In Billy Budd, who is the ship's captain who orders Billy Budd's execution?

• A. Captain Claggart
• B. Captain Vere
• C. Captain Nemo
• D. Captain Ahab

Answer: (B)

Captain Vere is the ship’s captain who orders Billy Budd’s execution. In the story, Vere faces a fierce clash between naval law and mercy. Billy Budd is innocent of any real mutinous intent, but the law treats mutiny as a grave offense. Vere feels compelled to uphold the authority of the ship’s code and prevent any threat to discipline, even though enforcing the death penalty on Billy is morally painful. He ultimately signs the death sentence and orders the execution to be carried out, underscoring the harsh reality that justice in a military form can trump individual virtue in the moment.

Claggart is the master-at-arms who falsely accuses Billy, not the one who orders the execution. The other named captains belong to different literary works. This moment highlights the tension Melville explores between benevolence and the impersonal force of law, a central moral question about authority and responsibility.