The term as been used variously throughout both history and literature, with the correct form adding weight to its romantic application. Chorus, at the begining of Henry V describes the King as "The Captain of this Ruin'd Band". Captaincy and Nobility of some sort have often been blurred. Cesare Borgia claimed the title of 'Captain-General' of the Papal Army once his father had ascended to the Fisherman's Chair as Pope Alexander VI ("The Invincible"), and during the Rennaisance period, Swiss Mercenaries operating under the rules of Condottiere were led by Captains, regardless of their usual social rank or the size of the force in question. It was this rule of "leadership by merit" which made them so effective a fighting force. In the film Fellowship of the Ring, first of The Lord of The Rings trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkien, as filmed by Peter Jackson a dying Boromir makes peace with Aragorn, telling him, "I would have called you my Brother, my Captain, my King". Elswhere in the trilogy, the spectral leader of the nine Nazgul, the terrifying Black Riders, is refered to 'The Captain of Despair'. Although this seems from context to be more a description than an actual title, it must be noted that the Nine were once kings of men in their own right. Towards the final part of the trilogy, largely dealing with pitched battles, Gandalf calls for 'The Captains of Gondor' as he enters war-council with the defenders. Haldir is described as an Elven Captain, and Eomer. nephew of king Theoden (therefore himself a Royal) is noted as being Captain of the Riddermark, leader of the Rohirrim, a superb fast-response cavalry squadron.

The term Captain seems to have been used throughout history as a mark of respect towards soldiers, much as 'civilians' were honoured with titles like 'My Lord/Lady' regardless of their actual social position, especially those no longer serving in a particular force, and this has continued into literature. Many of the European Fairy-Tales describe the wandering soldier of fortune who stray into the tale as being a Captain. It is certainly plausible to have the roads filled with wandering soldiers, due to the almost-constant state of war in Europe from about 1300 to as recently as the late 1800's; As to whether these were noble soldiers of fortune, Knight without armour seeking adventure, deserters stumbling from conflict to conflict, or just plain criminals, is unknown. The literature of the time, fairy tales or simple morality tales, set the scene by having a noble young (marriageable) soldier, wander into a tale of woe at the appropriate juncture. They are invariably revealed as captains. This gives rise to the question as to whether the men indeed held that rank, were simply promoting themselves for personal gain, or wether the very fact that they were no longer in service gave them that position; The laws of Condotta, which governed the organisation of Mercenary soldiers seems to suggest that a Soldier released from contract, or retired from service, was entitled to the Honorific of Captain. Perhaps this 'promotion' was granted to ensure safe passage home, or was a ploy for gaining a better position in his next contract is unclear; perhaps it was simply a self-aggrandising title used by lower ranks seeking respect. More likely it was simply this- Socially, civilians have had a tendency to look down on the common soldiery as a whole, whilst demonstrating a marked respect to men of officer rank; to the socially aware, a military rank of Captain and above for men of a certain age is akin to nobility. A soldier leaving the service of his Condotta (Mercenary Regiment) was 'promoted' to Captain- the fact that he was the commander of a force consisting of only one man (himself) was immaterial, as Condotta units led by Captains varied in size from small skirmish teams to full field regiments. It would however ensure the respect he had earned, and ensure a welcome into the "decent society" who might otherwise have looked down on what was effectively an unemployed soldier without a war, and therefore useless. A Captain was clearly a man to be reckoned with, and could therefore be depended upon to conduct himself well in whichever field he chose to involve himslf with in peacetime. A similar device was used in the Southern United States from the 19th century, with the title of Colonel being granted as an honour to certain public figures. From this, the term has entered popular usage in such romantic titles as "Captains of Industry" to signify bold commercial Adventurers and would-be merchant princes, when in some cases the term "Robber-Baron" might be more apt.

It is tempting to think that the same guideline provides the title given to various costumed Superheroes. Marvel Comics Flagship publication Captain America centres around a man with enhanced abilities, the only subject of what was to have been an army of super-soldiers. According to the story, the character of Steve Rodgers was unfit for military service in World War II until he was recreated in a laboratory. The experiment is a success, and the doctor behind it is murdered, taking his secret with him. Rodgers is in fact inducted into the U.S.Army, an important distinction in that few of the other Superheroes using the title are in fact soldiers. Captain America goes onto fight the Axis Forces (seemingly single handedly at times) and is brought into modern times by a suspended animation plot device, where he continues to serve America through the Department of Defence, the Pentagon, and the White House. The interesting use of the title of captain harks back to the days of Condotta; Steve Rodgers fights in a costume based upon the American Flag - rather the olive drab of his colleagues- and bears the title of Captain, although out of costume he holds the lowest rank of Private. Other costumed heros have followed suit in so far as using a Captaincy as part of an impressive title, although very few, and none as evidently as Captain America, have a record of Military Service.

Perhaps the most famous fiction captains are the masters of Starfleet vessels in the various incarnations of Star Trek. As the original series began, James T. Kirk and Mr. Spock (note the Maritime use of the title of Mister) held the ranks of Captain and Lieutenant Commander respectively. This indicated that the Captain was the master of the vessel, although it was soon revealed that captain was a rank of its own as well as a command position; Kirk wears captain-rank insignia. However, the possiblity of being a Captain in Command whilst holding a different rank, as in modern navies, was never shown, giving the impression that all Starfleet Captains were ship's commanders, the rank and the job being the same. Higher ranks such as Admiral and Commodore were shown, with the impression that they were winding up their careers towards retirement, or in many cases, becoming Ambassadors. None of them were ever in active command of a serving Ship of the Line, although most had been- Ie. they were captains when they were Captains, as it were. In the film versions, made some years later, Kirk holds the rank of Admiral, and Spock is a captain. In Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, Admiral Kirk is assisting Captain Spock in a training exercise when an emergency forces them to take the training vessel into conflict. Admiral Kirk assumes command as the ranking officer and Spock takes his old position of Second in Command and Science Officer. The crew readily move into their familiar roles, even calling him by the title of Captain, although Admiral is used as apoint of honour on several occasions. At the end of Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, Kirk is demoted as punishment for his maverick behaviour; This is actually a veiled reward for his politically-sensitive heroics. Kirk becomes a Captain again, and regains command of his beloved ship. Spock remains his second in command, as always, although he too retains his captain's rank, as does Chief Engineer Montgomery Scott - a pleasant situation for all concerned, which in a real Navy would be unlikely to happen.

For many, the romantic connotations of the word are summed up in the film Dead Poets Society, in which an enigmatic poetry teacher at a Private School engages his student's imagination by getting them to veiw poetry as a living thing, another way of seeing the world around them. To this effect, he has the students attract his attention in class by declaring "O Captain! My Captain!". This is in fact the title (and opening line) to a poem by Walt Whitman. The three verse work was written to mark the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln in 1865. In so doing, Whitman marks his alarm at the loss of a great leader, a dynamic and charismatic man in both war and peace, holding the highest possible office, by assigning to him the title of Captain; In so doing he harks back to the ancient practice of Captains-General, of Princes amongst men, men of honour and of duty, and brings us almost full circle.