Place And Captain Vere example essay topic
Even aboard ship, if one did not know that he was the captain, he could easily be taken for some royal of the king's that is being transported from one place to another. As Melville points out, "He had seen much service, been in various engagements, always acquitting himself as an office mindful of the welfare of his men, but never tolerating an infraction of discipline; thoroughly versed in the science of his profession, and intrepid to the verge of temerity, though never injudiciously so". In fact, his downfall is directly caused by his never tolerating an infraction of discipline. Captain Vere instinctively disliked Claggert, a man who, for his own reasons, falsely accuses Billy Budd of plotting a mutiny.
While meeting together, the charge would have come to naught if Billy Budd hadn't killedClaggert by striking him in the head. After that, whether Billy was innocent or not was no longer at question. Billy had killed a man on board ship, and that can definitely be seen as an infraction of discipline. Billy was put on trial, and Vere was torn between his conscience, which told him to set Billy Budd free, and his need to uphold the law on board ship, which by all rights meant the execution of Billy Budd. Captain Vere, an educated man who had never faced a situation such as this before, chose to kill Billy Budd. Nobody can truly fault Captain Vere for his decision, for Billy had killed Claggart on ship.
However, Captain Vere is still a tragic hero. His decision cost the man his sanity, and upon his death all he could say was "Billy Budd... Billy Budd... Billy Budd... ". .
His concept of order, discipline, and legality remained in place, and Captain Vere paid the price for that.