i know that starry vere does in his decision to execute billy bcause of his "duties" to the ship and crew but what other characters have duties and principles openly shared?
Captain the Honorable Edward Fairfax Vere: Known as "Starry Vere," the captain is an erudite man and an efficient officer. Intelligent and well-read, he is sometimes criticized behind his back for being a touch too in love with abstractions and ideas. Vere is a man immersed in ideas, but he is also a man with strong conviction about his duty to the navy and to England. His commitment to his values leads to the death of Billy Budd.
Billy is dedicated and scrupulous about following orders and fulfilling his duties.
The Chaplain chooses duty (to man) over principle, seemingly setting aside his duty to God and doing the right thing.... proclaiming Billy's innocence.
"an audacious transgression of the bounds of his function, one as exactly prescribed to him by military law as that of a boatswain or any other naval officer."
Billy Budd
