***Ok, so this is probably the worst "essay" ever written. It's based off of a silly conversation me and my sisters frequently take up. We're huge fans of both movies. ::) Soo . . . enjoy this *cough* horribly written paper! ::D ***

Pain, rejection, heart break: These are often the main causes of evil. People who have suffered are more likely to inflict suffering on others. Two fictional characters that we can see this through are Davy Jones (The Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest [2006], Pirates of the Caribbean: At Worlds End [2007]) and Erik, more commonly referred to as The Phantom (The Phantom of the Opera [2004]). Both of these villains unjustifiably inflict horrendous pain upon innocent people for the simple reason that they were once deeply hurt and are unable to forgive the world that hurt them. The two stories are simply heart wrenching. As an enthusiastic of both films, I ask myself the question: who is the less evil of the two? Which of these wicked characters deserves more pity? Let us look into the lives of both of these men that we might answer our question.                 In order to answer our question, we will first take a close look at Davy Jones. His tragic story begins Calypso, “goddess of the sea.” His love for her was undying. However, he was only able to see her every ten years. He made her swear that she would wait for him, that she would be there when he was able to step foot on land. But she never showed up. Davy was of course crushed and was consumed with hate. The rest of his life he spent terrorizing all that travelled by sea.                 Next we shall take a look at the Phantom of the Opera. Born with a facial disfigurement, the phantom was abandoned by his mother. Through some unfortunate events he ended up at being a part of a freak show advertised as “the Devil’s Child.” He was beaten and mocked before he eventually escaped to the opera house where he lived in solitude. On top of that, the phantom also suffered heartbreak. He was rejected by the women he thought loved him. Both of these lead the phantom to a life of evil and wickedness.                 Now that we have looked into the lives of both of these unfortunate souls we can analyze their evil deeds. The phantom was abused and rejected in his early life leaving him scarred and full of hate. This is his motive for evil. Davy however chose to be a pirate and (as far as we can see by what is told to us through both POTC movies) had no serious problems as a child. They both suffer from being hurt by the ones they love most. However, while the phantom truly lost his love to another, Tia Dalma (the human form of Calypso) tells Davy that she still loves him and that she only didn’t show because it was “her nature”. After having their hearts broken and having inflicted pain on all innocence that crossed their paths, they both die tragic deaths, alone with no one to love them. The Phantom and Davy Jones are both truly pitiable men. They’re lives were filled with nothing but despair and heartache. Though they both clearly live tragic, murderous lives I believe the Phantom’s life was harder and he is more deserving of our pity.