Posted by Wendy Sumida on May 11, 1998 at 17:42:40:
In Reply to: Re: Billy Budd by Herman Melville posted by tim on December 09, 1997 at 14:08:47:
: : Can someone please explain to me what reasons the captain has for killing Billy Budd
: he was a dirty er
Striking an officer during a period of war, for what ever reason, was considered an act of mutiny. The penalty for mutiny was death. Also, the Captain didn't want to kill him. But Billy technically was guilty and if he didn't carry through with the punishment, the crew may have seen it as a weakness of the captain's and the result may have been a real mutiny. All for the good of the order ... shitty, ain't it?