Character/ portrayal of Captain Vere in Herman Melville's "Billy Budd, Sailor"

 

Captain “Starry” Vere’s name is apt because (1) he must veer from his desire and even love for Billy in condemning the latter to death; (2) Vere suggests veritas, Latin for truth; and (3) “Starry” Vere suggests that he embodies a higher or transcendent truth that differs from popular opinion or desire, as represented by everyone else on the ship.


Captain Vere is called Fairfax Vere, the surname suggesting in Latin a ‘true man’. It denotes a dependable stalwart leader; but the greatest irony is that a man whose name means honesty and justice does injustice by punishing and hanging Billy. His name also indicates another angle- veering between attitudes. This means that he veers between law and conscience. He symbolises how an individual is bound to the rules of society. In persecuting Billy, Vere decides to follow the letter of the Law, despite his knowledge that Billy personifies goodness and innocence. Vere is under the pressure of his position as a leader with that the men must obey the Mutiny Act of 1797. Vere forces himself to disregard his own feelings about Billy’s situation and forces the juries to do the same. His character is representation of the idea that law does not follow dictates of individual conscience or one’s impulse.

Though Captain Vere's tendency toward thoughtfulness and brooding earned him the appellation "Starry" Vere among his men, he is a serious, intellectual man who values directness and honesty. Critics have often described Vere as a balance between Budd's goodness and Claggart's evil, and as such he is a more realistic character than either of them. He develops a great affection for Budd and fully recognizes his virtues, but Vere's commitment to duty and his sense of responsibility will not permit him to save Budd's life. Instead, he feels compelled to act according to the principals established by the authorities he represents, and he interprets those principals as demanding Budd's execution. That Vere is profoundly affected by Budd's death is apparent, for he stands as if paralyzed when Budd calls out his blessing, and the last words the captain speaks before dying are the young man's name.


Critics have been divided in their response to Vere. Some feel that Melville condones his action, which is prompted by the necessities of war, thus making Budd an example of the toll that war takes on humanity. Other scholars claim that Vere takes his responsibility too literally, that he acts too quickly when he might have prevented Budd's death. In keeping with the novel's Biblical tone, Vere might be said to resemble Pontius Pilate, who also unwillingly condemned an innocent man, with the important difference that the captain accepts responsibility for what he has done, even meeting privately with Budd to--presumably--discuss his decision.


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