Billy Budd :: essays research papers

he-goat Budd by Herman Melville fits into both categories of tragedy, classic and modern. This story fits into both Aristotles and Arthur Millers concepts of tragedy. Billy Budd is this storys tragic hero and its his actions that determine how this story fitsinto both categories.The classic definition of tragedy is Aristotles, that the tragic hero mustiness be noble and have a tragic flaw. He must also experience a reversal of fortune and recognize thereason for his downfall. This couldnt be any more alike(p) Billys story. Billy played was a respected and loved sailor with an embarrassing stutter, but was accused of conspiring to stage a mutiny. This changes Billys life dramatically resulting in him to kill an officer, and sentenced to death. Before he is executed though he blesses the man who sentenced him to death, which tells the reader that he had forgiven him and understands why he must be killed. Aristotles definition says a tragedy should have incidents arousing pity and disquietude. The incident with Claggart must have certainly caused the reader to pity him and to fear how Captain Vere would handle Billy.      The modern concept of tragedy is that of Arthur Millers, that the listening feels and fears for the characters so much that it is as if they are the characters themselves. The characters finally meet their tragic end, and the audience witnesses and understands their end. This applies to Billy mostly because of his likeability. The readers come to love Billy as his fellows sailors do. He is completely innocent and naive at the same time. The readersees his weakness and comes to feel tough for Billy the way one might for a child. The reader sympathizes with Billy especially when he is confronted by Claggart and can do nothing, but stutter. The reader is with Billy throughout and witnesses his transformation at the end.     In this fashion,