The Troubadour Podcast

Behind the Mask of Moby-Dick: Captain Ahab's Pivotal Speech Explained

• Kirk j Barbera

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Unveil the mystery behind Captain Ahab's obsession with the elusive white whale as we dissect his profound monologue in Herman Melville's "Moby Dick." Joined by a renowned Melville scholar, we plunge into Ahab's psyche, examining his belief in a hidden force driving existence and his unwavering determination to confront this power. Witness the collision of Ahab's fierce will against Starbuck's resistance and discover the philosophical and moral implications it raises about the nature of humanity and our quest for truth. This episode promises to leave you with a deeper appreciation for one of literature's most complex characters and the eternal struggle to pierce life's veils.

In an electrifying dissection of Ahab's rallying cry to his crew, we delve into the heart of what fuels his relentless pursuit of Moby Dick. Ahab's charisma and command over words cast a spellbinding force, uniting his crew under a common, albeit tragic, flag. With our esteemed guest shedding light on the darkest corners of Ahab's resolve, we piece together the symbolism and motivations that drive this timeless narrative. Tune in to this episode as we navigate the turbulent waters of obsession, leadership, and the human condition, all encapsulated in the epic chase for the legendary leviathan.

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One of the great monologues in literature is delivered by Captain Ahab in Herman Melville's Moby Dick. In it we hear the essence of Ahab's philosophy, one in which many of us hold, often without knowing it. Captain Ahab has declared to his crew of whale hunters that he seeks but one whale on the sea, the whale who took his leg, the white whale, moby Dick. Ahab promises to the crew a large reward of gold to any man who spots the white whale. Skin your eyes for him, men. He says Look sharp for white water If ye see, but a bubble sing out, first mate. Starbucks protests Vengeance on a dumb brute, cried Starbucks that simply smote thee from blindest instinct.

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Madness To be enraged with a dumb thing, captain Ahab seems blasphemous. To which Captain Ahab, in his monologue, responds All visible objects man are, but as paste-bored masks. But in each event, in the living act, the undoubted deed there, some unknown but still reasoning thing puts forth the moldings of its features from behind the unreasoning mask. If man will strike, strike through the mask, how can the prisoner reach outside except by thrusting through the wall? To me, the white whale is that wall shoved near to me. Sometimes I think there's not beyond. But is enough. He tasks me, he heaps me. I see in him outrageous strength, with an unscrupable malice sinnowing it. That inscrutable thing is chiefly what I hate, and be the white whale agent or be the white whale principal, I will wreak that hate upon him. Talk not to me of blasphemy, man. I'd strike the sun if it insulted me, for could the sun do that then could I do the other, since there is ever a sort of fair play here in jealousy providing over all creations, but not my master man is even that fair play. Who's over me? Truth hath no confines. Take off thine eye. More intolerable than fiend's is glaring's is a dulltish stare. So so, thou redness and palest, my heat has melted thee to anger glow. But look ye, starbuck, what is said in heat, that thing on says itself. There are men from whom warm words are small in dignity. I meant not to incense thee, let it go. Look. See yonder Turkish cheeks of spotted tawn, living, breathing, pictures painted by the sun. The pagan leopards, the unwracking and unworshipping things that live and seek and give no reasons for the toward life they feel. The crew, man, the crew, are they not one and all with Ahab in this matter of the whale? See, stub, he laughs. See yonder Chilean, he snorts to think of it.

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Stand up amid the general hurricane, thy one tossed sapling cannot, starbuck? And what is it Reckon it tis butt to help strike a fin. No, wondrous feet for starbuck. What is it more From this one poor hunt than the best lance out of all Nantucket? Surely he will not hang back when every four-mast hand has clutched a whetstone? Ah, constraining sees thee. I see the billa lifts thee. Speak, but speak Aye, aye thy silence. Then that voice is thee, something shot from my dilated nostrils. He has inhaled it in his lungs. Starbuck, now is mine, cannot oppose me now without rebellion.

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In monologue worthy of rereading and rereading, note the line all visible objects man are, but as paste-bored masks. And he goes on to say if man will strike, strike through the mask. So what is a mask? A mask is something you put on over your face that hides the thing beneath it, that hides what's behind the mask. He looks at dumb beasts, as Starbuck calls it, and sees living reasoning thing behind the mask. The mask is just hiding the reason that integrates all of nature beyond the mask. And so he wants to strike through that wall, strike through that mask. He thinks there is something of reason, maybe it be God or gods, but some force of reasoning behind the mask of morality, of the ability to make moral judgments. In other words, the whale that took Ahab's leg did it by some divine power, and I will wreak that hate upon him. Talk not to me of blasphemy, man. I'd strike the sun if it insulted me, for could the sun do that then could I do the other? Later, he says who's over me? Truth hath no confines. In other words, beyond the utmost bound of truth, there is no bound of truth. We just haven't been able to strike through the mask. And that is what I, ahab, will do. I will reach the realm of the gods, I will reach the realm of ultimate truth and strike through this whale, which represents that in everything to me, captain Ahab.

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Now, this speech can be broken up into two sections. The first section is revealing of Ahab's deeper belief in philosophy that beyond this dumb brute, beyond even the sun and inanimate objects, there is some kind of unifying reasoning force. But it's hidden behind a mask, behind a wall, behind a sheet, a curtain, however you want to think of it, and he will strike through to see, to look and to damage what is on and to harm what is on the other side, because he has hate in his heart. And the second half of this speech, when he talks to Starbucks about the reddening and palest, my heat has melted thee to anger. But look ye, starbucks, what is said in heat, that thing un-says itself. There are men from whom warm words are small in dignity. I meant not to incense thee.

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This begins a topic, the part of his speech where he is attempting to persuade Starbucks to keep the men on his side, and he tells Starbucks to stand up amid the gentle hurricane. Thy one tossed apple in. Cannot, you cannot, stand amidst the hurricane. He says, reckon it. The men are with me. See stub, he laughs. See yonder Chilean. See, man, he laughs, he snorts. To think of it, he's ready. These men are with me. The straining sees thee. I see the billow lifts thee. Speak if you wish, but remember the men are with me and the men are like the wet stone. They are the men that are sharpening the sword so that I can go out and stab at the beast. So in this very short monologue spoken early on in the book Moby Dick, we get a whole sense of this man, ahab. What's motivating, what's drawing him on this quest, this monomaniacal quest to destroy this white whale, this fish in the sea. And this is what spirals everything into this ship, into these men's lives, that hurdles them across the sea and to their destiny.