Billy Budd, Sailor

The narrator introduces the Honorable Edward Fairfax Vere, an aristocratic officer who is the captain of the Bellipotent. Vere is competent but not ostentatious or glamorous. He doesn’t boast or make his rank obvious unless necessary. However, he is fiercely devoted to duty, although he is also prone to dreaminess when he is passive. A cousin called him “Starry Vere” once, a phrase from a poem by Andrew Marvell. In the poem, the name references a military leader whose extreme methods of disciplining his soldiers was legendary.

The narrator continues his discussion of Captain Vere’s temperament and history. Vere reads broadly and deeply, with a particular interest in philosophy and history. Sometimes his reading puts him at a distance from his men, who rarely share his inclinations and interests.

The narrator describes John Claggart, the ship’s master-at-arms. Claggart is in charge of discipline and is the closest thing to a law enforcement officer onboard. This is ironic, because getting men onto the ships often requires shadowy, unethical methods. This can lead to criminals comprising a significant amount of a ship’s crew. There are rumors that Claggart was a criminal recruited through similar means, but the narrator doesn’t believe it.