billy Budd By Herman Melville: Captain Vere Essay

tragic hero and characterized by its standards. He was an influential man of stature who had a

Men and women are faced with inevitable walls as they go through their daily lives, the strength of their character is derived by how they tackle these walls. Herman Melville gives us a glimpse at how walls can eventually destroy us if we give into them. In his short story, Bartleby the Scrivener, the narrator tells the story of a clerk he once employed, Bartleby. At first, Bartleby seemed to be the perfect employee, but he eventually began to shirk his work and depart into himself. Through the narrative, the narrator gives his account of how he dealt with Bartleby and gives the reader a look at the walls Bartleby dealt with in part of his life. The walls Bartleby continuously encounters throughout the text are a symbol of his isolation

good name of the ship and the crew. Captain Vere does not want to see this

A tragic hero is a person who has qualities of a hero such as intelligence and strength but makes choices that lead to their self-destruction. The tragic hero is usually from a noble family or high position. Oedipus from The Sophocles is a tragic hero because he possesses tragic flaws such as hubris, hamartia, and too much curiosity. Marcus Brutus, a Roman politician, also serves to be a tragic hero since he is too naive, honest, and sometimes impulsive. Both Oedipus and Brutus have certain characteristics that determine them to be a tragic hero.

In Herman Melville's short story, Bartleby, the Scrivener, the narrator's attitude towards Bartleby is constantly changing, the narrator's attitude is conveyed through the author's use of literary elements such as; diction-descriptive and comical, point of view-first person, and tone-confusion and sadness.

On the off chance that Billy isn't executed then defilement may happen on the ship and cause a rebellion. Captain Vere realizes that a revolt may happen and does not need it to happen. Chief Vere could utilize Billy's execution for his wrongdoing of executing Claggart for instance for whatever remains of the group. It demonstrates the group what will transpire on the off chance that they endeavor to be uprising. After Billy's passing Captain Vere clearly feels lament for executing Billy. Captain Vere's last words are "Billy Budd, Billy Budd" (p. 76) demonstrate a case of this. Those last words may symbolize that Captain Vere executed Billy for the wrong reasons. If Captain Vere utilizes Billy's passing for a case to whatever is left of the team then it might not really be the wrong reason. Captain Vere needs to choose one life and the lives of the whole group. Regardless of what Captain Vere's reasons are he makes the correct choice. Commander Vere had no real option except to convict Billy. As commander of a ship under weight of war and the steady danger of rebellion, Vere needed to act quickly. Likewise, as commander, Vere had the obligation of ensuring the laws were

He is looked upon in a heroic way for fighting the justice system and showing courage, strength and ability to resist laws through making his own lifestyle, with separate beliefs, attitudes and values. He was a friend of the poor, kind to women and children, and an enemy of the rich. He was forced into crime by the harsh harassments of the authorities. He said to have died bravely against the more powerful forces of the law. He has grown to be an admired infamous figure for the way he stood up to authority and his larrikin ways.

In Part V of Victor Hugo's Les Misérables, Jean Valjean, through the following quote, "To owe life to a criminal...to betray society in order to remain true...these absurdities should come about and be heaped on top of him...it was this that defeated him," explains how Javert’s subjugation to his internal conflict imploded and eventually influenced his suicide (Hugo 1181). History has shown that a person’s or group’s decision to take action with their given situation will inevitably have an effect on their state of conflict. Events such as the American and French Revolutions evidence this statement. Similarly, a person's state of conflict will also inevitably form them into whatever the situation yields. A well-known American

A tragic hero can be described as a great or virtuous character in a dramatic tragedy who is

Melville’s short story Bartleby the scrivener, describes the narrator as an elderly old man that wishes to give details of the life of Bartleby the scrivener. Bartleby was a completely emotionless human being who refuses to interact with the world around him. These actions shape the short story, picking at its viewers mind as to why Bartleby is disconnected from society. Bartleby worked in the dead letters office this may have triggered his inability to relate to the world around him. This motionless docility covered his inner troubles that he withheld from the world. The narrator states “I have known very many of them, professionally and privately, and if I pleased, could relate divers histories, at which good-natured gentlemen might smile, and sentimental souls might weep.” (Melville’s). In this he means that many persons might choose to smile as they find pleasure in reading “Bartleby” as much as those who might weep because they find the short story to be discouraging. In the 1970’s adaptation is one of those sentimental souls that the narrator is talking about in that it weeps for Bartleby, however the narrator brings the humor to life as he becomes speechless to Bartleby preferring not to do his work.

Heroes in literature and history, more often than not, meet tragic ends, unless they were created by Walt Disney. These particular people are often seen as someone who is apart from the masses in morals and attempt to accomplish a higher calling for the common good. The problem with this type of hero is that they are destined for suffering.Two such characters exist in classic literature, Winston Smith of George Orwell’s 1984 and Hamlet of William Shakespeare’s “Hamlet, Prince of Denmark.” Hamlet is the true classic tragic hero, though, because he is of noble birth, possesses high moral standards, completes the task he is given to better the world, and causes tragedy in both his life and the lives of others.

A tragic hero is defined as a great or virtuous character in a dramatic tragedy who is destined for downfall, suffering, or defeat. The hero in these tragedies is often presented as a noble however, flawed character whose demise is often impart to their own decisions, often due to their previously mentioned flaws, error in judgment and imprudent actions. Written in the early 1600’s Shakespeare wrote one arguably one of his greatest and highly controversial plays, the tragedy known as Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. Shakespeare in his play introduces us the pays one of his most popular, enigmatic, and dynamic characters the tragic hero Prince Hamlet. Hamlet is presented to us a sensitive, religious, loyal, moral, intellectual, and young

He is the source behind the main issues of the plot and some major points maybe cleared by observing his actions and nature. The tragic hero is always larger than life, a person of action whose decisions determine the fate of others. He is a man who is superior then the average person, a character of noble stature and greatness. Though the tragic hero is pre-eminently great, he is not perfect. Otherwise, the audience would be unable to identify with him and his tragedy. His imperfection is what invokes pity and fear in the audience. Another characteristic of a tragic hero is the fact that he is trigger by some error of judgment or character flaw. The

In Aristotle's Poetics, a tragic hero was defined as one who falls from grace into a state of extreme despair. Willy, as we are introduced to him, becomes increasingly miserable as he progresses from a dedicated, loving father, though not without flaws, into a suicidal, delusional man. The definition of a tragic hero, as stated in "Poetics," also describes a person who is influential and is of significance to others. Though, in actuality, Willy Loman may not possess these characteristics, he perceives himself as

Nobody is perfect. It is asinine to believe that perfection can be truly achieved. There will always be a flaw that develops in an individual. Whether it’s small or even fatal, these flaws will always prevail and be remembered by generations to come. Take Napoleon Bonaparte for example. He led one of the greatest revolutions in history; however, there was a characteristic of his personality that sealed his downfall. He had an insatiable hunger for limitless power. He became greedy and tried to take on more than his army could handle. His ruling was almost perfect except for his craze for power. Again, nobody can be perfect—even fictional characters created by Herman Melville. Billy Budd in Billy Budd, Sailor and Selected Tales seemed to have all the characteristics of a perfect individual. The only problem is that he had a stutter which eventually caused his death—his fatal flaw. He could not express his emotions to Captain Vere so he acted out by punching Claggart in the face, murdering him in the process. This lack of ability to communicate caused outburst and death on the ship. While this may have been wrong from a legal standpoint, I believe that Billy Budd was ethically justified when it came to the accidental murder of Claggart.