Captain Edward Fairfax Vere
E533659
Captain Edward Fairfax Vere is the morally conflicted naval commander in Herman Melville’s novella "Billy Budd," whose strict adherence to martial law leads him to condemn the innocent sailor Billy.
All labels observed (1)
| Label | Occurrences |
|---|---|
| Captain Edward Fairfax Vere canonical | 1 |
Statements (45)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
fictional character
ⓘ
literary character ⓘ sea captain ⓘ |
| appearsIn | Billy Budd NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| associatedEvent | mutiny scares in the British Navy ⓘ |
| characterTrait |
authoritative
ⓘ
disciplined ⓘ duty-bound ⓘ intellectual ⓘ reflective ⓘ |
| commands | HMS Bellipotent NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| conflictWith |
Billy Budd
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
John Claggart NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| createdBy | Herman Melville NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| deathContext | dies later in battle after Billy’s execution ⓘ |
| decision | orders the execution of Billy Budd ⓘ |
| gender | male ⓘ |
| knownFor |
condemning Billy Budd to death
ⓘ
placing duty above personal feeling ⓘ strict adherence to martial law ⓘ |
| literaryFunction |
embodiment of rigid legalism
ⓘ
tragic authority figure ⓘ |
| literaryPeriod | 19th-century American literature ⓘ |
| militaryBranch | British Royal Navy NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| moralAlignment | morally conflicted ⓘ |
| moralDilemma | chooses law over perceived innocence ⓘ |
| motivatedBy |
loyalty to naval law
ⓘ
sense of duty ⓘ |
| narrativePerspective | described by an external narrator ⓘ |
| nationality | British ⓘ |
| occupation |
captain
ⓘ
naval commander ⓘ |
| presidesOver | Billy Budd’s court-martial ⓘ |
| relationshipToBillyBudd |
commanding officer
ⓘ
judge at his trial ⓘ |
| remembers | Billy Budd at his death ⓘ |
| roleInWork |
central character
ⓘ
ship’s captain ⓘ |
| setting | late 18th-century British warship ⓘ |
| symbolizes |
conflict between justice and law
ⓘ
state authority ⓘ |
| themeAssociation |
authority and obedience
ⓘ
individual morality versus institutional duty ⓘ justice and injustice ⓘ law versus conscience ⓘ |
Referenced by (1)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.