Billy Budd by Herman Melville

             This paper is a review of the book "Billy Bud" written by Herman Melville
             first published in 1924. Billy Bud is a book, which was written long before
             1924 the time is still not known but it was published long after the demise
             of Herman Melville. It sat, uncompleted, and undiscovered until 1924.There
             were many titles given to: Billy Budd; Billy Budd, Sailor; Billy Budd,
             Foretopman. The last seems to represent Melville's final intention before
             he died because of the state in which the manuscript was found. It is the
             story of the handsome sailor' Billy who, though a decent man, is treated
             badly by his master-at-arms called Claggart and strikes this nasty
             character down, killing him outright but accidentally. The reason of this
             sorry condition is Billy's stammer that prevents him from protecting
             himself when accused by Claggart. The account follows his trial under
             Captain Vere and his following execution. After his demise we are told of
             his evident Christ-like arrival in "glory as... the Lamb of God", and his
             fellow sailors start to question whether the man has died at all. The opera
             of the story by Britten (1951) is extremely well-liked and one of the most
             significant modern works in the classical range. Melville's purpose in
             writing the story originates in the part his older brother played in
             presiding over the court martial of a sailor involved in disobedience whose
             punishment was execution. Melville began writing this book with the famous
             poem, "Billy in the Darbies," the haunting sailor's song that finishes the
             book. Then he wrote drafts that from the start explored Billy's situation
             in view of British eighteenth-century history. Claggart and Vere came in
             later drafts, and through various reworkings became more complex and
             developed characters. The story is narrated in third person voice whose
             energy, strong views, and stylistic discrepancy give the narrator a
             powerful, unpredictab...

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Billy Budd by Herman Melville. (1969, December 31). In MegaEssays.com. Retrieved 04:29, November 15, 2024, from https://www.megaessays.com/viewpaper/200392.html