A significant instance of situational irony occurs in Billy Budd when John Claggart, the ship's master-at-arms, falsely accuses Billy of mutiny. Claggart's accusation against Billy is an unexpected turn of events. Throughout the novella, Melville characterizes Billy as trustworthy, likable, innocent, and loyal. Because Billy has a reputation for being good and even naive, the serious accusations made against him come as a surprise to the reader. The novella's central irony lies in this contrast between Billy's character and Claggart's accusations.
When Billy confronts Claggart after being falsely accused, he is unable to speak and instead lashes out physically, striking Claggart and accidentally causing his death. Billy Budd has genuinely good intentions and is an innocent person who, in trying to prove his innocence, ironically ends up calling his own innocent nature into question. This only furthers the irony of Billy's situation. Billy ends up losing a bit of his innocence in the end, even though this innocence is exactly what he was trying to prove in the first place.
Claggart, the ship's master-at-arms, is a strict disciplinarian who enforces order and discipline on the ship. Yet the narrator makes it clear to the reader that Claggart harbors a deep and irrational hatred for Billy. In falsely accusing Billy of mutiny, which results in Billy's execution, Claggart actually undermines justice, another notable instance of irony. All in all, Melville presents these instances of irony to the reader to underscore the complex moral and ethical dilemmas that take place in the novella.
Billy Budd is an extremely ironic novella, and Melville uses dramatic irony to create tension in the story. When Budd is accused of mutiny by Claggart, the reader is aware that Billy wasn't trying to organize a mutiny, even though Captain Vere and other members of the crew are unaware. This difference in knowledge between the reader and characters of the story is an example of dramatic irony.
Throughout the novella, readers are aware of Captain Vere's internal moral dilemma as he presides over Billy's trial. Vere is torn between his belief in Billy's innocence (which the reader knows to be true) and his duty to uphold naval law. The audience is aware of the inner turmoil and the moral complexities Vere deals with, while other characters, including Billy and the rest of the crew, do not. This creates dramatic tension for the reader.
As the story progresses, the audience becomes increasingly aware of the grim fate that awaits Billy, while Billy himself remains mostly oblivious. In doing so, Melville suggests that Billy's inherent innocence and goodness is ultimately futile in the face of a rigid justice system like the one found on the ship. All in all, Melville uses irony to underscore the complexities of human nature and justice, as well as the conflict that can occur between individual morality and institutional regulations.
