In the novella _Billy Budd_ by Herman Melville, Captain Vere is the "tragic hero". he is neither good nor evil, but rather a man whose concept of order, discipline, and legality forces him to obey the codes of an authority higher than himself even though he may be in personal disagreement.         Captain Vere is sailor that is distinctive even in a time of renowned sailors. He has noble blood in him, but his advancement through …showed first 75 words of 463 total…

…showed last 75 words of 463 total…a situation such as this before, chose to kill Billy Budd.         Nobody can truly fault Captain Vere for his decision, for Billy had killed Claggart on ship. However, Captain Vere is still a tragic hero. His decision cost the man his sanity, and upon his death all he could say was "Billy Budd...Billy Budd....Billy Budd...". His concept of order, discipline, and legality remained in place, and Captain Vere paid the price for that.