Billy Budd: Captain Vere, another tragic hero

Billy Budd: Captain Vere, another tragic hero

We mourn the death of Billy, but the tragedy in this novel falls equally upon Captain Vere who has the mind to comprehend it, as well as the heart to feel. This novel then has not one but two tragic heroes. While Billy is a humble sailor; captain Vere is a man of an exalted rank. The higher status of captain Vere certainly makes his tragedy a little more painful, even though Billy Budd too is descended from noble ancestors. The tragedy of captain Vere lies in the fact that, although he is convinced of the essential innocence of Billy, he at the same feels compelled to enforce the military law strictly against Billy on a charge of having assaulted his superior officer and having about his death, though unintentionally. Captain Vere’s immediate reaction to Claggart’s death is that “It is the divine judgment on Ananias” and that Claggart has been “Struck dead by an angel of God”. However in the same breath Captain Vere also says that the angel who has struck the villain dead must himself be hanged. Thus, although captain Vere perceives the hand of God in the death of Claggart, he yet feels it obligatory upon himself to see that Billy doesn’t escape the punishment prescribed by the law for the offence, which he has committed. The court martial feels inclined to show some clemency in dealing with Billy; but captain Vere is strongly opposed to any such consideration being shown to the accused. Any leniency shown to Billy might give the ship’s crew the felling that the officers are afraid of enforcing the law. Any leniency might therefore cause damage to the discipline on the ship. Captain Vere goes so far as to tell the court-martial that Billy is innocent in the eyes of God and that, on the judgment Day, Billy would be honorably acquitted of the charge of murder. And yet captain Vere finds it necessary to have Billy convicted and sentenced to death. Captain Vere has here to choose between divine justice and secular justice; between moral justice and legal justice, between private morality and public morality, between the private conscience and the imperial conscience; and capita Vere in each case chooses the later. But the choice made by him robs him completely of his peace of mind afterwards. Up to the point of Belly’s conviction and the pronouncement of the sentence against him, Captain Vere shows no signs of any inner conflict or any mental reservations, or any uncertainty whatever. Once the sentence has been pronounced, however, Captain Vere feels overwhelmed by his feeling that, in absolute terms, a grave injustice has been done to Billy. He now holds a private interview with Billy and explains to him the reasons why Billy had to be convicted and sentenced to death. Captain Vere has allowed his private conscience and his moral principles to be pushed into the background by his official sense of duty and by his oath of allegiance to his king. Of course, he now tries to soothe Billy’s feelings and his won feelings by dwelling upon the rationale behind the arguments, which he had advanced against Billy during the trail; but he cannot really achieve any mental peace or serenity. He continues to be haunted by the thought of the injustice, which has been done to Billy, so that even at the time of his death he is heard repeatedly murmuring the name of Billy Budd. Even at the time of his death, Captain Vere isn’t able to forget the Handsome sailor, the innocent Billy, who had been hanged to satisfy the requirements of the military law at the cost of the law of God. Such then is captain Vere’s tragedy. He certainly doesn’t die a happy man; and he, like Billy wins our deepest sympathy.