Moral Shades of Gray in Billy BuddVere's decision, according to the Wartime Acts to which he was subject, was legitimately justified. To do anything else would be a direct violation of the law and, therefore, the position he was in. The captain could not follow any pangs of conscience he felt, because it was not in his position to do so. As Vere said: "But do these buttons we wear attest that our allegiance is to Nature? No, to the King." He and the judges were forced to do their duty, which was to enforce the law. As officials of that law, the morality of the decision was not their choice, for that same law dictated what they should choose. Ultimately the decision fell to Vere as he delivered the speech condemning Billy. “Our sworn responsibility lies in this: However merciless that law may be, we nevertheless respect and administer it.” This, however, was not the only factor that needed to be addressed. The options they had do not determine the morality of an act, they are just a part of a larger whole. Law is, in itself, morality, by the nature of the fact that defying the law leads to chaos. The law was originally created to serve as a means of carrying out justice, but the mere fact that it has since then, as in this case, acted other than to uphold that concept demonstrates that it is a separate entity unto itself. Instead of considering the morality of a decision in the administration of justice, it is now reasonable and necessary to consider the law as a factor in determining the morality of a decision. Once the virtue of the decision is determined, then justice, and therefore punishment, can be considered. It is important to understand this concept: the law is no longer a means to bring... middle of paper... a choice, its decision is justified. Justification is the closest thing to virtue one can expect in this case. Life is not black and white, as theories of morality would have it, but simply a complex set of shades of grey. Vere's final choice was only about the highlights of a painting, the end of a process, and the selection from a series of unpleasant colors on a palette of greys. Works cited and consulted: Chase, Richard. Herman Melville: a critical study. New York: Hafner Publishing Company, 1971. Melville, Herman. Billy Budd, Sailor and Other Stories. Ed. Federico Busch. New York: Penguin, 1986.Richards, Lawrence O. The Bible Reader's Companion. Wheaton: SP Publications, Inc., 1991.Stern, Milton R. The Fine Hammered Steel by Herman Melville. Urbana: U of Illinois P, 1968. The Holy Bible, New King James Version. Dallas: Thomas Nelson, Inc., 1979.