giselle slapped Jack across the face; echoing a slap Jack had moments before received from the similarly-irate Scarlett.^[2]

Despite the divide between them, Scarlett and Giselle were often seen in each others' company in Tortuga. When William Turner searched for Jack Sparrow, the two claimed they had not seen Sparrow for a month, and asked if he could give him a message from them (another slap).^[6]

Jack was ultimately reunited with both Scarlett and Giselle following his rescue from Davy Jones' Locker and the end of the Battle of Calypso's maelstrom, during which he was seen hanging with them both, promising to take them for a ride onboard the Black Pearl. After seeing that it was gone, Jack admitted to them that he had lied to them and did not love either of them, saying insulting things to them. They then both slap Jack once again in anger. Giselle and Scarlett departed in the company of Joshamee Gibbs, while Jack set off on his quest for the Fountain of Youth.^[7] Her further fate is unknown.

Equipment and skills

A lady of blond hair,^[1] Giselle was typically seen wearing a yellow dress.^[2] Prior to their supposed wedding, she received from Jack Sparrow a golden ring with the shiny red gemstone.^[4]

Behind the scenes

Giselle first appeared in Irene Trimble's junior novelization for the 2003 film Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl,^[1] where she was portrayed by Vanessa Branch.^[2] Branch reprised the role in the 2006 film Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest,^[6] the 2007 film Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End^[7] and the short film Tales of the Code: Wedlocked.^[4]

Screenwriter Terry Rossio, who co-wrote with Ted Elliott in The Curse of the Black Pearl, which also featured Lauren Maher as Scarlett^[2] stated that Scarlett was based on the redheaded wench in the Auction scene of Walt Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean attraction, commonly referred to as the "Redhead" in the ride. When she was adapted into the Pirates films, the character was given the name "Scarlett" because of her red hair. The name "Giselle" was chosen as a "classic-sounding Brit name that matched Scarlett."^[8]

According to James Ward Byrkit, the conceptual consultant of the first three films and director Wedlocked, Scarlett and Giselle were originally not supposed to have speaking parts in The Curse of the Black Pearl. However, someone noticed that both Lauren Maher and Vanessa Branch were quite capable actresses, so Scarlett and Giselle ended up having speaking parts in the film and its further installments.^[9]

In Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio's screenplay draft of The Curse of the Black Pearl, after being slapped by Scarlett in Tortuga, Jack was to enter the Faithful Bride, only to be slapped by a pretty Asian woman, who then left him, cursing something in Chinese.^[10] By the final cut of the film, Jack was slapped by Giselle immediately afterwards after asking "Who was she?"^[2]

In Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio's screenplay draft of Dead Man's Chest, Scarlett was meant to be the wench that slaps Will Turner at Tortuga instead of Giselle, who was in fact to be absent from the scene.^[11] Although the final cut of the film features Giselle with Scarlett and slapping Turner,^[6] the original version of the scene was retained in Trimble's junior novelization.^[12]

In Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio's first screenplay draft of At World's End, Jack was escorted to the docks of Tortuga by Scarlett and a wench named Veronica.^[13] By a late production draft, titled Calypso's Fury, Scarlett appears with Giselle, albeit misspelled as "Gisele" once.^[14] as she does in the final cut of the film.^[7]

In Terry Rossio's screenplay draft for Wedlocked, titled Tales of the Code: Pirate Belles, one of Giselle's speaking lines was, regarding to Scarlett's status as a natural redhead, "The carpet doesn't match the drapes, if you know what I mean."^[15] However, the line was cut because it was deemed too racy.^[16]

In the 2011 mobile game Pirates of the Caribbean: Master of the Seas, the Outdrink the Drunkard quest requires the player to steal Giselle's looking glass.^[17]

By 2018, "Giselle" is the name of one of the bateaux in the Pirates of the Caribbean ride at Disneyland.^[18]

Appearances

The Pirates of the Caribbean Wiki has a collection of images and media related to Giselle.

The Pirates of the Caribbean Wiki has a collection of quotes related to Giselle.

• Tales of the Code: Wedlocked
• Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
  • Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003 junior novelization) (First appearance)
• Pirates of the Caribbean: The Legend of Jack Sparrow
• Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
  • Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (junior novelization)
• Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End
  • Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (junior novelization) (Special Edition)
  • Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (video game)
• LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean: The Video Game (Non-canonical appearance)
• Pirates of the Caribbean: Master of the Seas (Mentioned only)

Sources

• Pirates of the Caribbean: The Visual Guide
• Pirates of the Caribbean: The Complete Visual Guide

Notes and references