Capitalize a person's rank without their name?

[eric11210]

Hi all,

In my WIP, I often refer to the captain of the ship as simply, "the Captain." I'm wondering how the capitalization works on that. Should it be "The Captain," "the Captain," or "the captain?"

I'm just not sure because it's referring to a specific person, so I assume it's "the Captain" since it's a proper noun that way, but I could be wrong. . .

Any help? Thanks,

Eric

[alleycat]

. . . the captain

As in, the president.

[Marlys]

I agree with Alleycat: He raised his pistol and fired at Captain Smith. The captain caught the bullet between his teeth.