Captain Vere's Trial In Billy Budd By Herman Melville

Should intentions count even if the outcome was completely different? In Billy Budd, a novel written by Herman Melville, Billy has killed Claggort from a punch that was not intentional, which was made out of confused and shock. Captain Vere is now faced with the decision to hold a trial on board or lock Billy Budd under decks till the ship reaches land and can hold a court trial. Vere decides to hold the trial on board and many critics have wrangled over his decision; as well as his actions and arguments during Billy Budd’s trial. Vere’s logic behind his decision was that, if word leaks out about what has happened, then he could have a real trouble on his ship, causing an outbreak of a munity. Many people believed that Captain Vere had done the smart decision of having the trail on board; and some people believed it was unjust for Vere to hold the trail against Billy. Captain Vere had many valid points, he was wrong for holding the trial on board and not giving Billy a fair fight. Without doubt, Vere should not have conducted the trial on board the

One point that is true, you cannot have people in the military who do not obey to the higher up powers shouldn’t be in the military. Vere says, “If our judgements approve the war, that is but coincidence.” (59) Which means he believes that whether you like it or not you have to do it. It would set an example if soldiers just got away with disobedient behavior, but Vere is wrong when he believes that if they render a guilty verdict is not them, but rather the king, who is sentencing Billy. Captain Vere is wrong for believing this because Billy had a chance of being alive with a court trial on land, instead of Vere holding a trial on board with all everything going his way. Vere had a choice to obey the “king’s” law, rather than take matters into his own