Good and Evil
Moral sensibility comes from awareness of the transcendent good, according to Plato (51). According to Augustine, evilon the other handis the absence of good. While that definition might be insufficient to explain the motivations of characters like Iago and John Claggart, it does at least suggest that in imperfect people there can be degrees of good and evil: and this condition is exemplified in Captain Vere, who wants to do the right thing but struggles to know what that is. In Billy Budd, there is the contrast between what is noblepersonified by Billy Buddand what is evilpersonified by John Claggart. Budd is loved by those around him who are also of good will; but Claggart is of an evil will: like Iago he seeks to destroy that which is good. When Budd strikes Claggart and kills him, Vere feels there is no choice but to convict Budd for killing the maneven if Claggart himself was guilty of
Budds strike was a kind of self-defense against Claggarts calumnybut Vere felt that the law had to be followed and so Budd was hung. Yet Budds goodness shines out to the end and his last words are God bless Captain Vere! (62). Budd has such a complete moral sensibility that he surely goes straight to heaven, whereas Veres sensibilityalthough goodis still insufficient in...…than Ivan in a way, but Veres issue is that he is a legalist, whereas Ivans issue is that he is faithless. Ivan is more like Nietzsches madman crying out, Where is God gone?...We have killed himyou and I! (100). Indeed, Nietzsche took after Dostoevskys faithless characters, seeing in them the romantic allure of shaking ones fist in the face of Godlike Miltons Satan. Vere does not want to shake his fist in the face of Godhe is better than that: but he lacks sufficient moral sensibility to acquit Budd, for he states that Budds intent or non-intent is nothing to the purpose (61)and here he is entirely mistaken. Plato, at least, would disagree with Vere on that…
