Human Experiences In Billy Budd

On the one hand, the context of society can be explored through universal attributes, which define characters or human conditions. On the contrary, drama is where there is a conflict between two or more individuals, which can be linked to being a dramatized reflection of society. This interpretation of the concept of drama reflecting on real life is encapsulated in Louis O.Coxe’s and Robert Chapman’s Billy Budd. Developed from Melville’s novel both composers dramatically reflect human experiences through exploring the social context of society and morals. Bill Budd demonstrates how drama and real life can be combined with each other creating a piece of literature, which dramatizes human experiences.

Abandoning one’s conscience in order to …show more content…
Captain Vere enters the trial as a witness however he later intervenes as Captain. When Vere intervenes, he begins to challenge the verdict that is about to be laid on Billy simultaneously questioning if the verdict is right. The use of dialogue from Vere highlights his decision to punish Billy by law rather than carry out his individual conscience of setting Billy free. Despite previously comparing Billy as to “being like his own son”, Vere still leans towards order over justice, thus the compromise. The lean towards order is further exemplified in type of language his uses as well as his rhetoric of speech. This becomes demonstrated in “Challenge your scruples” and “What does it matter that our acts are fatal to our manhood, if we serve as we are forced to serve?” Vere continues on to say “There is no truce to war born in the womb. We fight as command”. In addition to this, the fate of Billy allows the reader to question Vere’s verdict of Billy’s fate in other words challenging the law in society. Captain Vere’s decision is a powerful manifestation of the way that society forces men to ignore their individual intuition and morals in order to pursue punishment according to society’s dictates. Furthermore, the court scene examines a vexing jurisprudential issue that has persisted for centuries which is whether or not a judge should follow the exact letter of the law or to disregard …show more content…
By utilizing a war ship as a platform to reveal the context of society, the composer’s have also revealed conflicts. This becomes illustrated in the ship being a microcosm, encapsulating the 1797 context of society, which still endures through today. On board the ship there is a hierarchy where authority with the officers being above the sailors displaying a class division. In addition to the social structures, there is a rising tension between Claggart and Billy. The use of imagery from Claggart in “The sea’s deceitful, boy: calm above, and underneath, a world of gliding monsters preying on their fellows” metaphorically represents the conflict of Claggart and Billy. Billy entails innocence where on the other side of the spectrum, Claggart represents the dark side of man. This combination and clash of attributes are what create the dramatic action of the play. The incidents, which add to the rising tension, are supported in the event where Claggart drops his rattan, which is picked up by Billy. Claggart perceives this as mockery leading him to his wickedness and nefarious plot. He paints Billy under a negative light through falsely accusing that Billy is plotting to start a mutiny. This antagonizing desire that Claggart has, is still evident in today’s society. This goes to show how Billy Budd is representative of how certain characteristics of an individual can reflect real life