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Billy Vs Claggart

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In Melville’s story Billy Budd one of the many themes in the story is good v. evil, this is clearly defined by the two main characters of the story Billy and Claggart. With these two character Melville also dives into the battle of having either innocent or experience. Billy Budd is the classical noble savage from childlike innocent stand point, while Claggart is the harden experience evil man that wants to see Billy Budd destroyed.

Billy and Claggart are different in many ways they do have some similarities, both men are representatives of good and evil, showing that in the word you cannot have one without that other as they balance each other out. Billy being that Christ like figure on the ship and Claggart being the seductive evil that seduces Billy and frightens the sailors.

Billy is described as the handsome innocent sailor that is has an innocent outlook on the world. He has no experience in pain, suffering or facing the kind of evil that most would be familiar with. Billy is compered to Adam before God had threw him out of heaven, he is described to be almost flawless, the only flaw he has would be a stutter that become highlighted when he is under emotional stress. Before he was taken on to the Indomitable, on his pervious ship he was known as the peace …show more content…

But has Melville points out that how the Devil convince Adam and Eve to take the apple from the tree he seduced them. Claggart is describe to have purple eyes that changes to red, thus making everyone around Claggart to be warily of him. He serves as the tempter and destroyer of Billy. Melville compare Claggart several account of evilness in history like the Shawnee enemy of the English colonist, Titus Oates diabolical plotter against Charles II. Claggart is a master at manipulation as his experience in life allowed him to fool Billy into thinking that he is his

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