# Billy Budd, Foretopman 3: What Befell Him in the Year of the Great Mutiny, etc. explained — Short Fiction

> Chapter companion for Short Fiction by Herman Melville.

## What happens

The chapter is dedicated to Jack Chase, Captain of the Main-Top in 1843 on the U.S. frigate United States, and sets the stage for Billy Budd's story during the time of the Great Mutiny.

## Themes in this chapter

### Authority and Rebellion

The chapter references the Great Mutiny, a major rebellion against naval authority.

## Character check-ins

### Billy Budd

The foretopman whose story is set during the Great Mutiny.

### The Narrator (Billy Budd)

The narrator who dedicates the chapter to Jack Chase.

## Key lines

> Dedicated to Jack Chase Englishman Wherever that great heart may now be here on earth or harboured in paradise Captain of the Main-Top in the year 1843 in the U.S. frigate United States

This chapter is dedicated to Jack Chase, an Englishman and former captain of the main-top on the U.S. frigate United States in 1843, wherever he may be now.

_The dedication honors a real-life sailor and sets a personal, nostalgic tone._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_28_se/chapters/billy-budd-foretopman
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_28_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_28_se/chapters