In Herman Melville's Billy Budd, Sailor, readers are introduced to the conflict of good and evil between Billy Budd and Claggart. However, there is another conflict, which, in ways is more significant than the epic clash of good and evil. Vere's struggle between duty and conscience is more significant because it occurs in the mind. Whereas Billy Budd was clearly the noble sacrificed hero and Claggart was the vindictive villain, duty is just as noble as conscience and conscience is just as noble as duty. Melville sets up this conflict by placing a man with the intuition and innocence of a child, in the hands of a captain amidst war. In a description of Captain Vere it can be anticipated that Vere, who values peace and common good, would be in conflict with his job, which requires him to be a militaristic authoritarian. Captain Vere learns important lessons when innocent hands bring about destruction of life. Vere was moved by his beckoning duty as captain, to convince the drumhead court to convict Billy Budd. However, the paternal emotions towards Billy Budd and his rational thinking did invoke indecision. Captain Vere realizes, when he has to act, he does not have the strength of conviction he had thought. Vere's character is written to be a medium between Billy Budd and Claggart. Vere, like Claggart, has experience that makes him a salted sailor. However, like Billy Budd, Vere has been able to hold on to his natural intelligence. Along with his intelligence, Vere has an innocent quality to him: he believes when a crisis between duty and conscience calls, he will be able to hold fast to duty as called for on the seas during war. Captain Vere learns that in the face of conflict between duty and conscience, he does not have the strength of conviction he thought he had. Captain Vere learns that to balance conscience and duty is a very hard task even for a man as conscious of his actions as he is.
Billy goes through many obstacles where he has to face good and evil. Only when he is evil is when he does not survive. ... Billy portrays a very pure Christ-like character before his demise. ... Therefore, Claggort was Billy's antagonist throughout Billy Budd. ... It is ironic that Billy, this innocent Christ like character loses his composure and ultimately does something evil. ...
In the story, Billy Budd is such an embodiment of beauty and purity as to be compared to Christ or sinless Adam. ... This implies that Claggart is morally inferior to Billy Budd, though he is intellectually superior. ... He appreciates Billy Budd's innocent charm, but he despairs of sharing it. ... If Billy Budd is Adamlike and Claggart is serpentlike in the story, then he is quite Godlike. ... But as the head of the warship, he persuades the martial-court into the decision to hang Billy Budd. ...
Billy Budd represents Jesus Christ, Captain Vere represents God, and John Claggart represents Lucifer. ... There is also a conflict involving Captain Vere when he is forced to decide on the fate of Billy Budd after he kills Claggart. The experiences that Billy Budd undergoes throughout the movie, is parallel to what Jesus Christ endured in his life. ... Billy Budd suffers a similar demise. ... The classic battle between innocence and evil comes alive with symbolism in Herman Melville's allegory, Billy Budd, with Billy Budd, Captain Vere, and Claggart being portrayed as Jesus Christ, ...
He is received well by most of his fellow sailors who like Billy Budd are often alluded to people and stories from the Bible. ... These biblical allusions in Billy Budd provide the reader with a better understanding of many of the main characters and events including Billy Budd's comparison with Jesus Christ. ... Billy is like the Christ-Child in that he is loving, innocent, and never maliciously harmful, but he little resembles the mature Christ. ... "Billy Budd endures a persecution similar to Jesus Christ's; he is executed for like reasons and he eventually ascends, taking t...
Billy Budd and Jesus Christ After reading the story Billy Budd, I could see how the story of Billy Budd is very similar to the story of crucifixion of Christ. ... Billy Budd was an almost perfect guy with looks and charm and that everyone liked. ... He was kind of a shady guy that kept his hate for Billy under his breath. ... He was really jealous of Billy and secretly thought that 2 Billy was plotting against him and tried to belittle Billy whenever he could yet hid it well from Billy even though everyone had warned Billy that the master of arms re...
Claggart is also portrayed as evil in the way he deceitfully accuses Billy satisfied, Claggart is jealous. ... Melville portrays Billy Budd almost as a satisfied, Claggart is jealous. ... When Billy first sees Claggart, it is Christ-like figure. ... However, describes Billy's death with so many details that it can almost exactly be compared to the death of Christ. ... Billy obediently went along with the execution and was innocently hanged, as did Christ who accepted his fate and was innocentlydescribes Billy's death with so many details that it can almost exactly be compared to the...
Society in Billy Budd is represented by an eighteenth century English man-of-war, the H.M.S. ... Most critics agree that Vere had to punish Billy, whether he was innocent or not, to assure the obedient well-being of society ("Billy Budd"). ... When broken down into its simplest parts, Billy Budd deals with Billy, the representative of good and innocence, being falsely accused by Claggart, who represents evil, before an intelligent but feeling authority, Captain Vere ("Billy Budd"). ... Melville is also thought to have believed that Christianity is the center of an order that ...
He doesn't know if Billy Budd is capable of treason; with his cheerful, innocent, friendly spirit, how could he be? Every man on the ship seems to be infatuated with Billy. ... However, the bible proves that the only perfect human being who ever lived on this earth was Jesus Christ; drawing conclusion from each man's feelings for him, Billy becomes analogous to Christ and Adam before the Fall. ... With just a mere accusation, Captain Vere doesn't necessarily believe that Billy Budd is guilty of planning a mutiny aboard the Bellipotent. He even confronts Claggart with his dou...
Biblical Parallels In Billy Budd Billy Budd was one of the last literary works written by Herman Melville. ... Another Biblical parallel that critics have noticed is Billy Budd's resemblance to Christ. For instance, Richard Chase writes that Billy Budd is the realization of Melville's "fresh commitment to the infantile Christ," (Chase, Melville 267). ... Stern again emphasizes that Billy Budd contains a "Christ-like innocence" (Bloom 37). ... Claggart sees that Billy is everything that he is not, so he tries to destroy Billy, just as Satan tried to destroy Jesus because of Christ...