The original play has been compared with Bellini's opera and the influence of "Il pirata" on Gaetano Donizetti's "Lucia di Lammermoor" has been noted. Also, Bellini's recycling of his own music in this opera has been analyzed, as well as his utilizing "a more self-consciously innovative compositional style" and participating more in work on the libretto, as compared with prior efforts where he was more deferential to the librettists chosen by the Naples opera management and the corresponding texts. In addition, 19th-century commentary refers to the musical influence of "Il pirata" on the early Richard Wagner opera "Das Liebesverbot".