John Claggart, Master-at-Arms The dark, demon-haunted weapons officer and ship's policeman in his mid-thirties who, out of jealousy and malice, causes Billy's execution. Claggart comes from a shady background and is possibly foreign by birth. He is not well known to the captain because he joined the crew when it last left home port to replace the former master-of-arms, who was disabled.
Because of his inner corruption, Claggart brings about his own death and is buried at sea. Captain "Starry" Vere A dedicated career naval officer in his fifties who allows obedience to duty to force the condemnation and execution of an innocent man, even though Vere sympathizes with Billy and recognizes his innate innocence.
The captain distinguishes himself in battle off Gibraltar and dies of a musketball wound. In his last moments, he twice speaks Billy's name. The Dansker An old sailor, nicknamed "Board-Her-in-the-Smoke," with a pale, jagged scar across his face, weasel eyes, and a blue-peppered complexion. A favorite among the men, he demonstrates unsentimental wisdom. Billy Budd. Plot Summary. Society The Present vs.
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The antagonist of the novella and the Indomitable's master-at-arms, Claggart is a deceptively wicked character. He has an attractive appearance except for a protruding chin and is able to fit in with society at most times, which hides his inner anger and sinister nature.
For reasons unknown, he develops a hatred of Billy and harasses him onboard. He falsely accuses Billy of plotting mutiny against Captain Vere and is accidentally killed by Billy in the ensuing meeting between Vere, Billy and him.
For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:. Chapter 8 Quotes. If Billy represents innocence in the novel, the older, higher-ranked Claggart represents evil. His motives are far more sophisticated and subtle than Billy can comprehend. Billy lacks awareness of the discrepancies that exist between human action and human intention, always taking actions at face value; Claggart, on the other hand, exhibits a great understanding of deception and ambiguity and makes frequent use of them in his nefarious plots—for instance, he shows kindness toward Billy to mask his unkind intentions.
Use this link to get back to this page. The scorpion's suicide: Claggart's death in Billy Budd. Author: Gorman Beauchamp. Date: July From: Melville Society Extracts Issue Publisher: Melville Society. Document Type: Article.
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