The Fortune of War | Characters & Character Analysis

The Fortune of War Characters

Jack Aubrey

Aubrey is one of two principle protagonists of the novel and shares the spotlight with his particular friend and confidant Stephen Maturin. Aubrey is a larger-than-life character with dash and charisma. He is an unchallenged and undoubted master in his element of the sea; a legendary captain, a masterful navigator, a superb tactician, and an invincible warrior. Although he is intelligent he relies more on experience, insight, and a nearly infallible instinct to carry him through the various perils he encounters.

Aubrey is a post captain initially assigned to H.M.S. Leopard. After a mission fraught with catastrophe, Aubrey leaves Leopard as that ship is to be converted to a transport. He then embarks with Maturin on a series of misadventures—the fortune of war—until being seriously injured aboard HMS Java during combat with USS Constitution. Maturin fears that Aubrey will die or lose his right arm, but Aubrey's iron constitution carries...
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