Billy Budd by Herman Melville fits into both categories of tragedy, classic and modern. This story fits into both Aristotle's and Arthur Miller's concepts of tragedy. Billy Budd is this story's tragic hero and its his actions that determine how this story fits
into both categories.The classic definition of tragedy is Aristotle's, that the tragic hero must be noble and have a tragic flaw. He must also experience a reversal of fortune and recognize the
reason for his downfall. This couldn't be any more like Billy's story. Billy played was a respected and loved sailor with an embarrassing stutter, but was accused of conspiring to stage a mutiny. This changes Billy's life dramatically resulting in him to kill an officer, and sentenced to death. Before he is executed though he blesses the man who sentenced him to death, which tells the reader that he had forgiven him and understands why he must be killed. Aristotle's definition says a tragedy should have "incidents arousing pity......
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