They will say that Vere was only doing his duty to keep open rebellion and mutiny from occurring on his ship. I say he is lucky no such mutiny arose following his cynical judgment upon Billy. Billy Budd was a sailor beloved of all who met him. That Vere judged him guilty should have provoked the crew to judge Vere unfit for command. Such would have been fitting. But the crew followed Vere in his sorry example to uphold the Law. Vere did not uphold the Law. He upheld a Letter -- just like the ancient Pharisees would have done to the God they denied -- a Man of as much Goodness and Truth as Billy Budd.

Vere should have been more attentive to the Spirit of the Law in Billy's case. Instead, he allowed himself not to be moved -- even when compelled: "And pity, if we are men, must move us, Captain." "So I am moved," replies Vere to Ratcliffe, "but we cannot have warm hearts betraying heads which should be cool" (72).

Where is the betrayal? Vere betrays himself! Man is made of two parts, just as is the Law -- body and soul, head and heart. Vere does not allow himself to be moved the way God allows Himself to be moved to pity for all sinners. Vere, consequently, is Satanic: his rule is informed only by spiritless letters which mean...

Where Vere should have pity, he employs reason. Where Vere should reason, he employs self-pity. Vere is an inversion of right thinking. Therefore, I say, he should be removed from his command.
Had Vere but issued a lesser punishment, had he but acknowledged the Spirit of the Law -- he might be worth saving, just as Billy Budd, a model sailor was worth saving -- a fact which Vere did not deny.

But here is Vere's fault: He thinks God is all head like a watch and no heart. He thinks God's Law is all Letter and no Spirit. Here is Vere's mistake. The Spirit gives life. The Letter kills. Vere proves the divine truth of these words when he takes the life of Billy Budd in order to follow to the Letter the Law, which was established to govern not to tyrannize. Yet, under Vere, the Law becomes a tyranny.

In conclusion, I believe Vere will be defended for having followed the Law despite his love for Billy. But my vote would go against Vere -- for exactly that reason: yes, he followed the Letter of the Law. But he ignored the Spirit -- the Spirit that makes every nation great and every man good. Vere sentenced it to death.

Works Cited

Melville, Herman. Billy Budd.