Billy Budd

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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 sorry 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, is both a classic and modern tragedy. Melville combines the two unknowingly giving the audience a hero is so close to perfectness, yet held back by his naiveness and stutter. The reader understands Billy, because even though Billy is
almost perfect, he is afraid just like anyone else. The reader can see himself in Billy’s predicament and ...

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