Captain Vere
E545856
Captain Vere is the morally conflicted naval commander in Herman Melville’s novella "Billy Budd, Sailor," whose strict adherence to martial law leads to the tragic execution of the innocent Billy.
Statements (43)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
fictional character
ⓘ
literary character ⓘ sea captain ⓘ |
| alias | Edward Fairfax Vere NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| appearsIn |
Billy Budd
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Billy Budd, Sailor NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| appearsInGenre |
novella
ⓘ
sea fiction ⓘ tragedy ⓘ |
| characterTrait |
authoritarian
ⓘ
conscientious ⓘ dutiful ⓘ intellectual ⓘ reflective ⓘ stoic ⓘ |
| commands | HMS Bellipotent NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| conflictWith |
naval regulations
ⓘ
personal conscience ⓘ |
| createdBy | Herman Melville NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| decision |
convenes drumhead court to try Billy Budd
ⓘ
presses officers to condemn Billy Budd ⓘ |
| educationInterest | literature and philosophy ⓘ |
| firstPublicationOfWork | posthumously in 1924 ⓘ |
| gender | male ⓘ |
| knownFor |
ordering the execution of Billy Budd
ⓘ
strict adherence to martial law ⓘ |
| legalPhilosophy | prioritizes martial law over individual innocence ⓘ |
| literaryPeriod | 19th-century American literature ⓘ |
| militaryBranch | British Royal Navy NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| moralAlignment | morally conflicted ⓘ |
| narrativeFunction | central authority figure in the court-martial of Billy Budd ⓘ |
| nationality | British ⓘ |
| occupation |
captain
ⓘ
naval commander ⓘ |
| relationshipTo |
Billy Budd
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
John Claggart NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| roleInWork |
commanding officer of Billy Budd
ⓘ
ship’s captain ⓘ |
| symbolizes |
the burdens of command
ⓘ
the impersonal nature of institutional justice ⓘ |
| themeAssociation |
authority and responsibility
ⓘ
conflict between law and conscience ⓘ justice versus duty ⓘ |
Referenced by (1)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.