Billy Budd, Sailor Summary

During the final years of the 18th century, a young mariner named Billy Budd is forcefully drafted from a merchant vessel, Rights-of-Man, to serve aboard a British naval ship, the H.M.S. Bellipotent. Despite departing his former ship without complaint, he soon finds himself under intense scrutiny for minor infractions. It is suggested to him by an older, wiser seaman, the Dansker, that the ship's master-at-arms Claggart bears a grudge against him. Billy dismisses this theory, but continues to question his circumstances, especially after a mishap where he accidentally spills soup on Claggart, which Billy interprets as a jest but Claggart perceives as a sign of contempt.

One night, an unidentified man tries to bribe Billy in exchange for a promise of cooperation. Reacting to his instinct that something is wrong, Billy rebuffs the man, causing him to retreat into the shadows. Later, following a minor battle with an enemy ship, Claggart accuses Billy of plotting a mutiny to their Captain, Vere. Billy, shocked and speechless by the accusation, is urged to defend himself by Vere. Unable to articulate his innocence due to his stuttering, Billy punches Claggart in a fit of rage, knocking him unconscious.

Claggart's condition worsens and he eventually dies, resulting in Vere convening a court-martial, where he stands as the main witness. Billy admits to hitting Claggart but denies any ill intent or association with mutiny. The jury finds Billy guilty and sentences him to death by hanging. On the day of his execution, he utters his last words, blessing Captain Vere, before passing away calmly. Following Billy's death, murmurs spread among the crew but are quickly stifled. Billy's memory is revered by the sailors, while the true nature of the incident is misrepresented in a newspaper report. The ship later encounters a French warship, during which Vere is fatally wounded and dies in a hospital, whispering Billy's name as his last words.