Billy Budd by Herman Melville as an allegory of good versus evilBilly Budd by Herman Melville tells an allegory of innocence versus evil by symbolizing Billy Budd , John Claggart and Captain Vere as Jesus Christ, Lucifer and God. The protagonist of the novel is Billy Budd. The experiences Billy experiences throughout the novel parallel those that Jesus Christ endured in his life. Melville characterizes Billy Budd as an innocent man physically and mentally. The first feature the sailors noticed about Billy was his schoolboy features, with blond hair and blue eyes. His suave demeanor led some to nickname him “the handsome sailor” (16). Most often, sailors were men with scurvy, often sick, who made no effort to maintain a good appearance. With his tanned complexion and strong build, he resembles Hercules, one of the perfect Greek gods of mythology (17). Billy's full name is William, but sailors felt the childish name, Billy, was more appropriate. Usually only young, innocent boys are named Billy, but sailors see the man as an innocent boy. Billy's innocence prompted the Dankser to give Billy a nickname because "...whether out of patriarchal irony regarding Billy's youth and athletic build or for some other, more obscure reason, from the beginning he addressing him, he [the Dansker] always replaced “Baby” for “Billy”” (35). The above-mentioned characteristics confirm Billy's innocent nature, just as Jesus Christ had the same innocent disposition. After Billy's capture from Human Rights, by impression, he shows no remorse towards his former captain and his shipmates for failing to protect him. Billy, as well as Jesus, cannot hold one because their innocent nature makes them incapable... middle of paper... of paying for his sin. To comply with the law, Vere tells the jury "The prisoner's act - that is only what we must do" (69). When the jury convicts Billy, as they were heavily influenced by Vere, Captain Vere takes it upon himself to inform Billy of his disappearance. Melville doesn't address the scene much, but it is a warm sentimental scene with Vere playing Billy's father and consoling him. Captain Vere symbolically embodies God. The classic battle between the righteous and the reprobate comes to life with symbolism in Herman Melville's allegory Billy Budd, with Billy Budd, John Claggart and Captain Vere being depicted as Jesus Christ, Lucifer and God. , Richard. Herman Melville: A Critical Study. New York: Hafner Publishing Company, 1971. Melville, Herman. Billy Budd, Sailor and Other Stories. Ed. Frederick Busch. New York: Penguin, 1986.