Billy Budd

The Story of "Billy Budd" takes place in 1797 during the Napoleonic Wars, just right after the famous Nore Mutiny of the British fleet. "Billy Budd" is a very well-known piece of literature, which is still debatable to many critics. There are three main characters depicted in the story. Billy Bud, the protagonist, who is strong, handsome and extremely warm-hearted. Everyone admires him because of his kind heart and good nature. Billy Bud does not know his origins. He is also very naive when it comes to the evil surrounding him.
As put forth by the narrator, Claggart is the antagonist. He is a clever, strong-willed, sly character. He is always mocking Billy with cheeky and provocative remarks. It seems his goal in life is to cause Billy trouble.

His nature is described as being pure as "Adam before the Fall". His innocence creates a charming aura that attracts others to him. This innocence and gullibility is ultimately a curse as it leads to his being targeted, falsely accused and his demise. It has been suggested by the narrator that Billy is extremely good-natured and straight forward. Budd's personality sometimes can be described as that of a child. Described by Braswell: "Billy, the handsome, strong, lovable sailor, represents good tendencies, the tendencies often designated as ‘the heart,' and the epithet ‘welkin-eyed' suggests a celestial quality." (Braswell,134). This illustrates the physical appearance of Billy the sailor. He has a good looking face and a rather muscular strong build. The crew on the ship loved him due to his easy going nature and personality. He is a pure soul. For example, he treated everyone with kindness and maintained a high regard for his peers. As suggested, there is a downside to this as is shown by Claggart who schemes and plots to exploit it several times as the story progresses. Budd's innocence is pointed out by the narrator many times. This quality even leads him to be considered as an angel. Billy's inner and outer beauty strengthens his connection with other people. As described by the Narrator: "Indeed, except as toned by the former, the comeliness and power, always attractive in masculine conjunction, hardly could have drawn the sort of honest homage the Handsome Sailor in some examples received from his less gifted associates." (Melville