Billy Budd, is a novella by American writer Herman Melville left unfinished at Melville’s death in 1891. Acclaimed by critics as a masterpiece when a hastily transcribed version was finally published in 1924, it quickly took its place as a classic second only to Moby-Dick among Melville’s works. Budd is a ‘handsome sailor’ who strikes and inadvertently kills his false accuser, Master-at-arms John Claggart. The ship’s Captain, Edward Vere, recognizes the innocence of Budd’s intent but the law of mutiny requires him to sentence Billy to be hanged.
Plot
Billy Budd is a seaman impressed into service aboard HMS Bellipotent in the year 1797, when the Royal Navy was reeling from two major mutinies and was threatened by the Revolutionary French Republic’s military ambitions. He is impressed to this large warship from another, smaller, merchant ship, The Rights of Man (named after the book by Thomas Paine). As his former ship moves off, Budd shouts, ‘Good-bye to you too, old Rights-of-Man.’
Billy, a foundling from Bristol, has an innocence, good looks and a natural charisma that make him popular with the crew. He has a stutter, which becomes more noticeable when under intense emotion. He arouses the antagonism of the ship’s master-at-arms, John Claggart. Claggart, while not unattractive, seems somehow ‘defective or abnormal in the constitution’, possessing a ‘natural depravity.’ Envy is Claggart’s explicitly stated emotion toward Budd, foremost because of his ‘significant personal beauty, ‘ and also for his innocence and general popularity. (Melville further opines that envy is ‘universally felt to be more shameful than even felonious crime.’) This leads Claggart to falsely charge Billy with conspiracy to mutiny. When the captain, Edward Fairfax ‘Starry’ Vere, is presented with Claggart’s charges, he summons Claggart and Billy to his cabin for a private meeting. Claggart makes his case and Billy, astounded, is unable to respond, due to his stutter. In his extreme frustration he strikes out at Claggart, killing him instantly…
|Wikipedia|
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