Billy Budd here has been removed from the ship the Rights-of-Man and placed into service in His Majesty's Navy where he is consequently deprived these very humans rights, “rights of man,” for the sake of national security. His honesty and honor within the ship are misplaced in that within the ship they are mistaken for holding deeper, less dignified undertones by Claggart, and therein inspire the antagonism which causes Claggart to unjustly accuse Billy Budd of mutiny. Captain Edward Fairfax "Starry" Vere, hears of these charges and summons both men to his private meeting. Claggart presents the charges before Captain Vere. Billy Budd is allowed to defend himself but is rendered incapable due to a stutter which becomes more severe with intense emotion. In emotional fury he strikes back and accidentally kills Claggart. Vere says in the moments preceding Claggart's death, "Struck dead by an angel of God! Yet the angel must hang!" Thus raises the domineering question of the text: Is the death of Billy Budd necessary and a death which is just?
The narrative of events leading up to Billy Budd’s death not only lends itself to questions of law and order in relation to morality, but it further
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How does the state maintain order? How do the various characters relate to the law? The second lens, Biblical imagery, begins with the obvious parallel between Billy Budd and Christ. These Biblical references complicate the statecraft lens with an additional moral reading, which the statecraft lens alone cannot provide. Billy Budd becomes more than simply another man on the ship. Because of his Christ-like nature, his death is granted more meaning. The Christ metaphor is not the only Biblical analogy. Melville draws many comparisons including Abraham’s sacrifice of Isaac, and man’s fateful choice in the Garden of Eden. In this essay I hope to chart out the various metaphors and how they are working together or contradicting each