CliffsNotes on

Billy Budd

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About the Author

The Early Years
A Life at Sea
The Literary Years
Later Years
A Melville Timeline

About the Novel

Critical Assessment
Sources
Motifs
Subsequent Forms
Character Names
A Brief Synopsis
List of Characters

Summaries and Commentaries

Chapters 1 & 2
Chapters 3–5
Chapters 6 & 7
Chapters 8–10
Chapters 11–13
Chapter 14
Chapters 15–17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapters 20 & 21
Chapters 22 & 23
Chapter 24
Chapters 25–27
Chapters 28–30

Character Analyses

Billy Budd
Claggart
Captain Vere

Critical Essays

Plot
Form
Moral
Purpose
Setting
Narrative Technique
Theme
Style

Study Help

Quiz
Essay Questions

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Summaries and Commentaries

Chapters 22 & 23

Abraham may have caught young Isaac—Melville compares the Captain’s private conference with Billy to Abraham’s intimate discussion with Isaac, his condemned son, in Genesis 22:1–8 of the Old Testament.

boatswain—the ship’s officer charged with summoning the crew for duty.

about ship—return to duties.

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