Billy Budd: Three Main Characters Billy Budd, a 19th century novel written by Herman Melville, involves three main characters: Billy Budd, John Claggart, and Captain Vere. At the beginning of the novel, Melville portrays each character with a distinct personality; Billy Budd is depicted as the naive sailor, Claggart is seen as the villain, and Captain Vere is seen as the honorable superior of the ship. As the novel develops, previous images of these characters are contradicted as previously unseen traits of each character are revealed. John Claggart represents the epitome of a man haunted by demons. In chapter twenty, Melville carefully describes the change in Claggart's twisted figure as he speaks to Billy with a “hypnotic gaze” about his accusation against the handsome sailor. Initially his image was that of the "charm of the serpent"; however, his facial expression corrodes when he reveals his anger and dislike towards Billy face-to-face. First, his eyes change color from a “usual deep purple” to a “muddy purple.” Melville even paints him almost as a non-human being, “the alien eyes of an uncatalogued creature”. Furthermore, in contrast to his initial image, Melville compares the man to a “hungry torpedo rush”. Melville deliberately transforms Claggart's demonic trait to a more extreme level. Billy Budd plays the role of a simple and kind-hearted peacemaker. His captivating appearance and innocent nature win the loyalty of many sailors except John Claggart. During the brief moment of his stay in Captain Vere's cabin, one can see that his angelic image transforms into the image of a mortal creature. When John Claggart shocks Billy with accusations of involvement in a rebel group, Billy is "impaled, stricken with white leprosy". He is stunned and speechless, as if hypnosis - ***Hypnotist?*** Claggart - has actually hypnotized him enough to block his ability to speak. Captain Vere even urges Billy to defend himself; However, it is known for certain that Billy's main weakness is his inability to speak up in such a situation. Melville also compares Billy to an old school friend of Captain Vere. Just like his young schoolmate, Billy turns into a helpless child, struggling to utter a word. That moment of helplessness is broken when Billy hits Claggart with a cannonball. Immediately, Billy's image of a good-natured sailor is replaced by the image of a murderer. It is precisely that unexpected transformation in Billy's nature that puts his life to the test.