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-----Herman Melville Herman Melville Billy Budd (1885 -1891 ) unfinished Ramond M. Weaver published 1st edition in 1924 2nd edition in1928 F. Barron Freeman 3rd edition 1948 Harrison Hayford and Merton M. Sealtss double texts 1962 Characters The handsome sailor 2. Inspires the men around him 3. Is falsely accused and condemned to die John Claggart 1. The ship‘s Master-at-arms（纠察长） 2. Evil by nature； 3. Incredibly petty jealousy Edward Fairfax Vere The Captain 2. Knowledgable and sophisticated 3. the Decision Maker in Billy’s case Setting The story takes place in 1797 during the Napoleonic Wars and the Nore Mutiny(诺尔兵变) Atheist :French warship plot Billy, an orphaned child, is adored by the crew, but for unexplained reasons arouses the antagonism of John Claggart, who falsely accuses Billy of conspiracy to mutiny. When Claggart brings his charges to the Captain, the Hon. Edward Fairfax “Starry” Vere, Vere summons both Claggart and Billy to his cabin for a private confrontation. When, in Billy’s and Vere‘s presence, Claggart makes his false charges, Billy is unable to find the words to respond owing to a speech impediment（口吃）. Unable to express himself verbally, he strikes and accidentally kills Claggart. Vere then convenes a court-martial. He acts as prosecutor, defense counsel and sole witness (except for Billy himself). He then intervenes in the deliberations of the court-martial panel（全体陪审员） to argue them into convicting Billy, despite their and his belief in Billys innocence before God. (As Vere says in the moments following Claggarts death, Struck dead by an angel of God! Yet the angel must hang!) Vere claims to be following the letter of the Mutiny Act and the Articles of War. Having started the process, Vere and the other officers find that their own opinion matters little. We are not talking about justice, we are talking about the law, that