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The Dansker
The doctor of the Indomitable, who checks Claggart after he is struck by Billy and declares him dead. He also talks with the purser after Billy's death, refusing to see Billy's remarkable stillness while being hanged as an indication of his will power, which does not fall under the realm of scientific explanation.
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The Surgeon Character Timeline in Billy Budd
The timeline below shows where the character The Surgeon appears in Billy Budd. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 20
...to another room and wait there and then sent another sailor to bring the ship's surgeon to his cabin. The surgeon arrived and pronounced Claggart to be dead.
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...angel of God! Yet the angel must hang!" The captain gathered himself and told the surgeon what had happened. After moving Claggart's body to a compartment, he ordered the surgeon to...
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Chapter 21
...wonders if Captain Vere made the right decision in calling for a trial immediately. The surgeon, for example, thought that it would be better to confine Billy Budd onboard and wait...
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Chapter 22
...reader to decide if Captain Vere was suffering from some bout of madness (as the surgeon momentarily thought). The narrator emphasizes the horrible timing of the event (right after numerous mutinies...
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Chapter 27
A few days after Billy's death, the ship's purser and the surgeon discussed the event in the mess hall. The purser claims that the stillness of Billy's...
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The purser continues to debate the issue with the surgeon, emphasizing the extraordinariness of Billy's stillness. The surgeon refuses to see the event as phenomenal,...
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